AHOPE Fundraiser in DC

I’ll be going to a fundraiser being held in DC for AHOPE.  I would be super delighted if as many people could come as possible!

How to Make Injera

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/you-can-make-injera/15262902

Over the last four years, I have tried on numerous occasions with numerous recipes/instructions to make injera.  Always big failures.

Then, I made injera following the instructions in this book. FANTABULOUS! 

Quite honestly, I had resigned myself to serving shiro and doro wat with Italian bread or pita bread for the rest of my life.  No more!!!  Now, I can whip it up like a professional.

My Ethiopian husband loves it.  He says this injera is better than the restaurant injera (from Ethiopian restaurants in America).  He said it has beautiful eyes.  (Yes, most girls would get all woozy from their husbands remarking on *their* beautiful eyes.  Not me.  I was delighted by my injera’s beautiful eyes.)

I’m still not a pro at the swirl technique.  However, I just pour four small injera (like I was pouring pancakes) and then tilt the pan.  This makes the injera all even thickness.  And, since we are a function-before-fashion family, we don’t really care too much that our injera aren’t perfectly round.

That being said, since we use a lefse cooker to make the injera (and not the big injera cooker), I have made big injera beautifully using the pancake pour/tip/pan rotate method too. 

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/you-can-make-injera/15262902

So, go to this website and order the book for yourself.  You will not regret it. 

As an added bonus, profits from your purchase go to support Clinic at a Time, an organization that is working to improve health care in underprivileged areas in Ethiopia. 

I know this totally sounds like an infomercial, but I’m a total believer in both the recipe and the cause.

Amharic Phrases

Last time I was in Ethiopia, all I could say was Selam, Ciao and Amsegenalehu. I decided to be a little more considerate and learn more Amharic this time. These are the phrases I learned. I’m pretty sure they are correct. If not, it’s close enough to probably get people to understand you.  Just don’t put up your home up as collateral on wager that these words are exactly correct.

Also, Amharic has different letters. So, the words are written phonetically here. If you see Amharic words written differently with Roman letters, it’s just however the speaker sounds out the words.  So, I wrote the word only phonetically.  It probably will not match with how you will see it written other places.  Example: I wrote “Eh-MY-ay” for mother.  However, if you see it written down in other places, it will probably be written emaye.

All R sounds should be rolled. There are also other sounds that are not the same as in English. For instance, tenkahra or terths. The T sound is made by putting your tongue between your top and bottom front teeth and saying “T”. Don’t put the tongue behind your top teeth and say T like we do in English. (And make sure you still roll the R!) The K in Katell or Kai is a very hard K. It starts way back in your throat and sort of sound like you’re trying to get a hairball out. The best thing is to get someone to demonstrate the sound for you. 

I tried to write phonetically, but I may have missed a few words.  In general,

• AH is pronounced like AH
• A is short a.
• AY is long a.
• EE is long e.
• E (or EH) is short e
• I is long I
• IH is short i.
• O  (or OH) is long o.
• OU is like in ouch.
• U (or OO)  is ooo.
• G is a hard G.
• EW is eh followed by the consonant W sound (not oo).
• R is rolled R (like in Spanish)
• ñ is the Spanish N or like the French gn sound or ny (consonant Y) in English
• OE is kind of like the U sound in PUT (or the oo sound in HOOF if you pronounce it the Wisconsin way).
• SS just to emphasize the soft S sound.  (Just because otherwise I might’ve read it with the hard S sound).
• Y as a vowel by itself will be the long I sound otherwise it is the consonant Y
• If a word ends with EHU (like Ewedehalehu), slur the eh and oo sounds together.  They are not distinct syllables.
• There are different words/word endings sometimes depending if you are talking to a male, female, plural or formal (important person).I also found some vocabulary at the AAI website. I didn’t retype those words here.Get ready to Learn Amharic (my ferengi version of Amharic, anyway).  If there are other words and/or phrases you’d like to add to my mini Amharic-English Dictionary/Phrase Page, add your request to the comments section.  You can be anonymous if you wish.The right-hand column may have M, F or Pl listed.  This indicates the version you should use based on who you are speaking to (not yourself).Words in blue were added most recently.Also, if you go to this entry, there is a file of words that are typically used in the photo albums sent to the children (mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, house, etc.).  The downloadable/printable file has the words in English and Amharic.  The Amharic is written phonetically with Roman letters and with Amharic letters so the non-English speaking  staff at your child’s Ethiopian care center/orphanage will be able to talk to your child about the photos). 

