Creativity in waiting

Well Augusts numbers are in, and we moved 5 places from last month, up to wait list #111. Typically, the numbers jump a bit more than that, however the next three months are Ethiopia's wet season, and the government literally closes down all operations during this time. However, our agency informed us that they have continued to issue court dates for families for their little ones, which is pretty surprising. Again, they are informing us that the next couple of months will be slow on the number movement, and the date for resuming government functions is not known, and will not be known (most likely) until the day they resume. However, as you can see, 5 steps closer is still closer!
We have been praying a lot for our little one and his country lately. As many probably know, the prime minister of Ethiopia passed away this month, and while it was said he was sick for some time and that his position was being filled by the interim, whenever a government "high-up" dies or looses position, many African countries go into chaos and instability (according to a statement released by David Shinn, former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia) effecting all aspects of life for everyone involved including the orphans awaiting adoption. Luckily, David and many others I have been following do not believe this is going to be the case, and we certainly haven't seen that in the weeks following the prime minister's death.
So, whats new with the waiting Reichert's. Well, as you know we have our garage sale at the end of the month, and we have been so blessed with SO many donations! Our garage is packed with awesome stuff...its hard not to go digging into it all and finding a permanent home for some items in OUR home! A side note, I'm pretty sure our neighbors think we are hoarders. Anyways, very excited for the big event. Families and friends are going to help and we are all just pulling together for our new family member, and that is really cool to think about! Now, some people have asked me to post some items so they can look before hand (clearly experienced yard sale shoppers), so I made a tab at the top of the blog entitled "Fundraising" and as we go through items, I will post some of the most popular (according to me, which not sure how much that counts for...). If you are interested, contact Jay or I, or leave a message on the blog and we will get back to you. Also, wanted to share that we have raised nearly $300 on coffee sales! We thank you guys so much! I hope you are all enjoying your brews as much as we are! They will be coming out with Christmas flavors soon, which word on the adoption circuit says are their best flavors! So, don't forget your Aunt Girdy at Christmas who loves coffee, and consider continuing to support our Ethiopian nuggets arrival home! Who knows, by next Christmas, we may hear word on our little man and be preparing to bring him home.
One more thing, we have received A LOT of used/unwanted picture frames and mirrors for the garage sale, and I have been getting pretty crafty (if i do say so myself). I have decided to spruce them up a bit and sell them as lovely chalkboard frames (some even magnetic as well). I have included pictures in the fundraising section. If you are interested in purchasing one, or have any requests, please let me know. I made one for our nursery already and I LOVE how it turned out! Shabby Chic!


The picture at the top is also one i created from an old mirror. Additionally, if you have a really cool frame or mirror that just needs some TLC, I would love to take it off your hands. We also have a lot of candles, which I plan to delve into at some point.

 This post’s Ethiopian Education is about the Mursi, a well-known tribe that still calls Ethiopia home. They live in the far southwest border of Ethiopia, 100km north of the Kenyan border. While small in numbers (less than 10,000 total remaining), they are one of the most recognized tribes left in Africa. The women of the tribe are perhaps the most commonly recognized members and have been featured in a variety of publications and are in themselves, a form of tourist attraction. In fact, as they become increasingly dependent on market exchange, as their economy and culture waiver depending on cattle, droughts, and famine, the women have begun supplying the tourists demand for photographs and expect to be paid for each picture taken. The reason for such curiosity over these women is that they are one of the last groups in Africa to continue wearing ‘plates’ in their lower lips.

It was often thought that the reason for lip plating was to appear less attractive to slave traders who were known to sell members of the Mursi tribe to western countries. However, the true reason is similar to our own piercings, body decoration and artistic proclamation. 

Around the age of 15 or 16, a girls mother or another member of her settlement places a cut in her lip. The cut is then held open by a wooden plug until it heals. After the initial piercing, it is the girls individual decision as to how wide to stretch the lip by inserting larger and larger plugs over a period of time, usually several months.  Some girls choose plates that are as large as 12 cm or more in diameter! This is said, not surprisingly, not be a very pleasant experience. The wood they use inside of the hole is shaved from a simple tree branch (I was not able to readily find infection rates…the NP in me was a tad curious).

Lip plates, much like piercings and tattoos are best seen as an expression of social adulthood and perhaps sexual maturity.  If you would like more information on this tribe, good news, they have a website, you can read more about them here!

*References:

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-ethiopia-10184.html

http://www.mursi.org/