Wow, an entire week without posting anything, sorry!  Life is good, as Peter has no doubt been telling you.  I spent Monday in bed but was determined that by Tuesday I would be up again, I wasn't about to spend my month in Ethiopia being sick, no matter what my body did.  I went down for part of lunch  and tried to go to dinner, but just couldn't; but was up and at breakfast on Tuesday, just as I'd promised myself.  I did feel a little better, but not completely well.  Still I had a normal week, and Peter and I started joining groups in the afternoon for 2 days and introduced them to Uno, which they all cheated at, but was still fabulously fun.  We also started watching Lord of the Rings in my room on the computer after dinner.  Obviously not everyone could fit, but we always had a steady stream of people which was really great.  My wonderfully beautiful roses from Addis are finally dying but I'm reluctant to throw them out, even withering they're gorgeous. 

By Friday though, I knew I was still sick, the antibiotics Abba Thomas had given me on Monday (the same as Peter and Tom had had) just hadn't worked.  I tried to call home uncertain if I should start taking the antibiotics I had brought with me since they are mainly for bacteria rather than amoeba which is what we all thought I had; but the line was busy.  So I admitted to Abba Thomas I was still not really feeling better and while upset that I hadn't told him earlier,  suggested we go to the clinic in town which we did and it was determined that I did indeed have the same thing as the guys.  Since the medicine they had been given hadn't really worked for me, the doctor suggested something a little stronger to be taken 3 times a day.  Which has so far worked much better than the first prescription. 

Saturday was Tom's birthday and while they were all planning on going on a hike up into the mountains to an Orthodox church, I had been running around all week searching for ingredients for Carrot Cake.  They have very little butter here, though a lot of cows, have never heard of cream cheese so i was settling for a butter milk icing, baking powder we found at one of the Sisters' houses, cinnamon and vanilla took awhile as no one was entirely certain what it was at the seminary, but when we asked at the supermarket -which is really just a counter with shelves behind it- they pulled both out for me.  The powdered sugar we couldn't find but the ladies in the kitchen ground regular sugar for me into a powder!  They also skimmed off the cream from the top of the milk every morning and kept it so we could (try to) make butter.  Saturday morning as the boys all left I entered the domain of three of the most wonderful ladies ever to live.  Abba Moses introduced us then left us to it.  We peeled and shredded 6 cups of carrots.  When we had a tray full I used a drinking glass as a measuring cup and we had 3 cups, she held up 3 fingers questioningly and I shook my head and held up 6, she raised an eyebrow and we went back to work.  We got to grind the cinnamon as well which was really cool, though she wouldn't let me do much of it, laughing at me when I first tried the giant mortar and pestle. 

The cakes in the oven, we started on the icing.  We took the cream and shook it until we had a good amount of jello-like butter.  We mixed it together trying to keep the consistency rather than using the recipe and it seemed to turn out alright -until I tasted it.  It was sweet but the milk and homemade butter added a definitely off aftertaste to it.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it was bad just not right.  We used it though as there was nothing else for it.  The cakes did quite well in the wood burning stove, and though they didn't come out of the pan in one piece, they looked edible.  By then it was time for lunch and Abba John, Hagos and I took the truck out to meet everyone else as they came down the mountain.  We ended up eating under a bridge on a dried river bed which was perfect as it was shady and flat.  Lunch was a fabulous affair which the hikers especially appreciated I think.  After we returned and I finished icing the cakes, very nervous now about how they had turned out.  After dinner we all gathered in the tv room for a coffee ceremony, cake and games.  The coffee and the games were a huge success, but I have to say it was the worst cake I'd ever made.  The cake itself was fine, but the icing just hadn't turned out.  Peter said it was alright though, and they seemed to enjoy it so I guess I'll have to be content, but I will always view it as a failure I think and want them to taste real carrot cake.  The rest of the evening was a success.  The games all turned out to be hilarious practical jokes and everyone seemed to really enjoy it, especially Tom and Peter which was the best part. 

Em