Pronunciation	Meaning
THE ESSENTIALS (in my opinion)
Ah-woh (or OW!) Also, you can do a little intake of breath while you lift your eyebrows to “nod” yes.	Yes
I-deh-LEHM (starts with long I sound) Also can say Iyyyy.	No
Shin-TEH-BAYT?	toilet?
Chigger yeh-LEM	No problem.
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!) Often said to a child who does something to please you or succeeds.
Seh-LAHM	Hello (Peace) – standard greeting
chou (like ouch)	Bye (just like in Italian)
AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh	Thank you.
WOO hah	Water
GREETINGS/PLEASANTRIES
Seh-LAHM	Hello (Peace) – standard greeting
Seh-LAHM neh way?	Are you in peace? (a greeting)	M
Seh-LAHM nesh way?	Are you in peace? (a greeting)	F
in-DEM-min ah-DEHRK?	How did you spend the night? (greeting)	M
in-DEM-min ah-DERSH?	How did you spend the night? (greeting)	F
in-DEM-min walsh?	How was the day?	F
in-DEM-min wahlk?	How was the day?	M
in-DEM-min neh?	How are you?	M
in-DEM-min nehsh?	How are you?	F
in-DEM-min NAH-choo?	How are you? This is used for plural casual OR plural formal.	Pl
in-DEM-min NOHT	How are you? This is formal singular.
Deh-na-NEHSH?	Are you fine? (greeting)	F
Deh-na-NEH?	Are you fine? (greeting)	M
Deh-na-NAH-choo?	Are you fine? (greeting)	Pl
Deh-na-ñAY	I’m fine.
DEH-na	Fine
If someone asks you How are you? (A sentence that starts with in-DEM-min) then answer Dehna. If they ask you Are you fine? (sentence starts with Dehna) then answer Dehna-ñay.	Formal should be used with old people (grandparent age), people in any job that requires a college degree, politicians, priests, ferengi, etc. However, the “formal people” may tell you to go ahead and use casual with them.
chou (like ouch)	Bye (just like in Italian)
NOHR-ee	You arrived! It is a greeting said when you enter a room.	F
NOHR	You arrived!	M
Bugs ear.	Response to someone saying Noor. “By God” This is actually a contraction/slur of Exabier.
SIH may ___	My name is ___
SIH meh mah no?	What is your name?	M
SIH mesh mahn no?	What is your name?	F
Hah geh REH-heh yeht NO?	Where do you come from?	M
Hah-geh REHSH yet no?	Where do you come from?	F
In KWAHN deh-na meh TASH	Welcome	F
In KWAHN deh-na meh TAH	Welcome	M
Yah-YAY-roo hoo-NAY-tah in-DEHT-nehwoo?	How is the weather?
AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh	Thank you.
ih BAH kesh	Please (to a female)
ih BAH keh	Please (to a male)
AHZ nah lehu	Sorry
YAH suh deh GEH	Blessing said for a child that sneezes. (or just a general blessing)	M
YAH suh deh GEHSH	Blessing said for a child that sneezes.	F
Yeh mah REH	Blessing for an adult that sneezes	M
Yeh mah RESH	Blessing for an adult that sneezes	F
AH-bit	Said after someone calls your name. Kinda like “yes?” or “What?” or (in my house) “Hunh?”
PEOPLE
Bahl OR bah-lay	Husband
Meest	Wife
Wehn-DIHM	Brother
uh-HEHT	Sister
GAH-shay	uncle (or a term for man whose name you don’t know)
Feh-REHN-jee	Non-black Foreigner
tih-KOOR	Black (used for a black foreigner)
AH-beh-shah	Ethiopian (and maybe or maybe not the Eritreans)
AHN chee	Hey You (don’t be surpised if you hear this yelled at you)	F
AHN teh	Hey You!	M
AH kist	aunt
ah GOHT	uncle
Shih- MAH-geh-LAY	Old man
