The last few days...

Sorry, I've been kind of quiet the past few days.  Things are going pretty well here.  Yesterday, I thought we were going for Bereket's passport, though we hadn't heard anything about that since Monday. So we got everyone ready just in case.  However, by 9:45, we still hadn't heard anything, so Karen called, and we learned that it had been rescheduled for the next day.

Now that our day was freed up, I decided to take both boys to the doctor.  Bereket had a small rash that I suspected was fungus (it was) and Thomas had an infection that I figured needed antibiotics (it did).  Karen had taken Ibssa to the pediatrician just down the road, so we decided I would do the same.  When we got to the clinic, we had a short wait before being called to register.  During that time, I filled out some paperwork, and the nurse weighed both boys.  Bereket must be growing, because he is only 1 kg lighter than Thomas!  After we were done with the nurse, we waited out in the courtyard until it was our turn to see the doctor.  It must not have been a busy day, as we only waited about 30 minutes.  Karen had waited 3.5 hours, so I was expecting a much longer wait!  

The doctor was a friendly Ethiopian man in his forties who spoke excellent English.  He had lots of questions about Canada, but mostly, he wanted to know if I knew anyone in Australia, as that is where he would like to move to practice medicine! lol.  He seemed genuinely disappointed that I did not. He wrote out the needed prescriptions and we were on our way.  Total cost for both boys: $200 birr ($10)!

I had sent a text to our friends to tell Dave and Faith to leave and start walking to meet us, as we were going to go for lunch together.  Unfortunately, I hadn't been clear about which doctor we were going to (there are 3 on our street) and they went to the wrong one!  After a bit of confusion, we eventually met up and walked to the pharmacy to get the boys' medicine.  Two prescriptions, plus an anti-itch cream for my mosquito bites was under $200 birr.  I guess I won't bother submitting my receipts to my insurance company! At this point, we met up with Karen, Paul and Ibssa to walk to a local restaurant for lunch.  It was pretty busy, so we ended up eating at separate tables.  After we were done eating, we left ahead of them, as we had a few stops to make on the way home.

We needed to go to the bank to exchange more USD for Birr.  Usually I have managed that while Dave dealt with the kids, but this time he did the banking... I think next time I want my old job back!  It takes about 15 minutes, and all three kids were going bonkers.  I eventually had them standing in three different corners of the empty lobby, while I stood in the middle barking at anyone who left their "time out spot"... Oy.  Not my finest moment.  Or theirs!

We also needed to get some pictures printed to give to Bereket's birth mom. We walked quite a ways to find somewhere that would print them, and finally found a photo studio, but they said it was 30 birr per picture (about $1.50). Since I had about 40 pictures to print, that would have been expensive! So I asked Lee, the guesthouse manager and she said she could have them done for much less at her family's photo studio. But then she ended up sending them down the street today and it was only $3 birr per picture! It was probably the same place and we misheard! Lol. So only $7 or something for all of them!

Anyway, after all our walking, the kids were very tired, and so we headed back to the guesthouse.  Bereket and I had a nap, the other kids played and Dave got a bit of a break and made meatballs for us to have for supper.  When I got up, I made some sauce for the meatballs and we ate supper.  Because Bereket had napped, he got to stay up and have some ipad time while the other kids went to bed.  After he went to bed, Dave and I watched "Chasing Mavericks" on the laptop.  It was a pretty good day!

Today, we had the re-scheduled passport appointment in the morning.  I had asked, and only Bereket really needed to be there, so he and I went to the appointment and Dave and the other kids stayed home. This proved to be very wise, as it took about 3 hours altogether, and they would have been very bored.  But, we got it done, and hopefully the passports will be back in a few days, and then on to Nairobi for the visa!  Woohoo!

After the immigration office, we decided to stop for groceries, since we had a van and could go to a "real" grocery store.  The van also meant we wouldn't have to carry all our purchases, so both Candy and I walked all around the store picking out all sorts of goodies.  I was done first, and when I went to pay, I realized I didn't have quite enough money along!  Oops!  I picked out two of the more expensive items and had them take them off my bill and paid for my groceries.  One of the items was a block of cheese that Candy and I were going to share, so I brought it over to her and told her to buy it if she had enough cash and I would pay her back at the guesthouse.  However, she ended up having the same problem!  Almost worse, in a way, because she had to find several medium priced items to take off, and all the groceries were already bagged and back in her cart.  Between the two of us, I felt like we gave the grocery store staff lots to gossip about on their coffee break! haha!

