Christmas morning. Woke up early and used my pocket knife to chop down four banana leaves to make four Christmas packages for the other Western farm workers.
In Ethiopia - where the calendar is 13 months and they just celebrated the millennium - Christmas isn't until Jan. 7.
I walked to town the day before Christmas and bought the things I could find for presents - candles, a box of matches, a bracelet made of melted bullet casings and a package of biscuits. Wrapped it all in banana leaves and set it under the mango tree.
Waiting for me under the tree: A mango, a tea bag, a pen, a photo of an old car taken in Hungary by one of the other farm workers, and a half full bottle of Nepalese brandy. No wrapping paper to throw away.
A place for family and friends to follow my travels through Ethiopia.
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