Another fun day...

Well, today was our last full day at GT Guesthouse (hopefully - we may return here if we are still in Ethiopia after Oct. 5). I just can't say enough good things about this place. The space itself is just about perfect for our family, but more than that, the owners and staff are so amazing!  Lee is like having an on-site concierge.  She helps with everything from tracking down specific kids DVDs, ordering take-out, helping me make an appointment for a haircut and spa treatment (coming up on Monday!), and so much more.  Her hospitality (and excellent English) are so incredible.  Today, Faith was upset about something in the courtyard, so Lee asked if Faith liked to color.  Faith said yes, and Lee proceeded to DRAW her a beautiful Ethiopian princess to color.  Faith went upstairs to get the markers, and was planning to color outside, but couldn't find a suitable surface.  So we asked if she could use the coffee table in Lee's office.  Before long, Bereket was in the office too, wondering what was going on.  So she drew him a picture, too! So now Faith and Bereket were both coloring in her office (while Thomas was upstairs playing with Ibssa) and Dave and I were just hanging around!

Anyway, we took it pretty easy today.  We had mostly packed yesterday, and our only real plans were to have Markos, Menisa, Jacob, Ashe, and Aserat over for supper so they could Skype with Bekah and Arnie.  Around 4, I went with Rob and Candy to order the food.  We are learning how the whole take-away thing works... They don't make the food until you show up to pay, so don't bother phoning if it is close enough to do the pickup yourself.  And bring your own containers, as other wise they charge you through the roof. (Plus, the little foil pans with cardboard lids don't work well for things like Shiro).  We lucked out and got a server that spoke excellent English and was just SO helpful with helping us order and make sure we had lots of food.  He took our containers back to the kitchen, and at one point, came out and said, you need more space, do you have other containers (I did have some smaller ones).  I thought that was so honest, as it would have been very easy to just fill the containers and give us less food. Also, I requested that they packed the injera in ziploc bags, so it wasn't all soggy before we got home.  Anyway, all that to say we had an awesome feast, all for only $35!  For 14 people!!!

We were just walking up to the guesthouse when Markos and 3 of the boys arrived.  One thing I love about GT is that they don't mind us having guests, even if those guests happen to be shoe-shine boys. ;)  I've heard some of the guesthouses can be very snobby about who they let in.  We went upstairs and I got busy preparing the platters of food while the boys said their hellos to everyone else.  We quickly tried to Skype, as the wifi was on and working well, but we couldn't get ahold of Bekah and Arnie.  So we ate first.

I think everyone was able to find something they liked.  I still find ordering traditional Ethiopian food a bit of a gamble... I'm never quite sure what we are getting!  But it was a good assortment of meats, sauces, and even some veggies.  The boys ate lots, and we packed up the leftovers for Jacob, who wasn't able to come.

During supper, I did get ahold of Bekah by iMessage, and they had misunderstood the time we were scheduled to Skype!  And they were driving, so we tried, but between their cell service, and our less than awesome wifi, we couldn't connect.  We tried many times throughout the evening, but eventually gave up.  We did record a video message for them, which I hope went through properly.

The boys, including the 18 year old, had lots of fun with the Playmobil toys.  It was so fun to watch.  I'm guessing they haven't had many toys in their lives.

Anyway, it was another fun night.  It is so great to be able to love on these boys just a little bit while we are here.  Karen gave them each some money to buy something they need.  And Markos was such a sport all night... He didn't eat (maybe fasting again?) and I think he would have just left without asking for any payment for driving the boys over if I hadn't paid him.  And as always, he is so great with the kids.  Oh, and we were able to show him the little video that friends of ours had made of their little boy talking to Markos.  So for anyone who has been trying to get ahold of Markos, he has no internet access as the gov't has blocked it.  I guess phone is the best way to get in contact with him.

All in all, it was a great day!  Now we will soon go to sleep for our last night at GT, and then tomorrow we will move to the new place.  And hopefully, we are in the final leg and will get to come home soon!