I have to say, though, it's the fault of their currency here!  The largest bill is $100 birr, which is basically $5.  And most things cost about the same as here!  So imagine the thick wad of $5 bills you would have to take with you to the grocery store! My bill was about $1700 birr ($95) for a small grocery cart of items...  1700 anything just seems like a lot of money, but not really, I guess!

Anyway, we made it home with our groceries, and then Dave and the kids and I walked to Kaldi's for lunch.  We picked up a few other things we needed, like more minutes for our phone, and got back home around 3.  It was too late for a nap, so we decided to plan on an early supper and just get everyone to bed on time.

We ordered in Greek food with the two other Canadian families and had a little party in our apartment to celebrate getting the passport applications done today.  It was so yummy, but didn't arrive until 6:30, so so much for an early bed time.  It was after nine before they were in bed, and now I'm just typing this up and heading to bed myself!

Tomorrow, Dave, Bereket and I are heading to Adama to meet his birthmother.  Faith and Thomas are staying here with Karen and Paul.  I am a little nervous about the meeting, so I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers!  Please pray especially that our driver shows up on time, and that the social worker and his birthmom are in Adama when we get there!  Communication is so tricky... people say they understand, when they really don't, and it results in lots of confusion...

Edna Mall

Today, it was chilly in the morning and looked like it was going to be cold and rainy all day. We had heard there was an indoor children's play area at Edna mall, so we decided to check it out.  We asked our friends if they wanted to join us, and everyone except Karen (who had a migraine) decided to come along.  Sintaye, the driver at the guest house was available to drive us, so we left around 12:15. 

We found the play land area and paid for the kids to play in the climbing structure.  Faith and Thomas ran right in, Bereket sort of needed to be convinced, and Ibssa, Karen and Paul's little guy, wanted nothing to do with it.  I think Bereket figured the games and rides looked like more fun. haha.

 After they had played for about half an hour, we realized how late it was, and that we hadn't had lunch.  So we told the kids we would do one ride, and then go for lunch.  They chose the carousal.  Then we had to have a staff member explain to Bereket we would come back, or he would not have happily left the amusement centre!

 Candy and Paul had gone to do some shopping, and they had text to say there was a "Burger King-like place" across the street.  So we joined them there for a bite to eat, and then returned to the playland.

 Waiting in line for the bumper cars... Do you like the matching shirts?

 I think they all thought it was pretty fun!

 Thomas was so excited about the air hockey table, but it took two tokens, and then the power went out shortly after they started!  Bummer!

Our kids have done this kind of ride before, but I wasn't sure what Bereket would think!  He looked a little uncertain at the beginning, but he seemed to enjoy it toward the end.

All in all, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon, though it ended up being sunny the whole time!  So I was a little disappointed that we had been indoors, instead of at a playground outside.  Oh well, another time!

Edited to add.... I forgot a funny little story... I took Bereket to a children's shop in the mall to buy some jeans that fit. On the way back, he spotted a Ben10 watch in the window of another store.  He LOVES my watch, and so I was not surprised that he liked this one.  I actually had already added a watch to my list of gift ideas... Anyway, he was quite upset that I walked away from the store without buying him that watch!  He had quite a good sulk about it.  Good thing the driver arrived right away, because it distracted him and he forgot all about it...

Visiting Ayantu! (Compassion International)

Today we were picked up at 8:15 to go and visit our Compassion Child, Ayantu.  We have sponsored her for 3.5 years, since she and Faith were both 5 years old.  Officially, I am the sponsor, but Faith writes most of the letters and we sort of consider her "Faith's" child.  Ayantu and her family live in Burayou, which is 15 km west of Addis and has a population of about 150,000 people.  It is a very poor area.

 When we arrived at the project, the children were singing a welcome song for us!  Monday is not a usual project day, and they all came out, just to greet us!  We learned we are the first sponsors to visit this project.  Ayantu is the girl in the middle with the flowers.  I didn't recognize her at first because her hair was straightened and she has changed a lot since her last pictures.

