A few Addis pictures

Enjoying our amazing breakfast at the guesthouse.

Pancakes and an Ethiopian dish - tomatoes, onion, a bit of spice on somewhat of a biscuit.  Yummy!

Spices for berbere, drying in the sun.

Some cute kids at the scarf factory.

The scarf factory - I'm pretty sure this is the exact same guy from 2.5 years ago.  Our guide told us that they make 2 scarves a day, which are sold for about $4 or $5 each....not sure how much they pay the workers but it can't be a lot.

These are the donations we spent all afternoon buying for the orphanage.  Oil, onions, tomatoes, teff flour, potatoes, soap, toilet paper, etc. etc.  This was about $500 - thanks so much for those who contributed so generously!

This is the view from our van - we often have to slow down for animals.

This pictures shows a bit of the countryside with a donkey on the road you'll see in the next picture.

Yes, there's a donkey under there.

CCFC office

At the school - we had about a hundred kids crowding around us, talking, yelling and laughing.  I have no idea what they said but I hope it was good.  :-)

The childcare facility sponsored by CCFC.

Meeting Kidist

We had to remember how to properly greet - seemed like it was 3 kisses for ladies, and 3 shoulder bumps for the men?

Coffee ceremony

The feast they put on - coffee, kolo (roasted wheat), popcorn, injera, noodles, rice, wat (stew) and more

Arvid was asked to say a blessing and cut the traditional bread.

Presenting the gifts

I presented a gift to her mother (notice the backpack from 2.5 years ago still in use and hanging on the wall)

Kidist immediately put on the sweater, sunglasses and headband

The girls, teaching her how to play frisbee

Universal language of skipping rope

Kidist's mother showed us how she fixes tires on wagons and carts - this is her job.

All of us

We thought we were done but they insisted that we go inside and eat.  This was great food - I just hope we don't get sick.  G was thrilled to have curly pasta (rotini, her favourite - who would have thought?) and I couldn't believe they managed to get Coke and Mirinda (orange pop) for us as well.

Our girls and their girls

Our amazing CCFC coordinator, Mekdes.  She is AMAZING!!

What an amazing day - Sponsor visit #1

What an amazing day - it's hard to put it into words.  I was concerned about G so much yesterday, but she woke up this morning and declared she was hungry and I nearly fell over with shock to hear her say that.  She found enough food to eat for breakfast and then we were off by 7:30 am for the long drive to visit our first sponsor child, Kidist.  I gave both G and E gravol and they weren't car sick at all - a HUGE answer to prayer.  E sometimes declares that she gets carsick on the way to school, (which is around the corner from our house), so the start-stop, diesel smelling, bumpy road was a real test.

Our sponsor kids are with CCFC (Christian Children's Fund of Canada), and their representative came with us today.  She is such an incredible woman - she kept the kids entertained today for probably 4 hours in the car, telling them stories, giving them riddles, etc.  I would like to take her home to Canada with us - she is so amazing and her English is impeccable.

Anyway, it probably took about 40 minutes to get out of Addis due to traffic.  Once we got out of Addis we drove on a nice road for about another 30 minutes, although there was a lot of truck traffic and starting and stopping due to traffic/people and animal crossing, etc.  After we hit Debre Zeit we drove on a very bumpy, rough road for about another 45 minutes.  We couldn't have been going more than about 5 or 10 km/hr on the bumpy road - it was crazy.  As this was a road going into the countryside we were able to see very interesting scenery - cacti, loaded donkeys, lots of cattle, wheat, etc.

We finally made it to the CCFC regional office and they showed us where they work and the file on Kidist.  They said that they have 7 social workers (with degrees or masters) and each social worker has 200 kids in their caseload.  Unbelievable!  They have to visit the children and organize programs for them - they are incredible people.

They then showed us the school and community initiative that CCFC is providing.  It's kind of a daycare so the mothers can work and generate an income.  The kids there were so cute and sang us a song in full throttle African style.  We also saw a tap water supply that CCFC has provided the village.

After this is was time to drive to see Kidist.  She lived a little bit further in the countryside and came out to greet us carrying flowers.  Arvid and I had been able to visit her on our last trip to Ethiopia, but we had limited time on that trip so our visit was very fast as we then picked up Mebira from the orphanage that afternoon.  Anyway, this trip was so different and amazing.  There were so many people there - her parents, her sisters, her grandparents, as well as some neighbours and relatives.

