daniel

Daniel was our driver while in Ethiopia.  He was an amazingly kind and helpful person to us on our trip.  And he loved babies (which seemed to be the case for all people in Ethiopia).  Above is a video of him with Weredesh.

He was the go-to man to help us find formula, prescriptions, good shopping, the best bananas, Internet, etc.  He had all the scoop.  One day he took me to run errands and we got into a conversation about Obama, because I had seen an Obama bumper sticker.  He told me how much the Ethiopian people LOVE Obama.  He said that the whole country partied all night long when they learned he had been elected.  And he talked about how much his country had already changed for the better since Obama's election.  He was very passionate about the positive change happening in Ethiopia.  Ethiopia is a whole different world than what we're used to, with its very own charm that the people there seem to love, despite the hardship. 

He shared some of his life with me - both of his parents are Ethiopian and he's never been out of Africa.  He's educated in computer programming and is also an auto mechanic, which is why he is a driver part-time.  He started learning English in the 7th grade and he can carry on a pretty good conversation.  He supports many people in his family and is hoping to go to school in the U.S. someday to further his technology education and better his opportunities.  I so wish I could have paid for his plane ticket and tuition to pay him back for the help he gave us.  Thank you Daniel!