 Ayantu in her traditional dress.  We could tell she had dressed up for the occasion!

 Faith and Ayantu meeting for the first time.  Considering how tiny Faith is, you can see that Ayantu is very petite!

 Ayantu's father came to the project to meet us, too.  Ayantu is one of 6 children, but she is the only one who is part of the Compassion project.

 We handed out Canada stickers, which resulted in mass chaos!

 Holding hands as we went on a tour of the church.

 The local church that sponsors the Compassion Project in Burayou.  The pastor said there are 900-1000 attendees on a regular Sunday.

 They put on a lovely traditional coffee ceremony... (Our first one since arriving in Ethiopia!)

It was humbling to see how many people came to the project today just to meet us!  All of the local Sunday School teachers, all of the local Compassion staff, the church pastor and staff, and many more.  I wish we had something to offer them beyond our words of blessing and encouragement.  We were very honored to be received with such celebration.  It was especially nice to meet the young woman who personally translates all of Faith's letters.  She said, "So you are Faith!  I have prayed that one day I would meet the young girl who sends such beautiful things to Ayantu!"

 In the van on the way to Ayantu's home.  They were starting to warm up to each other.  They didn't talk much, though the interpreters were always willing to translate.  Still, a lot can be said through smiles and touch. :)

 Ayantu's family lives in the home on the right.  It is constructed from eucalyptus wood, coated with a mixture of mud and straw.  There are two rooms; a main room, which as a table and benches, as well as a bed used by Dad, Mom and the three littlest children, and a second smaller room which is the kitchen, storage room, and bedroom for the two older children (the oldest daughter has moved out).

 Getting a hug from Ayantu's mother. She is a tiny woman, and she was so, so thrilled to have us in her home. She kept bringing out food and drinks; Dave says she reminded him of how Grandma Reich used to fuss over company!  We ate the snacks she offered but avoided the drinks, as I was concerned about picking up a tummy bug.  At one point, someone disappeared and came back with two Fanta's for the children to share.  They were such gracious hosts!

 Faith and Thomas with Ayantu, her mother, her two younger sisters and her older brother.  The red curtain separates the two rooms of the house.

 We bought the girls matching shirts and planned for Faith to wear hers today.  They thought that was pretty fun!

 Distributing our gifts.  I'm not sure what Ayantu's father thought of the Canada t-shirt. ;)  It was hard; we brought lots of stuff, hopefully they can use it, or sell it to buy what they prefer. I felt a bit like Santa Claus handing it out, but I wanted to make sure they understood what each thing was (for instance, we sent an empty picture frame and we will print an 8x10 of their family photo and mail it back to them)....

 "Twins!"

 Ayantu's family (minus the eldest sister) They have been married for 21 years.  We are so glad to be able to support an intact family by sponsoring one of their chilren.

Our two families.

It was beautiful day.  We were so blessed to meet them, and I hope they were also blessed by our visit.  We had a chance to pray for their family, and to just try to speak love and encouragement into their lives.

After we left their home, we went to a local hotel for lunch together (Ayantu and her parents, the Compassion staff, and us).  We had traditional Ethiopian food and it was very yummy.  One thing I've noticed about restaurants in Ethiopia is that they don't wait and bring all the food at once; as a dish is ready, out it comes.  In this case, it meant that there was about 10 minutes between Ayantu's parents' food, and ours, and a further 20 minutes before the children's food came out (we all ordered basically the same things, though the Ethiopians included raw beef!).  Anyway, we kind of chuckled about how the "guest of honor" (Ayantu) had to wait the longest for her food. Thomas gave everyone a good chuckle by insisting on dipping his meat in the spicy red sauce; the resultant faces were pretty cute! 

One of the tricky parts of the day was explaining to everyone who Bereket was.  It took several conversations before it seemed that all the adults understood he was our son, but he was from Ethiopia, had only just recently been adopted and had not been to Canada yet. At lunch, one of the men asked Bereket what grade he was in, and we told him that he had finished Kindergarten and would be starting grade 1 in the fall "in Canada".  This prompted him to ask Bereket, in Amharic, if he was excited to go to Canada.  Bereket answered, and all the Amharic-speaking adults erupted in laughter.  When we asked what he had said, they said he told them, "I just came from Canada, in a car!"  Apparently GT is so different from the orphanage, he figured it was already Canada! haha.  So we had the guide explain that we were living with him in Addis for about 1 month, and then we would go by airplane to Canada.  It made me realize how confusing this whole process must be for the little fellow!  Time and place are such abstract concepts, it is hard to make sense of where we are, and for how long!  I wish that we knew exactly when his visa would come, so I could make a paper chain count down or something to make it more concrete.  We will be sure to look at his photo album again and talk about the pictures of our house "in Canada" lol.

