Ethiopian Farm with Markus

PORTUGUES ABAIXO

It was a very busy and productive week. To close it with a golden key, as we say in Portuguese, we had the pleasure to visit Mary's parent's farm.

We took Marcus along. Marcus is a 10 year old boy who we met last week while visiting Ajaiba's house. He got lost from his parents when he was 6 years old, and nobody knows where he is from, or how it happened. Marc thinks his parents died and someone took him to Addis Ababa, but we are not sure of anything. He lives in a very poor area/box inside the police station and eats when he gets lucky. We talked to the police and several neighbours and they all told us he is a good boy. He was very shy but I believe he also had a great time. At least he ate a lot hahaha When he saw the soy beans he went insane and collected a full bag of them. We don't know if he remembered them from the time he was a small kid, or if he knows it from Addis Ababa. This week I am having him tested at the public school to see if he can enter grade 1. It would be great if he could because then he can have at least two meals at the school. He has no documents or family that anyone knows of. He is quiet and polite for a boy raised alone on the street. He doesn't know much about things we know about, and opening the juice box for him was a mystery. He didn't know there was a hole for the straw. Simple things of life….

Hunter was so happy to see us last night, jumping around, and slept next to Marc on his pillow to make up for the loneliness of the day.

PORTUGUES

Essa semana foi super ocupada e produtiva. Pra fechar com chave de ouro, como nos falamos em portugues, nos tivemos o prazer de visitar a fazenda dos pais da Mary.

Nos levamos o Marcus com a gente. O Marcus e um menino de 10 anos de idade que nos conhecemos semana passada quando nos fomos visitor a casa da Ajaiba. Ele se perdeu dos pais quando ele tinha 6 anos de idade, e ninguem sabe daonde ele veio, ou como isso aconteceu. Ele nao se lembra de muita coisa. O Marc acha que os pais deles morreram e que alguem o trouxe pra Addis Ababa, mas ninguem tem certeza de nada. Ele mora numa caixa dentro da estacao de policia e ele come quando da sorte. Nos conversamos com os policiais e com varios vizinhos e todos nos falaram que ele e um bom menino. Ele ainda esta bem timido com a gente mas nos acreditamos que ele se divertiu bastante. Bom, pelo menos ele comeu muito hahaha Quando ele viu os graos de soja no campo ele ficou louco e colheu uma sacola cheinha deles. Nos nao sabemos se ele lembra dos feijoes de soja do tempo que ele era pequenininho, ou se ele conhece isso de Addis Ababa.. Essa semana ele vai fazer um teste na escola pra ver se ele pode entrar no primeiro ano. Isso seria otimo porque ele poderia comer duas refeicoes na escola. Ele nao tem nenhum documento ou familia. Ele e um garoto quieto e bem educado pra um menino criando sozinho na rua. Ele nao sabe muito sobre as coisas que nos sabemos, por exemplo abrir uma caixinha de suco pra ele era um misterio. Ele nao sabia que tinha um furinho pra enfiar o canudinho. Coisas simples da vida…

O Hunter ficou muito feliz de nos ver quando nos voltamos da fazenda, e dormiu pertinho do Marc num travesseiro pra compensar a solidao do dia todo.

Markus collecting beans, you never know toromrrow, better to be prepared. Another highlight of this trip is that when he saw several almost empty coke bottles after lunch, he put them all together and make an almost full bottle. Marc said he is for sure a survivor.

Mary's father. Funny story: When we moved from Dubai I gave Marc's hat to Mary. In India he asked me about the hat: don't know....... When we arrived at the farm he said: OHHHHHHHHHH THERE IS MY HAT hahahaha

Relaxation... funny? Markus wanted to go home. Home?