For an Ethiopian this experience cannot be a strange one. Feeling hungry has been a normal condition here. Unless, you know, you have some means to amass some fortune in an 'innovative' way. Personally, the word ‘hungry’ is one of the first adjectives I learned hungrily at lower grades. Teacher would say,"I am hungry." The whole class will keep repeating this realistic sentence after him.
(A note to the reader: If you think my English sounds bad, you better quit reading this story here. I learned it without bread that it sounds lifeless.)
I am inspired to write this story by the discussants at our library yesterday. Part of the New Year celebrations at the library was a discussion on the two calendars we use side by side, the Gregorian and the Julian. As a result of this emerged, albeit slowly, the issue of we and they – the West and the East – at least concerning the churches.
Regarding food, my friend Kibru told us that in the countries he had visited in Europe access to food is not a big deal. One Euro can feed you much. One Dollar can satisfy you. “What about one Birr?” I thought. This brought my childhood experience to life. Nowadays, a decent meal costs you more than fifty Birr in the town I live in. Forget today! Let us consider yesterday’s. My yesterdays were the bad and long old days.
I think I was in grade eight when I felt very hungry and asked my father for a solution. It was night. At that night we had no food at home for some reason. The main reason was I didn’t have a mother nearby. My mother went far. Where? Please don’t ask me. I just don’t know how to explain this.
My father gave me one Birr and told me to go to one of the restaurants and eat. You could buy enjera with wot for just one Birr. It was in 1992 Ethiopian Calender or 2000 G.C. Sasit was then just a small village which had a few restaurants. These were places where people sold food in their houses. I visited one after the other. They had no food for the night. When I told my father this news, I saw that he was deeply moved. He knew and I also definitely knew that there is another restaurant – which we didn’t visit in our lives. The question of the century I always ask myself is why I didn’t want to go to that place.
“Mezemir, why don’t you go to your granny’s restaurant and buy,” Dadi permitted me. The only place in Sasit where there was food for sale at that night was my granny’s place. I wondered if I should go there. Underneath my belly a hyena is residing and asking for food, at least in my mother’s words. After a long while, I decided to visit my granny’s place and headed towards there.
Standing by the door, I called out to the people inside and enquired if there was any meal for sale. After some thought, my granny invited me to enter. She explained that she had no wot/stew to serve the enjera/bread with. I was asked if I go for enjera with yoghurt. I nodded. She gave me enjera with yoghurt and pepper. I ate, her children watching every move I made. I was surrounded by people who ate alone. One of them once invited me to receive a mouthful and denied me and swallowed that himself. He also used to hit, hate and insult me.
Here follows the greatest and unexpected experience of my life. Humanity descended from the dark sky to my village. I tried to hand the Birr over to my granny. She saw me in astonishment. She felt sorry for me. “Mezemir, you don’t have to pay at your granny’s house. Do you think I take money from my children? Come at any time and eat. My son!” she said. I think she also hit her chest in sadness. I wondered what to do with the money my father gave me.
This story is part of the reason why I still don’t eat with people. This story reminds me of not visiting my granny’s house when I felt hungry unless I have money at hand. The issue of grandmother to me is - just she is my ancestor. This could be part of the reason why I don’t visit my family who are three-hour drive away from the place I live in. It could be for this reason that I am lonely among an ocean of people.
This is why I laugh at the hospitality Ethiopians claim to have. This expalains the odd behaviours my friends notice in me. I just don't know how to say it!
What did your relationship with your granny look like?
ምንም አስተያየቶች የሉም:
አስተያየት ይለጥፉ