Regarding the visa, we got the good news that the court decree is in, and we should have his birth certificate by Wednesday, and then we will take him for his passport on Thursday.  Then the whole lot will be sent to the High Commission in Nairobi Kenya, where they will process his citizenship application and issue the facilitation visa.

In other Bereket news, I am discovering that two boys are not 2 times as noisy and active as one boy... It is an exponential relationship! haha.  Bereket is finding his voice, and we hear him singing, laughing, sighing, groaning, and yes, sometimes even speaking, more and more.  It is amazing to watch him "unfold"... Every day I feel like we see more and more of the "real him".  He is still so cuddly and affectionate, which is such a balm to my soul.  He seems to have no trouble making eye contact with us, and greatly prefers us to strangers, even Amharic-speaking ones. I'm sure we will have some ongoing attachment work to do, but as far as these early days go, I am very pleased. :)

Thanks again for all your supportive emails, comments and facebook posts!  It is so great to know you are all walking along this journey with us!

Heather

Pictures from Together Day! (Aug 23/13)

The internet seems fairly quick today, so here are some pictures from Friday, when we picked up Bereket from the orphanage.  :)

 They were burning garbage in the middle of the courtyard, with kids running all over the place.  Freaked this North American out a little bit. ;)

 Daddy and Bereket saying hello!  One of the caretakers came over and told us, "He is so happy you are here!"

 Bereket's "new" bedroom.  We think he only slept there 3 nights!

 Comparing foot sizes.  Basically identical!

 We stopped at the big boys room to say good-bye before we left. 

 One of the caregivers.

 Bereket and the nurse.  You can see the new orphanage building in the background.  It is very nice and will be a big improvement over the old place once they get it all set up!

 Looking into the courtyard from outside the gate.  I don't know what kind of game Faith and the guard were playing... It has been crazy to see how outgoing she has become!

Family picture in front of the gate before leaving!  Bye-bye KVI!!! 

The first two days with Bereket...

So Friday night, after I updated the blog, it was time to tuck the kids in.  Bereket is sleeping with us, so I laid down with him.  He cuddled right up to me, and fell asleep in about 5 minutes flat!  I couldn't believe it!  I guess we had missed his nap, and he had been yawning since about 4. lol.  He slept really well; I thought maybe he would be disorientated when he woke up, but he seems really content with us.  He was pretty surprised to find that Faith and Thomas had joined us in the bed during the night!  Good thing it's a king!

Saturday, we got up early and played for a bit in the suite until it was late enough to go outside and play without waking people up.  The kids had fun playing basketball and skipping for a few hours.  At one point, Faith was bored, so she went up to our suite and played on the balcony with her littlest petshops.  I was sort of surprised that she was willing to do that by herself; she is getting more independent all the time!  Around 10, we walked with Karen, Paul and Ibssa to the grocery store, and then had lunch at Kaldi's.  Faith called this "Ethiopian Starbucks" except they also server burgers and fries, and ice cream!  It was very yummy and we will be back regularly, I'm sure!

Bereket is pretty happy, especially if he is in our arms!  He loves to be carried and would hardly ever walk if it was up to him! haha.  Considering I doubt he had been to a restaurant very often, if ever, he was very calm and at ease with the whole thing.  He likes everything we have offered him to eat so far, although he "only" had two pieces of pizza today, so maybe he wasn't as crazy about that...  He is a good eater and I can only imagine how quickly he will grow... If he doesn't, he must have parasites or something!  

It's tough... He *seems* pretty content and not scared, and yet I can't help wondering if it is a false calm.  I mean, his life just got turned completely upside down, for the second time in less than a year!  I'm sure once we really know him, we will look back on these early days and see signs of any difficulties he is having...

