Ethiopia 2016

I have a new supervisor and he lives in Ethiopia...so I went for a week of training there.  It was a bit of a whirlwind week.  I didn't have internet while there, I didn't get much sleep at all, and only got one shower the whole week long.  It made coming back to the Middle East seem I was stepping up in the civilized world, and I haven't bemoaned our water issues since!

While I was in Ethiopia, I went for a walk one afternoon with the boss's wife to get away from the computer for a few minutes.  She took me to this textile factory/shop.  Here are the silkworms they grow:

The silk the worms produce before it's been spun.

The women seemed to be so joyful as they spun the wool onto spools.

This man was wrapping the silk thread onto a weasel.  The boss's wife explained to me that that's where "pop goes the weasel" comes from--when it's full, the contraption pops.

The thread is then dyed into beautiful vibrant colors.

And hung to dry...

Then, in a giant room with probably 20 looms, people were weaving the thread to make blankets and scarves.

I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the final products that were for sale in the shop.  Since the bossman lives in Ethiopia, it's highly likely I'll be back there again in the future, and I'll be prepared to buy one of those blankets or scarves.

This trip, however, wasn't about being a tourist, and so I didn't buy anything.  I didn't even buy any coffee while I was there!  (Don't worry, I DRANK plenty of it!)  I enjoy Ethiopia and the quieter, slower pace of life.  Everything was green, and it rained daily.  As long as I keep not getting sick while I'm there, I think I'm going to enjoy these yearly trips to the birthplace of coffee.  :)