Thinking.. Dreaming.. planning my next Walkabout...

The term Walkabout comes from the Australian Aboriginal. The idea is that a person can get so caught up in one's work, obligations and duties that the truly important parts of one's self become lost. From there it is a downward spiral as one gets farther and farther from the true self. A crisis situation usually develops that awakens the wayward to the absent true self. It is at this time that one must go on walkabout. All possessions are left behind (except for essential items) and one starts walking. Metaphorically speaking, the journey goes on until you meet yourself. Once you find yourself, you sit down and have a long talk about what one has learned, felt and done in each other's absence. One talks until there is nothing left to say -- the truly important things cannot be said. If one is lucky, after everything has been said and unsaid, one looks up and sees only one person instead of the previous two.
-Source Unknown

5 months in America- a note from Habtamu

Hello Everyone-

I'm thrilled to tell you all that I'm turning 4 soon and I'm soo excited. We get to sing the "Happy Birthday song with Habtamu" in it. I've been practicing and I hope you have too!  This month we went apple picking- you pick fruit called an apple off of a tree- peel the skin off with your teeth and spit it out.  Becareful though- if you spit the peeling out in the house, in the car or onto the floor of the classroom- you get into trouble.  I've learned to ask mom to peel them for me- it saves mom's smile. She gets this aweful look on her face when I spit the peels out.  When we got home we ruined the apples by putting them into bread -something called a pie. It was aweful and I'm not sure why we did that to the perfectly yummy apples.

Debritu says my name... Haaammuuu. And each time she does my heart melts. I can't help but hug her when she says it. It's amazing to watch her learn to speak. I've started to teach her words-especially the ones I've learned. It's fun to watch her try to say phrases- she sounds like a monkey.. ohhhh ahhhh uhhh ohhhh- Haaa mmuuuu (I think she's saying I love you- can't you hear it?).

Daddy went on an airplane to a place with an animal's name. I'm a little confused by this- Daddy says I'm going to Buffalo. It's an animal that looks like a cow and I'm taking an airplane. The important stuff is he came home and he called me before bed time to say goodnight.  The phone call went like this "hi daddy, are you on an airplane?". Daddy laughs. I make daddy laugh a lot-he's easy.

I'm learning how to write my letters -but mom says they are mostly "upside down". It's confusing this up and down stuff but I can draw an H, A, B, T, little a and U.  I find the M difficult.  I have been learning to write my ABC's.  See- AAAAAA BBBBBBB CCCCCCC see... "I show you"  a like this up, down, across. B- looks like glasses, a C-.. seeeeeeee.... from the bottom you go like this- is that right???

This month has been full of school and sitting in this room at this place where we get cookies and there are lots of people in white coats/gowns (like in Ethiopia) walking around.  Mom says we're at a hospital. I keep looking for my doctor but mom says he's not there. No Doctor Dave either. I'm confused-none of my doctors are here.  Mom says Nana is still sleeping. I have to wonder why she needs so much sleep and why daddy has been so sad lately. Nana is amognal.. or sick I've been told-but apparently she really likes her sleep. The hospital has good cookies and mom gets us the cookies and chocolate milk to eat and drink when we are there in the room where we have to "BEEEEE GOOOOD".  If there are not many people we also get to watch TV- sometimes the monkey (singero) named george is playing.  But the best part of going to the hospital is one of the woman in the parking garage speaks Amharic. Actually there are lots of Ethiopian's in the garage. One of them has my sister's name- DEBRITU. I am so excited when we see her.  She is very nice.

Mom has started to tell me I need to learn to "listen"- and she points to her ear.  When I listen I don't always understand what people are saying- I think it's better to talk. Talking is fun- you should try to do it all day long.  People respond in a strange way when you've been talking a lot- they start to go "un hun, or yup, or yes dear, or just a minute.. or Habtamu- please...." Definitely try it-it's much better than listening-and be sure to repeat each sentence 3-4 times at a minimum. It helps you think of the next thing to say before you stop talking.  It also keeps Debritu from getting the attention since everyone says "ooohhh she's soo cute"- of course I agree though- she is sooooo cute- after all she's my sister.

We Celebrated Ethiopian New Year (Melcome addis ahmet) in Boston -I got to wear my cornjo libs (ethiopian clothes) and had a Mescal Celebration (melcome beal) at our friends house.  Our friend has some children but also has a dog named Pongo. I like Pongo very much- he went to the park with us a few weeks ago.  At pongo's house we roasted marshmallow in the rain.  Why can I run and play in the rain and eat candy-but mom won't let me ride my bike in the rain.  I'd sleep with my bike if I could-at least keep it in my room at night so I could hug it when I wake up-but mom says it stays outside.

Well, we haven't seen our friends much this month but I've gotten to know more kids at school and mom says many of them will be at our Birthday party.  I can't wait to sing the birthday song with you.

Hugs and Love,
Habtamu