Travel Journal ~ April 29th - May 1st

In a last-ditch effort to make up for our other failed shopping attempts, we went out yet again this morning to finish up. We couldn't resist stopping to take a photo of this little cafe...

That's right - everybody loves Obama!

Shopping...

These little guys would not leave us. They wanted money, which I think a few people gave them, but they liked the suckers that Marc and Scott (aka Mr. Johnson) were giving out. The boy on the left was wearing slacks that had had the cuffs completely let down, yet they were still about 3 inches too short on him and old old lace-up dress shoes.

Later we had the opportunity to meet Bethany's new Director of African Adoption. I forget his name now, but he reminded us all of James Earl Jones.

We were supposed to meet him at his hotel, but we all had the kids, so Milkiyas asked us to sit in the van (taxi) in the parking lot and wait. We waited and waited and waited...with kids...in the hot sun. It was miserable. When he finally arrived, everyone was a little irritated (not to mention sweaty) and the kids were starting to go nuts.

I think he had really just planned to say hello to us and go about his business that day, but people started asking some pretty pointed questions and giving honest feedback about our adoption experiences thus far. After awhile of talking he told us that we needed to be "culturally sensitive" (since we had the kids with us) and go somewhere more private to talk.

He ended up going to the Gelgela orphanage with us, which was our next stop that day. Even though we were all a bit peeved, I'm glad that he did go with us. He and Marc talked for a long time at Gelgela. Marc found out that he was from Zimbabwe, but left due to the turmoil. He said that he could never return to his country or he would be hanged. Marc found him to be very interesting.

Gelgela was quite the experience. It's more what you would picture a third-world orphanage to look like. There was one room for boys and one for girls, both lined with bunk beds. There were no lights on, so this picture is poor, but you can see that the boys are sitting on the bottom of one of the bunk beds here...

The babies were in a separate room that was lined with cribs, two babies to a crib. Some wore cloth diapers, some disposable, and one was bare-bottomed in the crib and the nanny would just move her to a different spot when she peed. It was definitely a hard thing to see. They could really use some items to get the babies up and around - exersaucers, bouncers, even a play mat. Heck, even a blanket on the floor for them to crawl around on!

The Johnsons (who are completely awesome people)...

...thought to bring donations for the kids at Gelgela, which was our reason for going there. They had this Mary Poppins type bag that they just kept pulling more and more and more stuff out of. The kids went nuts - they loved it!

The Johnsons also brought this collapsible soccer net, so they got a game going in the yard.

We also got to meet two little ones who are being adopted by other Bethany families who will be traveling soon to get them.

After dinner we all unwound with dinner at Lime Tree. The kids got to ride in an elevator for the first time, and I picked up a children's book "Addis from A-Z" at the bookstore there.

Thursday~

Thursday was a weird day. We thought we were all going somewhere at 9am, but the taxi never showed up. We waited until 11:00 and then the guys finally decided to venture out for something - knock-off DVDs maybe. We were supposed to go to the transition house at noon for a coffee ceremony, but no one showed up to get us until 3pm. By that time, the Johnsons were packing up to leave, several kids were napping, and everyone was a little disappointed about having sat around all day waiting, when this was our last day in Addis.

While we were waiting, one of the ladies at the guesthouse did Macy's hair for her...

Then at 3:00 when Milkiyas showed up, everyone kind of backed out of the coffee ceremony because we were packing and getting ready to leave in a few hours. A few of the guys ended up going and leaving us girls at home to pack and handle the kids. I felt bad for skipping out on it, but the day was just a big mess.

At Shalom, they had the coffee ceremony. The director of the orphanage and his wife were there. They gave speeches and handed out traditional clothing for the kids to bring home. The Director of African Adoption (aka James Earl Jones) was there, all the nannies and Bethany staff were there. Talk about guilt. I feel horrible for missing it.

Thursday night~

We headed to the airport for a long flight home. The lines were horrible and it was already 9pm, so the kids were tired. Felix was still sick and just wanted to be held. Macy, we think, was freaking out a bit. She kept running away from us, or running through the line, or back through security areas. It was a mess -- and what can you do?

