About Fikir

Fikir, 11, lives in Southall, west London. When she went to Ethiopia, in eastern Africa, she stayed on a farm in the countryside, to see how people there live...

Fikir's diary

It took eight hours to get to the capital, Addis Ababa, by plane. When we got there, loads of my family were waiting for us. I had to go to bed early though, so I could get up to go to early morning mass!

Entoto Mariam church is high up on a mountain so it was cold. The building is very different from in England. It's very large, brightly decorated and lively. The mass was very different too. After the service we went around Addis and saw lots of cafes and I visited the museum. Addis is quite a busy city and is completely different from the rest of Ethiopia, as I'd soon see.

Check out what I had for dinner!

We got a flat tyre!

We set off with our driver, Hailu, and were on schedule until we got a flat tyre! This didn't hold us back, though. We reached a town outside Addis called Mojo, and settled for the night.

The next day we went to market. We were going to visit a family on a farm, so I picked up some eggs, chillies and coffee beans for them. The whole lot cost only £1.50.

The family at the farm were really friendly. After lunch we headed to the main part of the farm. There were oxen, chickens, cows, donkeys and goats. I was a bit afraid at first, as I'd never seen these animals close up! I had a go at separating barley, which was being cracked by the oxen. You have to throw the seeds into the air so that the unwanted bits fly away. I thought it was going to be an easy job, but it was very hot, and the tools were heavy and tired me out a lot. I slept well that night!

Watch me getting hot and sweaty, here!

Click here to find out what Fikir did next

Injera bread is a very popular Ethiopian food

You need lots of energy to do this every day