Saturday afternoon, Bereket and I had a nap, and then he played with Faith and Thomas for a while before supper.  He likes Beyblades, though he and Thomas sometimes squabble about who gets which one, etc.  He also like playing with cars, coloring, and playing on our phones.  Oh, how he loves the phones!  "Game?"  If we say no, he asks, "One??" (meaning, just one?).  If we still say no ;) he pouts a little but handles it pretty well.  We actually haven't seen any big displays of emotion/upset from him yet.  Now, Faith and Thomas, on the other hand... lol. They are showing signs of being pretty tired and overstimulated.

Saturday night, we read stories, includng our chapter book, and Bereket sat very well during those, which is pretty amazing considering it must just sound like an absolute sea of words!  Faith and Thomas fell asleep in no time, but Bereket took longer, probably over an hour.  I think it was the nap!  We will see how long that lasts in our routine... I'm a pretty big fan of early bedtimes for kids!

This morning, we had made plans to go to the International Evangelical Church with Karen, Paul and Ibssa.  Their driver friend picked us up around 10, and we made it to church around 10:15... which was perfect timing for the French service! lol.  English wasn't until 11:15, so we had a bit of a wait.  That was fine, except we used up a lot of the kids patience before we even got in the door! Church was nice, very similar to home, although Faith was disappointed that they didn't sing the EXACT same songs! The kids did really well for the first 30 minutes, started to gradually fall apart during the sermon, and Dave took them out during the last 15 minutes.   They were starving, as we had had breakfast at 7:30 and it was after 12.

After church, we had a yummy lunch at a restaurant near the church.  We had pizza, but everything that came out of the kitchen looked so good, I definitely want to go back!

By the time we got home, it was after 2, so we skipped the nap for today.  We watched a movie and the kids played, mostly happily.  Near supper time, Faith and Thomas started melting down over a game.  It was pretty ridiculous, because they didn't want to quit, and both were insisting it WAS still fun, with tears streaming down their cheeks!  Bereket had fun sorting the SkipBo cards into piles by number and lining up the dominos.  And stickers!  Oh my!  He covered 4 pieces of paper with stickers, and would have kept going except I cut him off! lol.  He seems pretty good at finding ways to play with stuff, even if it's not the original purpose.

Oh - I forgot to say... On the way to church, we picked up a young man who is a friend of Karen and Paul.  It turns out he knows Bereket!  He volunteers at KVI 3 days per week!  He taught the kids the amharic and english alphabets.  He said Bereket is very smart (which we have also observed!).  It was fun to see them interacting, and ever since then, Bereket has been singing and talking to himself much more.  He is also a whistler... if we ever can't find him in the apartment, we listen for the whistle.  This is especially fun, since Thomas also likes to whistle.  They have so much in common.

So, two days in, and things are going pretty well.  Tomorrow we go visit Ayantu, our Compassion International child.  I am very excited about that, though a little concerned at what Bereket will make of it!  Thankfully our host will be able to explain it to him in Amharic, because I have no idea how to begin!

Also tomorrow, our friends Candy and Rob from Afroland are moving over to GT!  We have officially staged a coup and taken over the whole place!  It will be great to see them again and for all three families to be in the same place!

I do have pictures... But they take forever and I am tired, so once again, they have to wait... One of these days I'll do a big picture update!

Heather

Together Day!!!

So, this morning we were supposed to go visit Bereket. The driver from the guesthouse was going to drive us to KVI at 9:30. Just as we were going to go down stairs, the manager called. She had called KL to get directions, and they told her that KVI had moved, and they weren't exactly sure where. What on earth?! We were there last week and no one said anything about moving. KL gave Lee a number for KVI and she called and was told it was not a good day for "guests".  I kind of freaked out.  We had told Bereket we would be there today, and gosh darn it, we were going to be there!!! I had Lee call back and explain that we were not "guests" but Bereket's family and told them we were coming. Nobody moves my kid without telling me and then refuses to let me visit!

The new orphanage is only 5 minutes from GT, which was really handy. It is right in the middle of town, much closer than the old place to doctors, stores, guest houses, etc. It is down a little alley and behind a very secure gate. It will be very nice once it is all set up, but today it was chaos. They were burning garbage in the middle of the court yard, there was broken glass, the nannies were all busy unpacking, it was just a little nuts. 

