After nearly a year of being at site, I finally had the opportunity to visit Megan and get to know the place that she calls home….DebreTabor. It is a beautiful mountain town, a little smaller than mine and definitely colder. Right now it looks as if a natural disaster or a bomb has struck the town as the buildings along the main road have literally been halved in preparation for road widening and paving. Quite an unusual method given the back half of the buildings still stand and are in use! But, I shall not complain about the tactics as long as the asphalt comes. Traveling between Woreta and DebreTabor for 3 hours on a muddy road with ruts deep enough to swallow a car was bone jarring as well as downright scary at times and I don’t relish the thought of doing that again!
Our time together was packed with fun, food, forays, and new friends. One day we traipsed out to the prison to do a little shopping (yes, the prisoners make some of the best traditional blankets) and got caught in a torrential rainstorm. Initially we took shelter in a shed near the prison, but quickly decided it was better to be soaked to the bone than to have to deal with an over-friendly guard and an antsy ox with enormous horns!
Our culinary masterpiece for the weekend was making homemade crab and parmesan stuffed ravioli with a garlic white sauce. I’ve never even considered making my own pasta let alone ravioli, but necessity is the mother of invention. The process was tedious and lengthy and was eventually completed via candlelight and headlamp, but it was worth our effort!
My time in DebreTabor passed by quickly and before I knew it I was once again aboard the bus for my journey home. After 10 hours and 5 bus changes (some expected, most not), I arrived home. Oh, how I wish we lived closer as the journey is so excruciating!
Our time together was packed with fun, food, forays, and new friends. One day we traipsed out to the prison to do a little shopping (yes, the prisoners make some of the best traditional blankets) and got caught in a torrential rainstorm. Initially we took shelter in a shed near the prison, but quickly decided it was better to be soaked to the bone than to have to deal with an over-friendly guard and an antsy ox with enormous horns!
Our culinary masterpiece for the weekend was making homemade crab and parmesan stuffed ravioli with a garlic white sauce. I’ve never even considered making my own pasta let alone ravioli, but necessity is the mother of invention. The process was tedious and lengthy and was eventually completed via candlelight and headlamp, but it was worth our effort!
My time in DebreTabor passed by quickly and before I knew it I was once again aboard the bus for my journey home. After 10 hours and 5 bus changes (some expected, most not), I arrived home. Oh, how I wish we lived closer as the journey is so excruciating!
Just some of the beautiful scenery along the way to DebreTabor
Megan makes a milk run by merely leaning over the wall that separates her from her neighbor’s cows. How convenient!
A glimpse of Megan’s home
Megan is quite the pasta chef
Yes, I know I look ridiculous, but what’s a girl to do when the power goes out!?
