“Ah! Jambo! & greetings. I am Zola. I come from a city in Africa called Cape Town. Widely known for its scenic beauty, rich history, & diverse cultural heritage.

When I traveled to Ethiopia's Bodi village in Omo Valley, I was just in time to witness the men prepare for their most well known competition. Each June, select men must drink a mixture of cow blood & milk. & they must keep drinking this mixture every day for 6 whole months. By the end, the contest decides who has the biggest, swollen stomach of all. The one with the biggest stomach wins, & will be seen as a hero to the entire village. Most women of this village find men with big bellies to be the most desirable. The bigger the better I suppose. As I observed this tradition, I met 1 of the chosen men named Amadi. His name means “Freeborn Man”. He really struggled through it. But he didn't want to let everyone down. So for 6 months, I took care of him. & gave him the strength to endure this challenge. &, well, we began to fall in love. As the challenge ended, Amadi won! I had to help him walk around because, my goodness! He had the most swollen, gigantic stomach I've ever seen! You should have seen how massive it was! He's quite skinny & works out on the regular, but with that belly, he could barely walk at all.

But soon after he won, we married & went to Cape Town to live our new life together. & over time, Amadi got back into shape & became fit again. & as time flew by, we chose to start a family. A big one. Months later, it was my turn for my belly to grow & grow. As I've now become pregnant! My belly has become just as big as my Amadi's during the contest. If not, slightly bigger. As I continue to grow, you'll find me playing with the young kids. They see my swollen belly & are always so amazed with childish wonder. Now then, would you like to spend some time here with me? I promise you'll find this place to be truly beautiful. I know a great place to have some tea & snacks.