Our International House of People: December 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Merry Christmas

Our house in the snow

The girls all ready to go out and play in the snow

Lennah and her giant rapunzel doll

Delylah jamming on her new barbie guitar

Keith ate way too much

Christmas was a wonderful and crazy event at our house. To start off Keith worked late the night before Christmas Eve since he was going to have a 3 day weekend so I had to deliver a cheesecake (occasionally I still take an order or 2) rather than have Keith take it as I originally planned. Anyway so after I deliver the cheesecake I head to the bank and to Kroger to put the check in the bank and whack of course the car got rear-ended in the parking lot of Kroger on the morning of Christmas Eve. No one was hurt but the kids were scared because when the cops had to come they thought they were in trouble for something. So I thought that was going to be the start of a crazy Christmas but all ended well. We headed to church which was a beautiful service and came home and had the annual Christmas eve seafood dinner.

So after dinner it was time to get ready for Santa and get the kids in bed. It was amazing that we were able to get them to sleep. Everyone finished their last touches on gifts and whatever else needed to be done for the morning.

So the race for gifts began at 6:20 am when the kids woke up. They wanted to wake my parents up and begin opening gifts. So there we were at 630 in the morning opening up presents. All that time wrapping and it was over by 7:15 for the kids. After we had a great breakfast and low and behold a miracle in the south happened (one that has not occured for 128 years) it began to snow. Yep! we had a white Christmas. It was truly a beautiful day. The kids were able to go out and make snowballs on Christmas day so what an extra special present. I was shocked that they didn't want to stay in and play with their toys.

Overall it was a great Christmas and the kids cannot wait for it to happen all over again next year. Delylah has been so cute and asking about when Santa is coming back and how our family celebrated the holidays. I think what made it extra special is the fact that both the girls are old enough to get the idea of Christmas this year.

History of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the oldest known cradles of civilization known to man. Christianity was brought to the Kingdom of Axum around the 4th century AD and later in the 7th century Islam was introduced. Foreign missionaries were introduced to the region around the 1630's. Because of these unwelcomed guest Ethiopia did not welcome foreign Christians and Europeans into their lands. Its isolationism may have saved the country from 19th century colonialism. In 1936 Italian facists entered the region and forced its emperor into isolation but was later returned when the British and the French defeated the Italians. Civil unrest would lead to the demise of the aging emperor and in 1974 a socialist sort of government was named. The country went through a period of red terror that was funded by the Soviets and Cuba. This lead to the implementation of a communist government being installed in the late 1970's, early 1980's. In 1989 the country went through a period of famine that also lead to a change in governments. Finally, in 1994 the country would declare its independence and later hold free elections.

History of Vietnam

For about two thousand years Vietnam was ruled by China, following this period it would become independent for the next almost thousand years. In the 1800's it would be colonized by the French. The early 20th century would bring about visions of an independent republic. In 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent and renamed it the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. By 1947 a full-scale war would break out between the French and the Viet Minh (Ho CHi Minh's followers). China also began to aid the Viet Minh at this time due to its own communist revolution. July, 1954 the Geneva Accords would be sign paving the road to France leaving Vietnam; however, it would partition Vietnam into 2 independent states seperated by the 17th parallel. The South was helped by the United States, while the North would be dominated by the Viet Minh. By 1963 the South's government was very unstable. 1965 President Lyndon Johnson would send troops into Vietnam. The North would lead a massive attack in 1968 destroying much of the South. In 1969, Ho Chi Minh died but his forces remained in tact. By the early 1970's many Americans viewed the war as unwinnable and would prove unsuccessful at containing communism. January 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed ending the United States role in the war. In 1975 Saigon would fall to the North Vietnamese and in July of 1976 the two parts were reunified into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The war was disastrous for the Vietnamese people leaving an estimated 1 million to become boat people, 1 million imprisioned, and more than 100,000 killed. Today, Vietnam still has a communist form of government and although they are a developing nation many people remain extremely poor.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Merry Christmas

Ho Chi Minh City

Addis Ababa

Hohhot City

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