Ah-roh-GEET (hard G)	Old woman
YEH nay LEEJ	my child
YEH nay WEHN deh LEEJ	my son
YEH nay SEHT LEEJ	my daughter
hih TSAHN LEEJ	baby
lee JOHCH	children
IN-nay	Me
eh reh deht	helper
Mah-no yeh-nay eh-reh-deht?	Who is my helper?
PLACES
BAYT	home
mehn yah TAH bayt	bedroom
shihn teh bayt	bathroom
KOO shihn uh	kitchen
SAH lohn	dining room
SAH lohn	living room
yeh-MAHK-ee-nah BAYT	garage (but if you say garage to an English speaker in ET, they will likely think you are referring to a auto repair place)
yeh-MAHK-ee-nah MUHN-gehd	driveway
basement	basement
tihn-nihsh meh-NAH-feh-SHAH	backyard/grassy area (small park)
postah sah-TEHN	mailbox
teh MEHR teh BAYT	school
yeh-meh-GIHB mahg-JEE-yah-BOH-tah	food store
yeh-lihbs mahg-JEE-yah-BOH-tah	clothing store
MAH deh yeh  (try to make the consonant y sound the last sound, kind of drop of the last eh)	gas station
yeh-meh-GIHB BAYT	restaurant
library	library
sah-GOOR ahs-tah-kah-kY	hair salon/barber
yeh-SIH-RAH BOH-tah	work (job place)
meh-NAH-feh-SHAH	park
meh-WAHN-yah BOH-tah	swimming pool
BAYT-tah Christian	church
meh KRAHB	synagogue
mahs-GEEDT	mosque
pohs tah BAYT	post office
keh TAH meh	city
geh TEHR	countryside
yeh-ihn-seh-SAHT BAYT	barn
tehl-ihk yeh-EHR-shah BOH-tah	farm
MEHR cah doh	open market
hah-KEEM BAYT	hospital
SOOK	local shop (small, small)
FOOD/DRINK/EATING
Waht	Stew
DOH-roh	Chicken
SHEE-roh	Yellow peas
Yeh-meh-SIR	Lentils
SIH-guh	Beef
DAH-boh	Bread
Ah-NAH-nahs	Pineapple (Fanta Ananas soda is tasty)
LOH-mee	Lemon
BIR too kan	orange (color and fruit and name)
Lohz	Nuts
Oh choh LOH nee	Nuts
KEE tah	Flat crispy bread kinda like a pizza crust
WOO hah	Water
MAH her ber AH wee	Mixed platter (when you order a meal)
beh KOH loh	corn
bah KAY lah	beans
FAHN deh shah	popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl)
shy	tea
BOO nuh	coffee
BIH lah	EAT!	M
bee	EAT!	F
SHOO kah	fork
SOO kwahr	sugar
SIHND eh	Wheat
TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally)	sweet (or delicious – doro wat can be tafach)
meh RAHB	hungry
eh REH boh hahl	Are you hungry?	M
eh REH boh shahl	Are you hungry?	F
eh REH boh AH cheh hwahl	Are y’all hungry?	Pl
meh TEH maht	thirsty
TEH-geh-kuñ	I’m full.
koh loh	roasted barley (a snack)
meh sah	lunch
COLORS
BIR too kan	orange (color and fruit and a girl’s name)
KI. Long I sound, you really need to force the K sound from your throat.	Red
Seh-MY ah wee	Blue
BEECH ah	Yellow
Ah rahn GWAH day	Green
Nehch	White
boo NEE	Brown
ti KOOR	black
WAY ehn tehj	purple
ANIMALS
AH-zoh	Crocodile
AHN-behs-sah	Lion
Goo MAH ray	Hippo
lahm	cow*
beh RAY	beef (ox)
behg	sheep
fee YEHL	goat
fah RAHS	horse
ah HEE yah	donkey
behk LOH	mule
DOH roh	chicken
WOO shah	dog
dih MEHT	cat
WOEFF	bird*
CLOTHING
Koh FEE yah	cap
yeh shoo RAHB koh FEE yah	hat  (sweater cap)
mah nehs sir	glasses
yeh tseHI   mah nehs sir	sunglasses
yahn get libs	scarf
shirt	shirt (t-shirt style)
sheh mees	button up shirt
kah nah TEE rah	short sleeve shirt
shoo RAHB	sweater
yeh TOOTS mah see YAH zhah	bra (boob holder)
yehj gwahnt	gloves
moo TAHN tee	underwear (girl or boy)
goord KEH mees	skirt (half dress)
KEH mees	dress
moo loo KEH mees	long dress
soo ree	trousers
goord soo ree	shorts
