the talk of baboons...

For the last 6 months or so, Ageze & Tesfa would frequently use the word...Omboma(sp?). I've looked this word up several times!! I was beginning to think they must really like President Obama!!Ha!!! Every time I'd look this mysterious word up..all that would show  up was Barack Obama!! Anyhow, the other night while at my parents house, the boys were getting pretty fired up on this the topic of omboma!! We asked the boys several questions.."what is it?" what does omboma mean?" "what does it look like?" and so on...well, what we got in return was something like this..." big, mean like lion, open doors, tall legs, monkey face, big teeth, naughty, eat puppy!" So, we went up to the computer..typed in ethiopian animals...a long list of pictures came up...Ageze was sure he would know exactly what it would look like...and he did!!!!!!                                                                                                                                                    The Gelada (Theropithecus gelada), sometimes called the Gelada Baboon, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, with large populations in the Semien Mountains. Theropithecus is derived from the Greek root words for "beast-ape."[3][4] Like its close relatives, the baboons (genus Papio), it is largely terrestrial, spending much of its time foraging in grasslands.




 These were a few of the pics that he pointed out!! No wonder they run to their rooms shouting..."no omboma, no omboma get you!!" Now I have absolutely no idea if this word they are using means a Baboon....but, I do catch them playing Baboon on occasion...yep, yesterday, we went to an indoor playland...and I got a few questions about what the boys were playing!! C'mon people..havent you ever played baboon or hyena before??? Ha!! The other women there got a good laugh or two!! On a more serious note, I cannot imagine having such a fear as this. This was a real fear of the boys. Ageze claims they would eat their food, and they were able to open the door at their home. He said, with such disgust & fear, that they would see these ALOT!! He said," momma, they have big teeth, naughty, open Ageze door at house, come in, Ageze ET papa say... Ageze run!!" When they start talking of life in ET, you can hear their hearts pounding, they get very into telling their stories...often times it will go on for an hour!! That particular night, Ageze also told us he would eat cow tongue...He showed us how they would cut it off, put it on a stick and put it in the fire...he said.."yummy, Ageze like it!!" Again, I cannot imagine. Each & Every time they share with us about their lives in ET...I am taught. This was not a nightmare for them..it was their reality. As they continue to grow in their height, weight & speech...I continue to grow in ways I never knew existed..and for that, I am so very thankful.                                                                                                            xo kristen