We spent a while with Bereket, and could tell he just wanted to go with us. He kept saying "Go?" and pointing to the gate. It was hard to imagine leaving him there, especially in the current state of chaos. We couldn't find anyone who knew anything about our planned trip to Adama tomorrow, which was the only real reason to leave him there any longer.

Eventually, Faith and I left to get groceries while Dave and Thomas played with the boys. The smoke was bothering our eyes, and she just can't play ball as long as they can... We bought a few staples to get us started, food-wise, and went back to GT to put them in the fridge. While there, I tried to get ahold of Martha from Kidslink to ask about taking Bereket. I couldn't get through, though. We went back to KVI, and  Dave said the nurse had come, so we waited to talk to her. 

We asked about be trip tomorrow, and the nurse called the social worker, who said we needed to "make arrangements" before we could go (which was frustrating because we thought we HAD made arrangements). So we decided we would ask if she thought he was ready to go with us, and she said he was ready yesterday!! Lol. So we said a few good-byes, and called for the driver to come back. 

And that was it! We were instantly a family of 5!!! Hard to imagine after all this time, we were instantly together. 

It has been a fun afternoon with Bereket. It's a little like having a toddler again. We never know what he's going to get into. He sort of runs from thing to thing. We are going to try to figure out some sort of routine, balancing kid time, cooking, etc.  He didn't nap today, and has been yawning since 4. So tomorrow we will try to have a nap. (They said at the orphanage he naps from 1-3). 

Bereket and Thomas had a shower together (it was the only way we could convince Bereket to get in) and oh my goodness! That was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen! Now the kids are all in their  jammies, watching Cars with Daddy and I'm tapping this out on the iPad. I'll try to post pictures from the laptop later. 

Thanks for all your prayers! We are so blessed!

A fresh start... Lalibela Day 2 (day 5 of the tour)

Thank you so much for your prayers and supportive emails and comments.  Today was, thankfully, much better.  It’s amazing the difference a good night’s sleep makes!  We slept in a little later today, and ate breakfast before meeting our guide at 9 am.  We walked to St. George’s church, which is one of the most famous historical sites in Ethiopia.  It was amazing to see in person.  We spent a fair chunk of time there, and then walked to the other group of churches. 

These were also very fascinating.  A highlight was the pitch black tunnel that we walked through, which symbolizes that “hell is unfriendly”. I will post pictures and more information about the stone churches tomorrow when we are back in Addis, as the wifi here is only available by the front desk.

The kids had a much better day!  They were generally cooperative, and Faith seemed to have an easier time understanding the guide and asking her questions.  Thomas still wasn’t super interested in the churches, but he was better behaved and liked the active climbing and walking from church to church.  He and Faith both like identifying the baptismal pool and the “Bethlehem” (place where communion was prepared) at each church.  The weather was awesome and the sun was shining and we had a really good time.

We were back to the hotel by 11:30 and stopped and ate a small lunch at the restaurant.  Then we went back to the room for the afternoon.  The kids watched a movie, I napped, Dave putzed around, and it POURED outside.  I was so glad that we had done our sightseeing in the morning.  When I looked at our tour itinerary, I saw there was supposed to be another tour in the afternoon, but frankly, by that point, I'd have paid money NOT to go! Haha!  A tip for anyone considering this trip with kids... Only plan a half day of activity per day... Full days are too long!

At one point we heard music on the street nearby, but by the time the kids and Dave got outside, the parade had passed us by.  Someone told us that the President was in town, but I’m not sure how accurate that is.  Whoever it was drew quite a crowd, as the streets were still very crowded when we went for supper.

We had called Ben Abeba restaurant to arrange for a taxi to come pick us up at 5 pm, and I’m glad we didn’t say any later, as we didn’t get home until 7:45 as it was.  It was worth it, though!  The restaurant is amazing, the view is incredible, and the food was a nice change, too.  Tomorrow I’ll post pictures of the restaurant... It is something else... Part building, part sculpture!

Now we are back at the hotel, getting the kids to bed and getting ready for another early morning flight.  I will be glad to be “home” in Addis tomorrow, and to see Bereket again soon!

Day 4 - Lalibela... The good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, all good things must eventually come to an end... I knew we were flirting with disaster bringing the kids on a tour like this, and today, we pushed them over the edge.  But first let me back up a bit...