jeans	jeans
kahl see	socks
NEH teh lah   CHAH mah	flip flops
adidas / sneaker	athletic shoes
yeh SOOF     CHAH mah	dress shoes
kahr ah vaht	tie
SOOF	suit
yeh bah hel LIBS	cultural clothes
yeh moh wah nyah LIBS	swimsuit
ye suh HAHT	wristwatch
kuh BAHT toh	belt
yeh leh leet LIBS	pajamas
yeh shint    meh teh beh kee yah	diapers
jacket	jacket
mah lee yah	soccer jersey
yeh zeh nah LIBS	rain coat
KEES	pocket
zih NAHB	ring
yahn get	necklace
zip	zipper
yeh jeh BOHR sah	purse
yeh JOH ROH get	earrings
yeh KES LIBS	priest clothing
NUMBERS
Ahndt	1
HOO let	2
Sohst	3
AH-raht	4
AH-mist	5
SIH dist	6
SAH Baht	7
SIH mint	8
zeh TEHñ (make up some crazy sound between the short e and the long i sound. I can’t figure out how to write it.)	9
AH sir	10
AH sir ah ANDT	11
AH sir ah HOO leht	12
AH sir ah SOHST (keep going for the rest of the teen numbers)	13
HI ah	20
HI ah ahndt	21
HI ah HOO leht	22
Seh LAHSS sah	30
Seh LAHSS sah AHNDT	31
ahr BAH	40
HAHM sah	50
SIHL sah	60
SAH bah	70
sah MAH nee yah	80
zeh TEH nah	90
MEH toh	100
HOO leht MEH toh	200
ahnd eh SHEECH (the CH sound is like the CH in German Ich liebe dich.)	1000
HOO leht SHEECH	2000
SIMPLE COMMANDS
Tew	Stop it. (Like “don’t do that anymore”)	M
Tay	Stop it.	F
Nah	Come	M
Nay	Come	F
TOH-loh na!	Come quickly.
Tehn ya	Sleep!
Ah tin KAHñ	No touching me. (said to a male)	M
Ah tin KEEñ	No touching me.	F
Ah tin KOU	No touching him. male to male
In-eh-HEEDT	Let’s go.
HEED TEHN yah	Go to sleep!
heed	go!
wu TAH	get out!
Koom	stop (like stop walking) – there is some difference between when to use Koom and when to use tew, but I can’t understand it.	M
KOO-mee	stop	F
mah RAHM ehd	Walk!	Pl
teh RAHM ehd	Walk!	M
teh RAHM eh JEE	Walk!	F
SAH-meñ	Kiss me! (Use this at the orphanage!)
MEHM-taht	Kick! (casual kick)	Pl
MIH-tah	Kick! (the same word is used for kick and hit. somehow you are just supposed to know which one you are referring to)	M
MIH-chee	Kick!	F
Kwahss MEHM-taht	Kick the ball!
MAY-ahz	Catch!	Pl
YAHZ	catch	M
YAH-ZHJee	catch	F
MEH-wehr-WEHR (don’t forget to roll all the Rs!)	Throw!	Pl
wehr WEHR	Throw!	M
wehr WEHR-EE	Throw!	F
mahn-keh-bah-LEHL	Roll!	Pl
AHN-keh-bah-LEHL	Roll	M
AHN-keh-bah-YEE	Roll	F
meh-ROHT	Run!	Pl
eh-ROOT	run!	M
eh-ROO-chee	run!	F
Beh LOOT	KICK! (power kick)	Pl
BEH-la-ohw (slur the last 2 sounds together, put the w sound at the end)	KIck! (power kick)	M
beh LOO waht	KICK (power kick)	F
Bell	Say (Sort of like Speak Up!)
zihm Bell	Don’t say (be quiet).
Sahk	Smile!
Ah-tuh SAHK	Don’t smile!
BIH lah	eat!	M
BEE	eat!	F
ENDEARMENTS
Lehb	Heart
YEH-nay hae-waht	my life (term of endearment)
Beh-teh-leh-ku Ewedehalehu	I love you big	M
TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally)	sweet (or delicious – doro wat can be tafach)
yeh-nay tahfach	My Sweet (term of endearment)
yeh-nay tseh-HI (long i)	My Sunshine
FAHN deh shah	popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl)
Meh CHEM Ahl rehs SAH shem	I never forget about you.	F
Yeh-NAY woo-ehd	My treasure
Beh TAHM	Too much, a lot, very
AHN-chee yeh-NAY nehsh	You are mine	F
AHN-teh yeh-NAY neh	You are mine	M
AHN-chee NEHF-say nesh	You are my soul.	F
AHN-tay NEHF-say neh	You are my soul.	M
