3rd Visit with Bereket

This morning, we went out with Markos to do some shopping.  I wanted to look for rubber boots; we left them at home because they were heavy, which I now regret. He took us to a shop where we could see nice rubber boots through the window, but they were closed.  Of course the sign indicated they should be open, so we have no idea when would be a better time to go back.  I would like to try again tomorrow, as I think we'll want them along on our trip.

I asked if Markos could take me to a book store, as I want to buy books set in/about Ethiopia for the children.  He took us to a hotel gift shop that had a few, and I bought 5 or 6... He's probably thinking we're done book shopping now, but I intend to visit "Book World" and another book store when we get back from our holiday.  Too many books?  No such thing!

At this point, we were hungry, so we asked if he could take us for lunch.  I had heard of a restaurant called "Oh Canada" and asked if it was near by.  He said it was, so we started in that direction.  We got to "Oh Canada" and invited Markos to join us for lunch, but he declined.  This was the second time he declined having lunch with us, and we discovered it is because he is fasting until 3 pm each day. Unfortunately, this means we will likely not share many meals together, as by evening, we are usually home at the guest house, or walking to somewhere near by.

Anyway, the restaurant was decorated in red and white, with lots of Canadian scenery and celebrities on the walls.  They had an assortment of "Canadian" foods... Poutine, burgers, fries, fish, steak, pizza etc., with each meal named after either a location in Canada or a famous Canadian. (The children at the table next to us delighted in ordering "Justin Bieber pizza"!)  They brought out bruschetta to start the meal, and it was very good.  I ordered poutine, thinking it would come with my meal instead of plain fries, but we got a whole plate of poutine to start with.  It was very yummy and we gobbled it up!   The main entrees were pretty good, but as Dave says, what makes food familiar is a combination of recipe and ingredients... I think the recipes were pretty close, but the ingredients were still different enough.  We had filled up on the bruschetta and poutine and so the children and I had a hard time finishing our meals.  Oh well - leftovers make good supper!

After lunch, we only had about one hour before we had to be back at the guest house to be picked up to visit Bereket.  I asked Markos if we had time to buy some soccer jerseys.  I had a list of how many I wanted to each size.  He took us down a side street to an area with a few shops, and several of them had children's jerseys.  He determined they were a decent price, so we got out of the car to look.  The first store only had these ones with a collar, which wasn't quite what I wanted... I ended up getting 2, and then we went on to another shop.  They had the kind I wanted but only one!  And of course it was the best price, too.  So I bought that one, and then we went on to a third shop.  They had another style that I liked, so we bought a few there.  Why so many? I'm buying for Thomas and Bereket in several sizes for now and the future.  And I'm bringing some home as gifts for my little nephews and other special men!  So I bought some, but still have some left to get...

After that, we came back to the guest house and had about 30 minutes before Germatchew arrived to pick us up.  We drove to KVI and had another good visit with Bereket.  My mom had suggested playing games like Ring Around the Rosie and Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids, and they liked that.  They even taught us some of their games.  We heard Bereket's voice nice and loud for the first time.  He is so sweet!

It started to rain and so we went into the multi-purpose room.  Some older boys were in there watching TV, so I tried to keep the little ones quiet-ish in the back.  We played Simon Says (except Simon always "said" and no one was ever out).  We taught them how to have thumb wars, which they LOVED.  I have the cutest picture of Thomas with a bunch of the boys, but it shows their faces, so I don't think I can post it here.  Thomas also showed them a bunch of yoga, and they also enjoyed that!  Very cute.

During this time, Bereket was basically glued to Dave or me. He wanted to be up in our laps as much as possible.  He is very snuggly when sitting down, but I find him awkward to hold standing up; he doesn't bend his knees!  I could tell that Bereket was glad we were there and didn't want us to leave!  I know the next 8 days will go quickly for us, but I hope it goes quickly for him too!

We made paper airplanes, and then passed out stickers.  I find doing that kind of stuff with the kids kind of overwhelming... They all want more, more, more, and it is hard to make sure the littlest and quietest ones don't get overlooked.

Eventually Germatchew came back, and so we prepared to leave.  I had the nanny explain we would be gone for 8 days, and we counted "8" on his fingers many times.  I gave him 8 kisses, which I think he thought was silly. ;)  Right at the very last minute, we handed out a couple candies to each child... On the one hand, giving candy to kids who don't have the best oral hygiene habits is probably not a great idea... On the other hand, they sure love it! lol.

Funny little details I don't want to forget:
-There were two 2-3 year olds who wandered in to the main room with us.  They worked so hard together to get up onto one of the low tables, and then had a blast dancing around on their "stage".  They were so adorable!  Of course, when a caregiver came in, she quickly scolded them and they got down. ;)
-Bereket's top two front teeth are loose.  Also, at a quick glance, it seemed like they are kind of stuck together... Maybe just tartar build up?  Or could they be fused... At least they are baby teeth. :)
-Yesterday while playing with the partially folded umbrella, Bereket was sort of pointing it at the other boys and making little sounds.  One of the other boys told Germatchew that he was "Schwasen-hauer"... It took us a bit, but we finally figured out he meant "Schwarzenegger"!  I think these kids have watched more TV than my kids!  Or at least different stuff! lol.  It was pretty funny!

Ok, that's it for tonight.  Uploading picture isn't going so well, so I'll try again tomorrow!  Love you all!
Heather