We were separated in the plane, so I took Felix and Marc took Macy. Felix actually went right down to sleep. We had a bassinet, which attaches to the wall in a bulkhead seat. What a life saver! We both slept for the whole first leg of the flight - Addis to Rome - then slept again for a few hours of the loooong Rome to Washington, DC flight. Finally, fed up with chasing Macy through the plane and cleaning up spills after her, Marc switched with me and took Felix while I tended to Macy.

The DC to Denver flight was good. It was around nap time, so both kids slept. I was so happy that we had already gone through customs in DC, so we just got our bags and went home once we got to Denver.

Actually, one of the baggage people at DIA came up and started a conversation with us. He was from Ethiopia, but has lived in Denver for 8 years. Then a female employee, also from Ethiopia originally, came up to chat. The man took our luggage to the shuttle bus for us and wouldn't accept a tip. "My gift to you" he said.

On the way to the shuttle he waved down an airport maintenance person, who got out of his truck to come talk to the kids in Amharic. Then our shuttle bus driver also ended up being Ethiopian. We felt like we were just let into a special club or something. When the shuttle arrived at our stop, the driver came around, pushed two men off the bus and told them to make way for us. It was too funny.

When we arrived home the kids freaked out over the dog. Yikes. Felix is warming up to him - meaning he doesn't start screaming when he sees the dog. Macy, on the other hand, is petrified. I know that they don't keep dogs as pets in Ethiopia. They're used as guard dogs. But I wonder if maybe she was attacked by one in the past.

Other than that, they loved seeing their rooms, new clothes, and all the toys. And I was in heaven seeing Fletcher again!

Travel Journal ~ April 28th

On Tuesday we went out shopping without the kids in the morning. Actually, the babies came along, but the big kids stayed at the transition house. That's another thing that I loved about the New Flower. The kids were there for several days, got to know everyone who worked there, the employees loved the kids, played with them, talked to them, etc. So when it was time for us to get out for a little while without them, they were happy to stay back with the ladies who work there.

Anyway, we went out to do some souvenir shopping. It was fun, but we probably needed a whole day to find all the stuff that we were looking for. We cut the trip short so that we could get back to the guesthouse for lunch, pick up the kids and get to the Embassy by 1pm. I think we got in about an hour of shopping.

The Embassy appointment itself was a little anticlimactic. I think we'll consider the day we met as our "gotcha day" instead. I, sadly, have no photos of the Embassy happenings because you have to check your camera at the door. You basically show up, turn in your I-600 and wait your turn. There was a big group from another agency in front of us, so I think we waited about an hour. Maybe it was less, but Macy was melting down, beating other kids up, and Felix was sick, so it seemed like a long time.

On a funny side-note, I met Lis there, a fellow Coloradoan. She and I had never met, but had emailed right before our trips. We found that we had the same Embassy date and said "maybe we'll see each other!" It was fun to chat, until the kids went nuts.

So...you wait in a big, hot room until your name is called, then you go upstairs, answer some questions to a lady behind glass, and that's it. You're parents.

Unsatisfied with our morning shopping trip, the husbands decided to drop all of us off at the guesthouse and go back out shopping again. We thought they'd be home in an hour or two, but they ended up being gone for.ever. Michelle and I were exhausted (and a little ticked) when they finally got back hours later. Macy & Moges were hard to entertain and keep up with. Macy was brutalizing Moges and I think this was the day when I introduced her to "time out".

All we wanted to do when the guys got home was eat and relax a bit, but Marc made the decision that we'd go out to dinner, with the kids. The Johnsons and Webers stayed back, so it was us and the Mellits family. We walked down the street to Asqual, where Helen told us the locals go to eat.

It was our lucky night - there was a wedding party going on! Their dining room was all set up with wooden stools in a long row, small tables in front of them, a big buffet table and a band. It was an awesome way to experience some true Ethiopian culture. Macy was mesmerized by the music. It was so much fun and, despite being tired and irritated, I was so happy that we went.

The lighting was bad inside, so these photos are pretty poor quality. Here is the band and the buffet table. Funny, we got there before the party started, and Marc was contemplating "Should I order off the menu, or go with the buffet?" not knowing that it was actually for the wedding party.



Our food - Macy & Felix both gobbled it up!

The bride and groom entering. She looked completely pissed off the whole time!