YEH-nay AHN-teh GOH-behz LEEJ-neh	You are a smart boy.
eh wed eh HA lehoo (slur the last part together)	I love you.	M
Eh wed eh SHAH lehu	I love you.	F
ah FIHK er HAH lehu	I love you – ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)	M
ah FIHK er SHAH lehu	I love you – ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)	F
yeh-nay FIHK-er	My Love
yeh-nay MAHR	my Honey
wair -AYN-yah	Chatterbox  (Ok, not really an endearment but it is a nickname.)
yeh-NAY nih-gist	My Queen
yeh-NAY nih-gooss	My King
OUTDOORS
tseh HI	sun
DAH mehn nah	cloud
koh KOHB	star
CHAH rah KAH	moon
seh MY	sky
sahr	grass
zahf	tree
ah behb bah	flower
ze nahb	rain
wehnz	river
HYK  (long I)	lake
tah rah rah	mountain
ah fir	dirt
beh reh HAH	desert
mahn get	road
CHAH kah	forest
koot kwah toh	bush
yah til kilt boh tah	garden
beh reh doh	snow
HOLIDAYS/CELEBRATION
ah dees   ah met	New Year’s
en koo tah tahsh	New Year’s
fah see kah	Christian – Easter
geh nah	Christian – Christmas
yeh lih deht kehn	Birthday
mehl kahm lih deht	Happy Birthday
tim kaht	Orthodox – baptism
may day	Liberation from Italians (May 23 – ET calendar)
gehn BOHT hI ah	first day of new governmental regime (ehadige)/ end of Dergue
mes kel	Orthodox cross was found Day
eid al adha	Muslim – Festival of the Sacrifice
eid al fitr	Muslim – end of Ramadan
ADJECTIVES/DESCRIPTIONS
Tin-nish	Small (a little)
Tell-ick	Big (a lot)
MEHT-foh	Bad
ehbdt-deh-SOU	Crazy (psychiatrically) Don’t use jokingly!
Tehr OO	Good
Tehr OO Beh-TAHM	Very good!
TOH-loh	Quick/ly
Mook	Hot
MAH zihn	sad
meh KOH taht	mad
dih KAHM	tired
HI lehn yah	wide awake (have strength)
I nah fahr	shy
KOO roo	proud
meht-FOH SHIT-tah	stinky (Bad smell)
MAH fer	embarrassed
KAHZ kah zah	cold (temperature)
Tehn-KAH-rah	Strong
Dess TEHN ya	Funny or Happy
DEHS tah	Happy or funny
Kuhss	Slowly (Patiently)
KOHN-joh	Beautiful
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!)
ah HOON	now!
BODY PARTS
tsah GOOR	hair
RAHS	head
I-n (long I)	Eye
Ah FENCH uh	Nose
CUHM for	Lips
ahf	Mouth
Terths	Teeth
Goonch	Cheek
JOH-roh	Ear
ahn GEHT	neck (front)
ehj	arm
meh DAHF	palm
yehj eh TAHT	fingers
Lehb	Heart
Hoed	Stomach
jahr BEH	back
KU lah	Circumcised penls (adult)
KEET	butt
eh GIHR	leg (includes leg and foot)
eh GROHCH	legs
yeh gihr TAHT	foot
TAH tohch	toes
Hoed ayn ah meh MEHñ	My stomach hurts.
_____ ayn ah meh MEHñ	My ______ hurts (is sick).
yeh TOOTS	b00bs
KOH dah	skin
ahn GOHL	brain
meh LAHSS	tongue
mahn JEH RAHT	neck (back side)
ahn JET	intestine
gool beht	knee
ehmss	girl privates
MISCELLANEOUS
ZAHR ay	Today
NEH geh	Tomorrow
teh LAHN teh nah	yesterday
Kan (short a)	Day
ah HOON	now
Kah -tell-OH	Next
Ehn-DEHG-uh-nah	Again
ChAH mer	More
BECK ah	Finished (enough)
eh REHF	Drop it/Leave it/It’s over (used when having a conversation that you want to be finished)
In NUH	And
Kayss	Orthodox priest
Soft	Toilet paper (even in English it is called “Soft”)
ah-MOHN-yahl	I feel sick.
BIHCH uh	Only
Yet?	Where?
	If you are playing the Battleship:
AHL-tah meh TAHM	He was Missed.
Tem-meh-TWAH	He got Hit (actually Kick)
YAHN-tah-TEH-rah	Your turn
Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yaht	Watch her (if she is cheating!)
Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yewu	Watch him!
LIB-dahsh	F.U. (male to female) Apparently this can only be used in the mode of actual physical command for the specific action, (someone will F you, not a general “sod off”)	F
Menalsh?	What did you say?	F
Menalk?	What did you say?	M
Chigger yeh-LEM	No problem.
Chigger AH-leh	There is a problem.
en DEHT	How?
AHL geh-BAHN yehm	I don’t understand
HOO loom	all
MAH-kee-nah	Car
gih deh GIH dah	Wall
teh MER teh bayt	school
OW toh boos	bus
dih BOOL bool	circle
ahr rah toom gohn eh kool yeh hoh nah (OR you can just say SQUARE)	square
sost mah EH zehn	triangle
guhn ZEHB	money
kwahss	ball (but everybody knows this refers to a soccer ball or toy ball – but not volleyball or tennis ball)
	balloon
eh-GEHR Kwahss chah-WAH-tah	Soccer (directly translated it means Feet-Ball-Play)
WAY-yah Ah-beh-sha neh-gehr	Oh, the ways of the Abesha!!
WAY-yah Ferengi neh-gehr	Oh, the ways of the foreigners!
EH shee	OK (you’ll hear this a lot)
EHM bee	Not OK
LEH mehn tah lihk SAH leh (exhale a heavy H sound at the end)	Why are you crying?	M
LEH mehn tah lihk SHAH lesh	Why are you crying?	F
IN-nay ih-FEHL-ih-gah-loh…	I want…
mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gah-leh	What do you want?	M
mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gee-ah-lesh	What do you want?	F
MIHN ihm	Nothing.
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!)
eh-nih-GEH-nah-ñAH-lehn	We will meet.
MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOON-eh-lih	Have a good trip.	M
MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOON-eh-lesh	Have a good trip.	F
beh AH mah REEN yah	in Amharic
geh neht	heaven
SCHOOL
teh-MAIR-teh-BAYT	school
ahss TAH mah REE	teacher
keh fill	class
teh MAH ree	students
hee sahp	math
ehn glee zee ñAH	English
science	science
tah reek	history
ah mah reen yah	Amharic
hah bah rah TEH seb	geography
moo zeek ah	music
sport	sports/gym
eh rehft	break (recess)
keh fill gee zee	class period
black-board	chalkboard
chalk	chalk
meh seh hahf	text book
err sahss	pencil
eh skrih bee toh (sounds like Spanish to me!!)	pen
shahn tah	backpack
mahss-tah-wah-shah   dehb-ter	notebook
yeh BAYT seh RAH	homework
yeh dehm beh libs	uniform
ah leh kah	monitor
gwah dehn yah	friend
gwah dehn yohch	friends
meh geh rehf	beating with a stick after making a mistake
QUESTION WORDS
Mah no?	Who is that?
Mah no goh-behz/tehn-kah-rah/kohn-joh?Start with Mah-no and fill in an adjective afterwards.	Who is clever/strong/beautiful?  substitute whatever adjective you want after who is
Yeht no?	Where is it/he? (male or objects)	M
Yeh TAH lah?	Where is it/he?  (I can’t figure out the difference of when to use yet no or yet tahla.  They seem to be interchangeable.  If you want to ask about a person, start with his name or position first.  e.g.	M
Abaye yeht no?	Where is Dad?	M
yeh-nay mah-KEE-nah yet no?	Where is my car?
Yeh TAH lehch?	Where is she?	F
Mommy yeh-TAH-lehch?	Where is Mommy?
Yeht neh?	Where are you?  (Like if you are talking to a person on a cell phone)	M
Yeht nesh?	Where are you?	F
mah chay	When?
leh mehn	Why?
sint no?	How much?
yeh-HAY min-deh-NO	What is this?
YAH min-deh-NO	What is that?

