Hi, my name is Binyam and I live in Eritrea. My country is in East Africa next to Ethiopia and we even used to be part of Ethiopia before I was born. My mother tells me of the brave men and women who fought for us to have our independence and be our own nation.
I don't know what kids in your country do because I have never left Eritrea. But I have some cousins who live in other parts of the world. My cousin Tecle (tek-lay) lives in Germany and I even have a cousin who lives in Atlanta in America. When Tekle came to visit us, I went with him to see the capital city. The capital of Eritrea is called Asmara and it is big and busy. We went to a giant market and Tecle's mother bought spices to take back to Germany with her.
In my village, I go to school with my brother and sisters each morning. We learn math, tigrinia (our native language) and a lot of other things. I am glad that I get to go to school; but sometimes I wish I could go to take care of the sheep with my older brothers instead.
My favorite food is chicken tzigny (zig-nee) with ingera. My mother usually makes shiro which is a sauce made from chick peas.; but for special occasions we slaughter a chicken or goat and have a large meal with our cousins, aunts, uncles and my grandmother. Tzigny is a spicy stew. We eat it all with ingera which is sort of like a really big, thin pancake which has a kind of sour taste to it.
My mother works really hard and I love her very much! She takes care of our garden and grows food for the family. She walks an hour to get to the river every day to fetch water for us. When my sisters aren't at school, they help her fetch water. Sometimes, when the rains don't come, she worries a lot because there isn't enough water for the crops to grow. She also tells us stories about our family members who have died or been injured to give Eritrea freedom. My mom calls them "martyrs". She also teaches us about our grandparents and other ancestors. It is very important to know and pray for them. I remember them in my prayers at night and when we go to church. Our church is big and very beautiful. We go to church on Sundays and I love to see the priest dressed in his colorful clothing and to smell the sweet incense in the church.
I am really excited because next month we are going to my cousin Abrehet's wedding. I can wear my nice clothes to the ceremony and then my cousins and friends will get to play soccer together. I love soccer and it is the most popular sport in Eritrea. The women will make a feast and dress in their most beautiful dresses and my mother will wear her best jewelry. They will also drink lots of boon (our word for coffee) and make popcorn to serve with it. The day will be full of dancing and singing and the very best part will be seeing my cousins who will come for the wedding from Europe and America. I even have one aunt who will come from a place called Australia!
I hope that you will visit my country soon. It is a beautiful place to live and even if we aren't rich; Eritreans will welcome you with open arms and we always make room for one more at our table.
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