"Africa is a cruel continent;
it takes your heart and grinds it into powdered stone-and no one minds."
-ElspethHuxley
We got back from Ethiopia 2 1/2 weeks ago....our first trip to meet our son, Cooper. The jet-lag is finally subsiding, homeschooling has resumed, little league baseball is in full-swing, deciding what to cook for dinner is on my daily to-do list......and I long to go back! Back to the birth-country of my 4th child...where "Amesegenalehu"is "thank you", begging on the streets is a way of life for most, orphans are EVERYWHERE, the people are so gracious and kind, the sights and sounds are overwhelming, yet so soothing. Ethiopia and a little boy named Cooper Tinsae have captured this momma's heart...
After a 13 hour flight from Washington D.C., we arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was around 7:30 am (Ethiopia time) on Sunday. We left the airport and headed straight for the Guest House (GH), freshened up, and went to church....the International Evangelical Church. Great worship and sermon, but we were exhausted. Tim was constantly nodding off and to make it worse, he was sitting on the aisle, where everyone could see him. I was so afraid he would fall out of his chair! I was surviving on pure adrenaline....It was crazy. After church we went to eat at Island Breeze Restaurant....the best chicken fajitas! And then to the Transition Home (TH)....our "Meetcha Day".
The rest of our group had been there a few days, so we were the only ones meeting our child for the first time. They all grabbed our cameras and were ready to capture the special moment. It is all so surreal and one of those moments when you look back at the video and pictures and think "Oh, I really don't remember saying that" or "What was I doing there?". Cooper was absolutely precious. He didn't cry immediately, but the first time I kissed him, he let out a squeal of dislike. He was so stiff and scared....He was outside for one - something he was not used to, and two, we didn't look or smell like anything he had ever come in contact with. Pretty scary stuff for a baby!
After a while, he warmed up to us more and we got a few giggles out of him, fed him a bottle and he napped.
We stayed at the TH for a couple of hours, just enough time to get him relaxed. Little did I know, this would be the norm for the next 5 days. We left the TH and went to GH, ate dinner and went to bed. What a day!
Monday morning, we got up after not having slept great. Did we even sleep? All I remember is hearing dogs bark all night long....but I had a hard time complaining...man, I love that place! Our breakfast, every morning, was wonderful. The GH has its own chef, David. He always had papaya, pancake-like pastries, fresh Ethiopian coffee, and watermelon....and if you request them, eggs, any style. After breakfast, our AWAA guide, Yonas, took us to the Holy Trinity Cathedral and museum. It was beautiful and we got a quick Ethiopia history lesson from him. Addis Ababa is about 60% Eastern Orthodox Christian and 40% Muslim, and this cathedral is the oldest one in Addis.
We met the rest of our group for lunch at the Amsterdam Restaurant. Tim had his first taste of Ethiopian food in Ethiopia...tibs. I had pizza. We took a total role reversal on our likes and dislikes for food. I am usually the one that will try anything and Tim is usually so picky. So, think the opposite in ET. I was scared to try the food....he ate anything and everything. I stuck to all the Italian food that is all over Addis (Italy once ruled ET). After lunch we went back to the TH to see Cooper.
We had a better day...more relaxed with us and played a little more. I gave him a bottle and he napped....great bonding time.
While I held Cooper, Tim played with some of the older kids. This was also the day that our friends, Karen and David Cassidy got to meet their kids for the first time. I got the priviledge of taking pics of their special time together. So sweet to see kids 11 and 12 years old meeting their parents for the first time....talk about pulling at your heartstrings! After being at the TH for a few hours we said good-bye and went back to the GH. We ate dinner there and visited with Jim and Tiffany Darling. Tim and I both treasure their friendship so much and were thrilled to be traveling with them. We also said goodbye to Josh and Candace Jones. Their stay in Addis was coming to an end, just as ours was beginning.
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