Update 1/19/09:  Here’s another good resource for learning Amharic online.  http://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/amharic/

Ethiopia or Adoption Related Books

My reviews of some of the books I’ve read are given below. I’m no literary scholar. I don’t want to have to concentrate too hard when I read a book at home. Keep that in mind when you determine the value of my reviews. And, these are all MY opinions. Generally the books have gotten positive reviews from others (otherwise I wouldn’t have read them in the first place).

Fafi’s Sheep by Netsanet Kidnemariam. A children’s book. It was OK. It took an awfully long time to get through the book and the life lessons that seems to be, “listen to your mother!” I think because it took so long and wandered, it lost its potency. Recommended after you finish the others.

Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca Haile – The author immigrated to America as a child and the story is of her return to Ethiopia for the first time twenty-five years later. She does a great job of incorporating a lot of different things into the story. She gives historical information (political and religious), her life as an Ethiopian child in Minnesota, her life as an Ethiopian child in the American School in Addis, the contrast between her father the historian/academic and her uncle the engineer/road builder. I think one of the most impactful aspects of the book is what seems to be the conflict within herself about being an Ethiopian returning to her home and having been in America for so long that she is sometimes a Ferengi in her home country. I think the reason I like this is because this resonates so greatly with me about fears, concerns, and hopes of how it will be for my son to return to Ethiopia as an adult and/or teenager. Really recommended.

Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker – A couple’s process of adopting a child from Zimbabwe. I enjoyed this book. It was a quite easy read. I had a lot of “oh yeah” type of moments from my time in Zimbabwe…from mannerisms to references to geographical features. It also had the side benefit of making me appreciate the ease of an Ethiopian adoption. Recommended.

Silly Mammo by Gebregeorgis Yohannes. A children’s book. I hated it. Not recommended.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu – An Ethiopian immigrant’s experience in America. I don’t understand why this book got good reviews. Usually I read a book in 2-5 days, depending on my life events that week. This book took 4 weeks. Why? Because every time I picked it up, I put it back down shortly thereafter due to boredom. Maybe I don’t understand the literary aspect of it, but I expect a book to evoke emotion. The only emotion I got out of this was apathy. Even the narratives about violence barely made me react. Not recommended.

The Beekeeper of Lalibela by Cristina Kessler. A children’s book. I liked it a lot. It had 2 great lessons for kids to learn. And it is written in Amharic and English. Really recommended. Get it from www.Ethiopiareads.org.

The Hospital by the River by Dr. Catherine Hamlin – The story of the Hamlins, both doctors, who eventually build the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. I know this book was written as a pseudo-autobiography, but the title of it made me think it was supposed to be mostly about the Hospital. The first few chapters retelling the Hamlins’ geneaology bored me a bit, but I really enjoyed how historical events of Ethiopia were made more real by presenting her take on them. Examples of this include an account of weekly forays of food delivery to the people that were thrown in jail by the Derg or hiding to avoid being his by bullets flying during the seizures of people/buildings. The best part of the book, for me, was the stories of the women (and pictures) who had fistulas and how the repairs affected them. I’m very glad she didn’t candy-coat everything and told of some of the women they were unable to help due to the severity of the fistulas. The name dropping (I knew Ambassador XX, we had dinner with Princess YY, we stayed at the home of Gajillionaire ZZ, etc.) was tiring. Recommended, but don’t put it on your priority list.

