Hi all. Well, the news is starting to sink in. I went from anger to frustration to despair to depression to sadness and back again more times than I can count. The implications of not passing court: we don't get to see Mebira again until we pick her up, we aren't able to give her our gifts (although we can leave them here for when we do pass), we can't tell her who we are or who the girls are, the process is delayed for at least 6 weeks or more, and it seems that once it gets in the cycle of not passing court they keep finding new things to be picky about.
I'm trying to not be too much of a spoiled brat about this. Members of the birth family were in the same room as us yesterday, and when I think of them and what led them to this point I realize that things could be so much worse. Also, the support of friends here and the many emails from you and the fact that there are 4 families who are going through this together helps as well.
We're just about to head off to book our tour. We leave on Monday and fly to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana and will visit lots of churches there. The next day we go to the Blue Nile Falls, hopefully see some hippos and then drive to Gondor where there is an ancient castle. After that we fly to Lalibela where there are ancient, rock hewn churches that each have a replica of the ark of the covenant. On Thursday we fly back to Addis, and then fly back home again late that night.
I'm a bit nervous about this trip - we're not exactly adventurous travelers and the idea of an all-inclusive is more our style, but it will be great to learn more about Ethiopia and the amazing culture and history here. There is a rich history - Ethiopians claim that when the Queen of Sheba went to visit King Solomon that she came back pregnant and thus the royal line of Ethiopia was started. (Or so I remember reading)
Today we'll do more shopping (coffee and spices), go to church tomorrow and then we're off...
I'm trying to not be too much of a spoiled brat about this. Members of the birth family were in the same room as us yesterday, and when I think of them and what led them to this point I realize that things could be so much worse. Also, the support of friends here and the many emails from you and the fact that there are 4 families who are going through this together helps as well.
We're just about to head off to book our tour. We leave on Monday and fly to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana and will visit lots of churches there. The next day we go to the Blue Nile Falls, hopefully see some hippos and then drive to Gondor where there is an ancient castle. After that we fly to Lalibela where there are ancient, rock hewn churches that each have a replica of the ark of the covenant. On Thursday we fly back to Addis, and then fly back home again late that night.
I'm a bit nervous about this trip - we're not exactly adventurous travelers and the idea of an all-inclusive is more our style, but it will be great to learn more about Ethiopia and the amazing culture and history here. There is a rich history - Ethiopians claim that when the Queen of Sheba went to visit King Solomon that she came back pregnant and thus the royal line of Ethiopia was started. (Or so I remember reading)
Today we'll do more shopping (coffee and spices), go to church tomorrow and then we're off...
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