And that was it for Tuesday. It was such a long day, but ended on a fun note.

Travel Journal ~ April 27th

Monday was a no-power day. Each district in Addis has a day where there is no power from 8 am to 8 pm. I guess they're not quite up to "smart-grid" technology yet. Some stores and restaurants have generators, but most places just go without for the day.

Although our embassy appointments were scheduled for Tuesday, you have to go on Monday to pay all of the fees for some reason. The husbands took on that task while us women-folk stayed back at home with the kids.

Marc had to borrow money because none of the ATMs seemed to be working. We had planned to get cash the day before we left Denver, but had the big snow storm and couldn't get out. We were able to get $500 at the airport, but had to use that to pay for our hotel since their credit card system was down at the time. We were perpetually behind the entire trip. If you're going to Ethiopia - bring all the cash you'll need!

When the guys returned from the embassy we took all of the kids to the BCS office where we took photos for their wall, filled out our I-600s together and had coffee.

On the way back from BCS, Milkiyas took us to the weavers' shop. One of BCS's many ministries is to train people for jobs so that they can stay off the street and support their families. These people were trained in weaving and made all sorts of traditional clothing, scarves, etc.

That evening all of the families went out to an Italian restaurant that was walking distance from our hotel. Felix was good, but Macy wanted to wander around and we finally realized that this was probably the first restaurant she had been to. We struggled a bit. It's hard not to parent like you normally would because all of these people are watching you. I mean, you don't want to give the local people a horrible impression of the Americans that are adopting their children....but they just tend to let the kids do what they want, rather than saying no. That's hard for me to do.

Anyway...as Macy was wondering, one of the waitresses spoke to her in Amharic then tried to tell me in broken English that "she loves her and they are going to America". I don't know if Macy said she loves us and we're taking her to America or that we love her and we're taking her to America...but I'll take either one at this point!

Travel Journal ~ April 26th

The kids slept in until about 8:00 am this morning. It was like a little slice of heaven since Fletch is a habitual 5:30 am riser.

The Johnsons and Webers went to church with Milkiyas...or went to his church...but didn't actually see him there. The Mellits headed back to the airport to pick up their luggage that had been delayed. We sat and played with the kids, quickly realizing this was going to be a very long day if we were going to be hanging out at the guesthouse entertaining them all day.

Caleb and the man who guards the compound / attends to the gate both loved playing with the kids, which was a great help. Caleb staged these photos of the kids dunking...

Felix watched Caleb pump up the soccer ball, then tried to do it himself. He got the needle in the hole and started pumping after watching Caleb do it only once. I'm amazed at how observant he is!
Snack time...

After church and lunch, we decided to join the rest of the families in going to the Shalom transition center to meet their children. It was fun to see them go through the same surreal car ride and the same "Wow, our lives are about to change forever!" feelings that we had experienced the day before. We were also able to video tape the other couples meeting their children.

Milkiyas explained to Macy & Felix that we were going there to pick up the other kids, and that we wouldn't leave them there. They handled it pretty well and Macy was happy to see Moges again, but she was ready to leave pretty quickly.

All of the happy families...

Back at the guesthouse we ordered traditional Ethiopian food for dinner and pasta for the kids. (After Macy had a sick stomach at Shalom that afternoon, the nanny told us that the kids shouldn't be eating that kind of food and that they like spaghetti, pasta, pastini and rice.) When the food arrived they were not happy to be eating pasta and they dug into the injera and veggies anyway. They've been eating all sorts of food since without issue.

Macy had a rough day. She did a lot of fighting with Moges and, unfortunately, it was her starting it 99% of the time. She seems to think that everything belongs to her. The ladies at the guesthouse were translating and telling me "she is very bossy". She kept saying "give it to me" and "it's mine"about everything. If someone told her no she would hit them and/or throw anything within reach and/or throw herself on the ground crying. If Moges or Felix had something she wanted she would wrestle them to the ground and take it from them.

Marc and I were spent physically and emotionally by the end of the day, so we went to bed early with the kids.

Travel Journal ~ April 25th

Saturday morning Abera & Yemene came to pick us up to take us to the transition home. (The transition home is where the children are moved after we passed court. Our agency brings them up from Awassa, or wherever they are, and begins to prepare them for their families and coming to America.) So we hop in the van, ready to meet our children.