We had to wake early again this morning to eat our breakfast before our flight from Gonder to Lalibela.  The kids always hate being woken early, and it gets worse with each progressive day.  We ate breakfast, said farewell to Seyoum, the hotel owner and tour operator, and our guide Werku and our driver took us to the airport.

On the way, Faith asked if Werku was coming with us to Lalibela.  When we said he was not, she burst into tears!  “We just got to know him and now we have to say good-bye FOREVER!!!”  She was genuinely sad, and it should have been our first clue that the day was hanging on by a thread.

We arrived at the airport a little late due to traffic, and there was only one attendant working the check-in counter.  We were in a long line, and I was starting to worry we would not make our flight.  Finally, a man came and asked if anyone in line was going to Lalibela, and Dave told him we were, so he skipped us to the front of the line.  We rushed to the gate and only waited 5 minutes before boarding.

There were some people already on the plane when we boarded, and for the first time, we did not have seats assigned all together.  The kids sat together, and Dave and I each sat with a stranger.  Thankfully, the kids did really well on the flight.  It was only 25 minutes, which certainly helped!

When we got to Lalibela, the luggage carousel wasn’t working and so we had to collect our luggage off the cart on the tarmac.  It was remarkably efficient.  The driver from the hotel was waiting for us, and we rode the 25 minutes to the hotel with an  Ethiopian-American family from Portland, Oregon.  Their children are also 6 and 8, and the mother’s cousin runs the hotel.  So we have seen a lot of these children since we have arrived.  The owner has suggested that tomorrow we have a USA vs. Canada soccer match!

We got to the hotel around 10 am, and the manager told us our guide was ready to go anytime, but he suggested we rest and go after lunch at 2pm when the churches opened after lunch.  We thought that sounded like a good plan, so we watched a movie on the laptop and then ate at the hotel restaurant.  The food was not very good, and I think everyone left a little hungry. We had another 45 minutes in the room before it was time to go.  I have a bad cold, and my stomach was a bit upset, so I thought maybe I’d be bailing at the last minute.  But we decided to head out for a few hours, knowing we could come back if we needed.

At 2, we met our guide, and began the walk to the first set of churches.  It was a bit of a walk, mostly uphill, and  I should have known the day was not going to go well when the kids were complaining of being “done” within 10 minutes.  We walked on, and stopped first at the church museum.  It was quite small, basically just one room with some artifacts in it.  The guide from the hotel sent us in with a museum guide.  He told us a bit about each artifact as we walked fairly quickly around the room.  Faith started to fuss that she “didn’t have time to look” so we slowed down.  She always wants to know what each and every item is, in great detail.  For instance, in the case with the priests’ robes, she wants to know who wore each one, how old it is, what kind of material it is made from, etc.  This is complicated by the fact she has a hard time understanding new accents, and while the guide spoke excellent English, he did have quite a strong accent.  So I had to act as “interpreter” and retell everything to her.  She started to have a meltdown at one point, so we removed her from the museum.  She cried and cried that “this is her one chance to see these things!” so we gave her a second chance.  With a lot of very careful management, we made it through the museum.

I thought things would improve once we were viewing the actual churches. Not so much.  On the one hand, you have Thomas, who couldn’t care less and just wants to rush through.  On the other hand, you have Faith who is melting down because “she doesn’t understand” and “she still has more questions” and it is “not how she expected”.  Oy.  I am seldom embarrassed by my children, but I was today.  And yet, I knew that was hardly fair, as we have pushed them beyond their capabilities in terms of over-stimulating days “out” in a row. 

We eventually ended the tour early, as it was obviously past their abilities to participate in a way that was considerate of other visitors (not to mention worshippers).  Of course, the drama didn’t end then, because Faith was in genuine distress that she had not yet seen, and perhaps now will never see, the third small chapel at that site.  When we got back to the hotel, she just cried and cried.  I felt so bad for her, frustrated for us, and just plain tired.

And then, on top of everything, at the end of an absolutely exhausting day, we had to take them out to eat.  Again.  I am embarrassed to admit we let them have fries, bread, and pop for supper.  I just didn’t have it in me to try to get them to eat something “strange”.  Honestly, I barely touched my own food.  I don’t know what they feed the chickens here, but it doesn’t do much for the texture of the meat!

