Connections

Funny, but I keep running into Eritreans everywhere I go. This week, as Jackie and I were in the new "Fish Supermarket" (um, they don't sell fish, just stationary, cleaning products and imported food stuff), we figured out that the owners and all of assorted people sitting around the shop were Eritreans. So we had a good laugh and I got to hear some more Tigrinya. They invited me over on the weekend for some coffee.

And then tonight, we went to the "Queen of Sheba" restaurant for my fill of injera and shiro, and lo and behold, the waiter was from Asmara. So we chatted for a while, as well. As we were leaving, he invited me over on the weekend for some coffee.

Then, on the way home from the restaurant, we stopped at the newest bakery in town, called the "Red Oven", which happens to be the name of a nice bakery in Asmara. I started out buying my bread using Arabic, but then I noticed that the guys there were speaking to each other in Tigrinya! So, of course, I asked where they were from. I then switched into a little bit of Tigrinya, and ended up getting my bread for half the price! As I was leaving, they invited me over on the weekend for some coffee.

I guess I have my choice of places to go for coffee this weekend!

It's really a lot of fun to meet people from Eritrea here. I also have 4 friends here who are currently in, or will be travelling to, Ethiopia in the next week. I tell you, I'm starting to wonder why I'm suddenly surrounded by Habesha things again! I feel almost a little traitor-ish to the country that I'm in now! While I do really like this country and I have grown to love the people here, I still feel like I've lost a bit of my heart to the "horn of Africa", and I wonder when, or if, God will lead me to that part of the world...?! But for now, I know that God has put me here, in this place, for this time, and I will make the most of every opportunity that I have here!