Instead, they take us to Mount Entoto. Very interesting to see. It's the highest mountain in Addis (maybe the highest in Ethiopia?) and is where the capital was originally located, so that the king could look out on his land and see anyone preparing to attack. There is a small museum with some amazing artifacts - old gifts from other countries like a diamond encrusted crown from the queen of France - things you'd expect to see in a much higher-security establishment, not in a one-room building.

The view of Addis from Mount Entoto...

The first church in Ethiopia...

The current church on the same grounds...



The king and queen's palace...


After seeing Mount Entoto and the palace we thought "Okay, now we're really meeting our kids!" Only we were dropped off at the Jupiter Hotel again so that we could "take lunch" as Milkiyas says. Talk about a roller coaster...every time we got that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling, something else came up.

Finally we were on our way to the Shalom transition house. I was surprised by how nice it was. Marc described it as a typical suburban home. I wouldn't say that it was like a new suburban home, but it was similar to some of the older (1970's or 80's) homes built here in Colorado.

When we arrived I think it was Moges (the Johnson's son) who came outside first. As we were talking to him, Macy ran out behind him to say hello. Marc asked for a hug and was granted one, but then she wanted to run back inside to get her shoes, so I didn't get much more than a smile. We went inside, expecting to see Felix, but one of the nannies was upstairs getting him ready. When he was brought down, he was wearing baby pants, a purple girl's shirt with bows on the sleeves and a plaid shirt over it. He looked so funny.

Felix was very interested in the video camera. In Awassa they told us that he is very "mechanical" and loves to take things apart and put them back together. I kind of laughed to myself at that thinking "he's one and a half, how mechanical can he be?" but they were right. He's very interested in anything electronic and wants to know how everything works. Show him once and he can do it himself. It's amazing!



At one point, Macy went upstairs to change clothes, then came back down and sang a song for us...



We were there for maybe about 45 minutes to an hour total. It was kind of uncomfortable because everyone is sitting around watching you, how the kids react to you, how you interact with them, etc.

Milkiyas eventually said that we should all go now. And by "all" he meant ALL. Marc and I had talked about the possibility of this happening. According to our agency, we would go visit the kids several times, then they'd eventually come back with us to our hotel. Somehow we had the feeling that they might just let us take them though. Although we were happy about this, we weren't quite prepared. Our report several months ago said that Felix was in the process of potty training, yet he was still in diapers when we got there. They also had him drinking some sort of powdered milk, so we needed to get to a store for diapers, wipes and milk.

Off we go...


For dinner, the ladies at the guesthouse made injeera for the kids complete with cabbage, carrots, green beans, spinach and I think doro wat as well. When the ladies sat it down the kids both looked at it and didn't move. Maybe they didn't understand my "okay, dig in!" After a moment I tore off some injeera and put it with green beans into Felix' mouth. This must have been the signal Macy was looking for because she dug in at that point, then Felix followed. It's a bit awkward to eat this saucy, somewhat mushy food with no utinsels and only injeera, but these kids knew exactly what they were doing. It was hilarious to watch Felix, this tiny little man with looooong fingers throw his injeera on top of a piece of meat and gobble it up as if he'd been eating that way for 50 years.

Bedtime was a little shaky. Macy actually went upstairs saying "pajama" and Felix followed taking his own clothes off and putting on his pj's. It cracks me up to watch still because our 4 year old won't even get himself dressed.

The kids tried to play around for awhile (we learned later that they're allowed to play until they fall asleep at the transition center). After much shenanigans I finally laid down with Macy on the cot and Marc took Felix on the bed. We turned the lights off and said "matah matah". Macy fell asleep quickly, but Felix cried for quite some time. Bedtime has gotten progressively better since then.

The Johnson's had arrived that afternoon, followed by the Webers later that night, and we all sat on the porch talking late into the evening. It was such a nice way to unwind after an emotional day. I was really feeling overwhelmed at that point, so it was great to just relax and laugh. We turned in around 11:30 and heard the Mellits family arrive a bit later. The gang's all here!

