As many of my friends and family know, being in Ethiopia was an enormous emotional and spiritual struggle for me. I posted about it on Facebook and received such a blessing of encouragement and support from friends and family. So, I don't want to talk about that part again. Rather, I'd like to talk about the moments that stood out to me the most and share some pictures.
It is an amazing experience to travel half-way across the world to one of the poorest nations on the earth. The sights, sounds and smells were all so unfamiliar that, after six days, I still was not used to them. Because of the altitude of Addis Ababa (8000 feet!), my body was weak and shaky the entire time. I just couldn't trust my own two feet to keep me stable. It was like the ground rose up every time I took a step. We were there during the dry season and it was extremely dry and dusty. The city has a smokey, spicy sort of smell that is mingled with the fumes of diesel exhaust; adding to the overall dizzy feeling I felt while there. The poverty was apparent as soon as we left the airport and rode to the hotel. Children playing in the rubble. Grown men urinating on the side of the road. Cattle, goats and donkeys blocking traffic. Corrugated metal shacks lining the highway. People sitting around with nothing to do and no where to go. Women begging with their children. A man hit by a car because drivers don't stop for pedestrians or anything else for that matter. These were all sights that I will probably never see in our country, but it is daily life in Addis Ababa.
The people in Ethiopia are beautiful people. The Amharic people have very distinct features. Heart-shaped faces, large, beautiful eyes, light brown skin, Arabic noses and full lips. I can see so much of Abraham's ethnicity in his face and his build.
My favorite day in Ethiopia was the day we got Abraham. My second favorite time was the morning and afternoon we spent at Hannah's Hope Orphanage on Friday. Everyone in our group left on Thursday, but we weren't able to leave until Friday due to overbooking on the Thursday flight. I SO wanted to be able to leave on that Thursday, but I feel so blessed to have been able to hang out at the orphanage and have all those beautiful kids and Almaz, the director, all to ourselves. We had lunch there and it was the best meal I had the entire time in Ethiopia; a simple meal of injera, lentils, potatoes and beets. We sat in the sunshine, learned Amharic from the older children and played ball with the younger children. I will treasure that day.
I will post more about our time there because it is too much to try to convey in one post. The best way is for me to share some pictures.
On the plane...for the next 17 hours.
Danny, our driver. What a welcome sight!
Leaving the airport...finally in Ethiopia!
The busy road outside our hotel window. We had to have the windows open in the day, so all we heard was traffic and honking.
The field across the street from the hotel. There was always activity in it; either people herding cows or goats or people in bright jerseys practicing soccer.
Small view of Addis Ababa from our hotel window.
I'm pretty sure this was a one lane road. The driving in Addis Ababa was scary. If there were traffic rules, I sure as heck couldn't figure out what they were.
Corrugated metal lining the streets was a common sight, as was barbed wire on the tops of fences.
Wooden scaffolding.
The Mercato (The Market) where we bought our souvenirs.
The Market Cop. I had read about her in another person's blog so was excited to see her in action for myself. The merchants at the market pay her to keep the begging kids away because they are bad for business. The kids were having a great time egging her on and she would chase them and wave her stick at them.
Scott and Wass (sp?). Wass was so much fun to be around and he was full of information about Ethiopia and Addis Ababa. He took every opportunity while driving us around to point out an interesting building or landmark.
Pictures of Abraham to come.
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