People, we could use your prayers.  I am tired and sick and run down.  We have one more day here in Lalibela, and then we fly back to Addis.  I wish we could relax when we get there, but we have visits with Bereket, a trip to Adama, and a visit with our compassion child all schedule between now and Monday.  And on Tuesday, we will take Bereket from the orphanage to join us permanently.  Which I’m super excited about, but also expecting to be a lot of work.

It’s not all bad... The hotel here is lovely and the weather has been excellent.  We dropped off our laundry to be washed when we arrived and we now have clothes to wear that are clean, and mostly dry.  We are together, and get to visit some amazing places and people and are making a ton of memories. Mostly good ones. ;)

Day 3 - Simien Mountains/Gonder

Today, we told our guide we wanted a little later start. The kids start getting cranky if we have to wake them up too many days in a row!  So we planned for 8 am breakfast and left the hotel around 8:45.

We drove up the mountains from Gonder for about 45 minutes.  Eventually we pulled over, and our guide asked a group of men by the road if there were any baboons in the area.  They said no, but directed us to a place another 10 minutes up the road.  There, Werku hired a local man to lead us into the mountains for our "trek" and to help us look for wildlife.

A word about the word "trek"... Do not be fooled, as I was, into thinking this is a mere synonym for "hike" or "walk".  This was uphill, rocky terrain, crossing streams by  skipping from rock to rock "trekking".  I would say our kids were the absolute minimum age, and we were the absolute minimum fitness level! Haha.  I also was ill-prepared in terms of footwear; my Skechers took a beating!

The view along the way was absolutely stunning!  So lush and green, with mountains in all directions.  We encountered very few people along the path, and those we did were glad to say hello and go on their way; none of the pressure to buy tchotchkes along the way.  The hike was difficult, and the two guides often carried the children over particularly uneven ground.  We were so thankful for them!

The start of the trek.  I thought, "This isn't so bad..."  Ha!

The locals get their water here.

Lunch was boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, oranges, bananas, and bread.  I was surprised that both kids ate the plain boiled potatoes without complaining. :)

This is more representative of the trek...

The clouds rolled in and it was literally like standing in clouds!  Very cool!

We hiked about 2.5 hours in sort of a "C" shaped path.  The van met us at the road and we drove the local guide about 10 minutes back to where we started, lol.  It was physically exhausting, but so, so worth it!  So beautiful and peaceful and amazing.

Werku suggested we stop at a local Jewish market, but Thomas veto'd that. Haha.  We haven't asked the kids' opinions on many things lately, and they've seldom complained, so we decided we would just go straight back to the city.  I thought we were going directly to the horse back ride, but Werku said that wasn't until later in the day, and so we went back to the hotel for a nap/rest time. (I napped, the kids played video games on their ipods).

At 2, we met Werku in front of the hotel.  I thought we'd be driving to meet the horses, but there they were, decked out in full regalia! lol.

We mounted our horses, and began our ride, each horse being led by a "horseman" and our guide, Werku, coming along for good measure.  We were quite the spectacle as we made our way through the streets of Gonder!  Everywhere we go, people call out "Baby ferengi!" and today it was "Baby ferengi! Horses!" hahaha.  I think we waved to half of Gonder.  It felt like a parade!

Eventually we made it out of the city to a more rural area and enjoyed an hour long ride.  I think the original plan had been a much longer ride, but by now, Werku knows the kids attention spans, and adjusts accordingly.  I sometimes feel like we should be "getting our money's worth" but really, a one hour ride that ends with smiling children is better than a 3 hour ride that ends in tears!

We were back at the hotel by 3:30 and then we walked to the tour company office to pay for our trip! (I can hardly believe the trip was half over before we had paid a dime!  Very trusting people!).  Then we walked for supper, back to the restaurant where we had lunch yesterday.  Once again, it was very yummy! (Master Chef, for anyone coming to Gonder).

We came back to the hotel and the kids played while I started working on the blog posts about yesterday and today.  Dave and Thomas went to their room to sleep, and Faith has been reading while I finished up.

Tomorrow we are up bright and early for our flight to Lalibela, the last destination on our little trip.  Hopefully we will have wifi and I can update from there, otherwise we are back in Addis in 3 days!