The Smiles and Students of Ethiopia

The people of Ethiopia are delightful. They willingly posed for photos and have such cheerful personalities, as this photo illustrates.

The children of Ethiopia were especially friendly.  The would at times run towards our vehicle and gatyher to greet us.  I really enjoy meeting and photographing people, especially children, during trips to distant lands.

Children in Ethiopia  go to school for one half of the day.  That enables them to help their families as a shepherd or other tasks during the remainder of the day.

The half-day schedule for school children means that there are lots of children on the streets in the middle of the day, as half the kids are leaving school and half are going to school.

Villages in Ethiopia often have outdoor ping pong tables set up by the side of the road, and children and adults enjoy playing.  This is a practical recreational opportunity, as there did not appear to be many facilities for soccer (football) or basketball.

Ethiopia surprised us whith how green it is.  Because of the news of drought in prior years, we were expecting a more arid country, but the countryside was beautiful.  Prts of it reminded us of Tuscany.  This is a view of the Blue Nile Gorge, which is not far from Addis Abbaba, the capitol city.