Travel Journal ~ April 24th

We left Awassa early this morning to come back to Addis. It was another long drive. Abera stopped at the camel crossing again and we hopped out to take a photo. A teenage shepherd came running up and got in the photo with us. He thought it was hilarious to see himself on the digital camera. He did ask for 10 birr...enterprising young man.

I never would have thought that we'd come across this guy on the side of a road. I guess I imagined one would have to travel hours into the bush off the beaten path to find a guy who dressed in traditional garb and shepherded camels. The whole trip to Awassa was kind of like that.

We arrived back in Addis late Friday afternoon and had lunch at (in?) this airplane restaurant.

I had super spicy doro wat...yum!

We hung out at the guesthouse for the rest of the afternoon preparing for our big day to follow where we'd finally meet our new children!

Travel Journal ~ April 23rd

I woke up long before the sun this morning to the sounds of birds and monkeys and some apparently grumpy geese. I could use a cup of coffee the size of my head.

12:15 pm

We had refreshing cold showers this morning, followed by a quick breakfast at our hotel. Abera came to pick us up and introduced us to Solomon (project manager for Shalom Children's Hope) and Abreham (social worker for Shalom). Abreham was the one who had prepared the report we received several weeks ago about the kids, so it was nice to meet him and put a face with the name on the report.

S & A took us to the main Shalom office where we got to see the kids' files, health reports, information about their mother, etc. It wasn't anything too very detailed, but when you're adopting children and don't have much background on them, it's nice to see anything that you can.


From the main / business office we went to the children's center where the kids are. We were surprised that there were no big kids there, only infants. Some of the clothes we brought as donations were way too large but at least we brought several baby toys that would be put to good use.


After smooching and pinching babies, we sat down for a coffee ceremony with S, A and the nannies. We all chatted about the babies, adoption, Ethiopia and more. They told us that we were actually the first family to visit the center and they were so happy that we did. I had no idea, but it made sense since the center hasn't even been open for a year yet.

We said goodbye to the nannies and were escorted back to our hotel where we figured out that Solomon and Abreham were actually planning to spend the whole day with us. They dropped us off and promised to be back after lunch. They may have been going back to the office to receive another baby they'd been called about when we were having coffee.

9 pm

What a long day! Abera came back at 3pm and the three of us sat at the lake for awhile waiting for Solomon & Abreham. We are so lucky to have Abera for a driver and guide on this trip. He's a sweet, easy-going, and generous guy. He and Marc discussed bicycles for the nannies at Shalom and it was decided that we would go and look for two used bikes that afternoon.

When S & A arrived, S decided that it would be much better for us to buy new bikes. Luckily Marc convinced him "1 new or 2 used" because the new ended up being about $170 USD. We hadn't really planned to spend that much but it's hard to balk at price in a situation like that. We are so blessed in comparison. Abreham told us that the nannies there make 600 Birr per month, which is about $55. The bike will make it faster and easier for them to get around, go to the market, etc.

This is the man who put the bike together. He charged a little under $2 USD and it took him about an hour. This is the "bike garage".



A local taxi. I'm pretty sure there's no seat belt up there where that little boy is riding.



This little guy was rolling a bike tire up and down the street, running about with no shoes. We saw a child crawl out of the sewer at one point, and a very ill man just laying on the street.


I forgot - On the way to doing all of this, Solomon flagged down a police Jeep that was heading in the opposite direction. The police had the newborn they'd been expecting that day. The baby was only 20 days old and had been abandoned on the side of the road. The police drove right up (baby on lap in the front seat) and handed him over.


Delivering the bike to the nannies...


S & A took us by the hospital where Macy & Felix were both born...

Then we headed to a trendy little outdoor restaurant across from Awassa University where all the college students hang out. We had awesome lamb tibs and injera.

At this point we should have found a way to politely call it a night. I felt bad that we were taking Solomon away from his family this late anyway. But in his, "I'm uncomfortable and can't stop talking" fashion, Marc mentioned wanting to see the hippos that supposedly show up at sunset at the lake. And of course S & A felt obligated to take us there (probably knowing that it was a long shot) especially since it was already almost dark.

