Ethiopia

This book shows a window into Ethiopian life which is completely different from  our culture here. Although this book takes place in the 1950s it creates a proud atmosphere of Ethiopia, mentioning multiple times that Ethiopia was the last country in Africa to be taken over by another country. The patriotism of the people living there surprises me, especially when it shows the poverty side of the population. The people at Missings see the people at their worst, but they still chose to love Ethiopia and its citizens.
The book also portrays how deeply religious the country is, which I did not know before. I am not sure if that aspect is just in the book, or if real life it is that extreme as well. At one point in the book it describes how when people just walk by a church on the street, they bow down and wave to it. I found that weird because in America our culture has grown to be so secular because so many different religions are present. The hospital that the book focuses around is in need of money and supplies, but all they get from their donors are bibles. In the book, Matron even says, "We have more English Bibles than we have English-speaking people in the entire country"(188).