There is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Green – The story of a woman, Haregewoin, who works to take care of HIV+ children in Ethiopia. This book was easy to read and did a good job of presenting facts about HIV/AIDS by humanizing them into one person’s story. There were some instances of poor editing. I actually had to check my spot in the book to see if I had accidentally lost my page or if I was reading the same thing twice. Beware, though, this book will make you want to go and scoop up all the kids you can. I got this book as a gift from a friend, a very good choice for a gift. Recommended.

Tsehai Loves Learning. OK, this is not a book, but… This is a DVD of some puppets that sing and dance in a low-budget version of Sesame Street. I think it’s a good deal for the money. And, mostly because of this DVD, my 2-year old can count to ten in Amharic. They do have a clip on the internet that you can watch as a preview.

Let me know if there are other books you think I should read. I’m pretty frugal, so the books really need to be worth it (or available at the public library).

Added 8/14/07:

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen. Very powerful book. The author does an amazing job of giving uniqueness and similarities to each person’s story. She makes each person’s life and life experience matter. It was hard for me to stop reading even though I was overcome with a huge range of emotions. Best book I’ve read this year, by far. Most recommended.

Added 8/20/07:

Digging to America by Anne Tyler. This is the story of two American families (one is American WASPy-like, and one is of Iranian heritage) that adopt two Korean baby girls. The story hits on a lot of different subjects, adoption, first generation immigrants, second-generation families, and a lot of relationship stuff. I found myself smiling about the different types of people I recognized from the book in our own adoption journey. If you read the book and don’t know anybody who is a Bitsy, then it’s you! Recommended.

Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by Daniel Mesfin. This is a cookbook of Ethiopian recipes. It is written, I think, for Westerners. There is a lot of really interesting stuff in the beginning of the book about Ethiopian culture related to food, coffee, and social situations. (I actually think that is the best part). The book also has a lot of vegetarian recipes. It must be a good book because I was just planning to show my friend the book, but then she appropriated it as her birthday present (that’s fine, I just expect some homemade treats from the book’s recipes in return). I have 3 other books with Ethiopian recipes, one in Amharic that my husband somehow thought would be helpful to me (?), one that is basically a Home Ec book for Ethiopians (has a few good recipes but also includes how to prepare Cornflakes), and the Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors (I like the variety of international recipes and the few Ethiopian recipes are pretty good). Plus, I also look up stuff online. I think I will buy a few more of the Exotic Ethiopian Cooking though, with the intent to keep one for myself (with my name written on the book edges!) and the rest to give as gifts. Recommended.

Shinshicho and Hadero Photos

Links below will take you to full-size photos of images taken in the towns of Shinshicho and Hadero in the Southern Region of Ethiopia.

Hadero photos were taken in October 2006.    When opened, click on the link “Hade.”  32 photos available.

Shinshicho photos were taken in May and October 2006.  When opened, click on the link “Shin.” 18 photos available.

Amharic Words for the Photo Album

The linked documents list common words that you might want to use to label the photos in the photo album for your new child.  (Link is at the bottom of this entry.)

Left column is the American word, middle is the phonetic pronunciation of the Amharic word and the right column is the word in Amharic letters.

You will find the Amharic words for

Mom
Mother
Dad
Father
Brother
Sister
Grandma
Grandpa
Aunt
Uncle
Cousin
Our Family
Our Home
Your Bedroom (M)
Your Bedroom (F)
Our dog
Our cat
Your new school (M)
Your new school (F)
We love you. (M)
We love you. (F)

It should make it easier for the nannies with limited English skills to explain your photos to your new kids.
MS Word Version:

https://ethiopianadoptiontravelogue.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/amharic-words.doc

Adobe Acrobat Version:
https://ethiopianadoptiontravelogue.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/amharic-words.pdf

If you have other words you’d like to see, leave a comment and I’ll ask my husband to translate.

(And, yes, I know one column is entitled “American word.”  Sorry, I can’t help it.  I’m an egocentric American. )

Update 9/18/07:  I was given the wrong translation for grandma and grandpa before.   (The old version was actually step-mother and step-father).  It is corrected now.