We drove down a long, rocky dirt road to get to the part of the lake where the hippos hang out. there were none, naturally, but we did end up in the dark with a flat tire. Great. Luckily (?) we were next to huge new Haile GebreSelassie hotel that was being built, where a man with a very large gun appeared out of no where. It was one of those "Am I about to die?" moments, but he quickly produced a jack and I realized he was the hotel guard and he was helping us out. Whew! Thanks to Abera's talent and the light of a cell phone, we were quickly patched up and on our way.

Again, we should have made this the end of our night, but Abera remembered that we wanted to call home that night, so we had to stop and purchase a phone card. We ended up stopping at a little store where Solomon knew the owner. He pulled us in to buy souvenirs, so we bought an Amharic Obama tshirt (how could we resist?) and a few bracelets.


Finally we are home and jumping into bed. Tomorrow we return to Addis, but Abreham asked us several times when we arise in the morning, so we are expecting to see him to discuss "sponsorship" before we leave. (He asked Marc if we would sponsor him to help him with school. It all seemed a bit weird - especially since Abera said that University is free of charge there.)

Anyway...It's been a long day. On the drive down here, we weren't so sure we'd recommend it to anyone. Now we definitely would. To have experienced where our children lived, to have seen the hospital where they were born, is all precious and I'm so glad that we came.

Travel Journal ~ April 22nd

I woke up to no power and no hot water this morning. I also forgot to bring my travel clock, so I have no clue what time it is. After a quick cold sponge bath I wander downstairs to find and Caleb, who is ever-present in the living room. He tells me that it's only 7:50. We have an hour or so before we leave for Awassa.

Abera, our driver, arrived on time. I was surprised since I'd heard so much about "Ethiopian time", which means people arrive whenever they arrive. Abera waited for us to finish breakfast and we left a little after 9 am.

It took us about 6 hours to get to Awassa, including countless stops for cows and goats crossing the road. The young boys shepherding them take them to water and food twice each day. We also stopped for a herd (?) of camels at one point.

There were a few small villages along the way, all looking the same - restaurants, street vendors, buildings painted teal, purple or coca-cola red, kids in uniform walking to and from school with their friends, and the less fortunate children hauling water or sticks. There are so many people on the street for such a small town that runs less than a half mile long. Then you catch a glimpse down an alley and see how far the shack homes go back. It's very reminiscent of some of the old fund-raising commercials you see on tv. Marc says it reminds him of footage from Slumdog Millionaire.

These towns are connected by fields spattered with grass huts. It's hard for me to really believe that people live in grass huts in this day and age. So small and vulnerable to the weather.

Along the way we pass a strawberry farm and Abera stops to buy some fresh, organic strawberries for us. They were incredible - and I'm not even a strawberry fan. Of course, Marc is now convinced that he is going to have ecoli.

We finally arrived in Awassa around 3pm and were surprised that it was a lot larger that our guidebook led us to believe. We found out that there are 300,000 people there, where we expected it to be a town of maybe 10,000 - 20,000. Abera took us to the hotel we had our eye on. In the Bradt travel guide its listed as Waba Shebelle 2, but has since changed owners and is now called Zewed Village. The book was very accurate though - the rooms are pretty scruffy, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it.

Sitting in a courtyard under a 100+ year old tree whose branches spanned 100 feet across, overlooking Lake Awassa, with monkeys running underfoot was (to steal Marc's words) "just what my soul needed". The grounds were green and lush, much like the beaches of Costa Rica. We grabbed lunch on the patio of the hotel restaurant and were given a big stick along with our lunch "to keep the monkeys away". I thought they were joking, but watch the video below...

We sat there enjoying the peace and quiet until Abera came to pick us up, then we drove into the city to explore. Unfortunately there just isn't a whole lot to do in town unless you want to walk past vendor after vendor on the street. We drove up and down a few of the main drags then stopped at a beautiful orthodox church.

We noticed in every city we passed through that, no matter how poor or run down the town was, there was always a nice, well-maintained church. Walking into the courtyard of this one, we realized that a service was about to begin. Evidently they hold evening services outside every day from 6-7 pm. I was so happy to be in the right spot at the right time and experience this. I wish I could have taken more photos, but I didn't want to be disrespectful.

We ended up at a pizza place for a late dinner. They were blasting American country music, which I thought was funny. Dinner was short and we headed home for some rest since we were still a bit jet-lagged. Abera promised to take us somewhere for authentic Ethiopian food tomorrow.