The family went all out (thankfully, CCFC provides some money to these families when sponsors visit, otherwise I would have felt terrible) and lavished us with a coffee ceremony, followed by a bread that is only served for very special occasions like Christmas and weddings, followed by a full on Ethiopian feast.  They were so thankful and appreciative to us, and both the father and the grandfather blessed us.  We were a little terrified to eat the food, to be honest, but it all tasted great. We didn't want to offend them, so we ate as much as we could by avoiding some of the more risky items like tomato salad.  We prayed a lot while we ate and really hope that we will not be feeling any negative effects later today!

G presented Kidist with her backpack, and Kidist presented Grace with a hand crocheted doily - so amazing.  Kidist had lots of fun pulling out her gifts and put as many of them on as she could.  The girls all went outside and tried to teach her frisbee and played with the skipping rope.

After some pictures together it was time to return home...a looooong drive and the first stop for a bathroom was in Debre Zeit on the way home.  The girls were such troopers and did so well.  I'm so proud of them.

We are back in our room now, enjoying some downtime.  The trip today went so well and was so meaningful and amazing - we are so thankful that we were able to go and share it with the girls and my mom.

I'll try to post some pictures next...hopefully it doesn't take as long this time!

Our first full day in Addis

Wow - it feels so much better when you actually sleep at night!  We all woke up feeling much better and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at our home - GT Guesthouse.  After showers we felt even more human and by 9 we were ready to meet Solomon, our contact at the orphanage.  He was kind enough to arrange a driver for us, and we used Marcos as our guide for a day of shopping.

We first went to the scarf place by Entoto and bought some nice scarves there.  Unfortunately, by the time we got there G wasn't feeling well and said she was car sick.  We walked over to the market to buy traditional clothing for M and a few people, and by then G was whiter than white and sick at the side of the road.  Thankfully, I had packed a number of "motion sickness bags" from the airplane in my purse but we were quite the spectacle.

G needed to go home so we drove all the way back to the guesthouse.  We were all so disappointed because there were a number of stores that we all wanted to go to and didn't want to have an adult and G miss out on it.  We ended up leaving my mom home with the kids and Arvid and I went to buy donations for the orphanage instead.

Wow, do I miss grocery stores.  I complain when I have to do Superstore and Costco in the same day!  We went to the market to buy a bunch of things, had to go to different stalls for different items, then drove to a different store to buy flour, a different store for sugar, and said we were done before going to a different store for meat and eggs.  We came back to the guesthouse to pick everyone up (Arvid stayed with G) and we went to see the new KVI orphanage.  This is the same orphanage where M was from, although they have since moved buildings.

We dropped off all of the donations there and had a tour of the building.  It is quite nice - about 15 older kids, 6 toddlers and 6 babies.  The babies were ADORABLE, of course.  In case any of you were wondering if we would adopt again, it's looking like Ethiopia will be shutting international adoption down or slowing it down considerably.  It's not even much of an option anymore, and KVI orphanage has been doing lots of fostering and local adoptions instead, which is great.  (So the answer is no, in case that wasn't clear enough)

Anyway, by the end of all this we were quite pooped so we just walked to a local restaurant for supper.  G was feeling good at this point so we all went, but halfway through the meal she turned white again and so I took her home.  I'm like a seasoned African now, crossing the busy street (actually more like playing frogger), walking down a dark, gravel alley at night with nothing but my tiny green-stripe tae kwon do daughter to protect me...

So that's our day...tomorrow we have planned to visit our first sponsor kid.  She is so sweet and her mother is so nice - we were able to visit her on our last trip and I would be sad to have two of us miss out on that.  I REALLY hope she is better tomorrow and that this is just from being run down.

I will hopefully post more pictures tomorrow and update on the girls' thoughts of Africa so far.  But it's nearing 8 o'clock and I think that will be my bedtime tonight!  Good night!  :-)

A few London highlights in pictures

The internet connection isn't too bad here but really slow with uploading pictures.  These are mostly from London (no sightseeing yet - that will be on the way home) and a few from Addis.  I'll try to get some pictures of Addis on in the next day or two.

We've given the kids free electronics time on travel days.  Here they are at the London airport, soaking it up!

This is actually in Addis.  We were soooo tired, just trying to make it until 7 so that we could go to bed.  I think M is an elf - she can live on about 15 minutes sleep a night!

We went for a walk in London.  It was sunny and warm and we came across a playground.  The girls loved playing on the tire zip line.

I always love going to stores and seeing the different food and packaginh.  These bottles of pop in London are so different from ours - long and skinny, in the shape of a bullet.

I asked the girls to put their clothes out before we went swimming.

M is reading her favourite archie comics with my mom.  So glad to have my mom around - and extra pair of hands has been great!

No one said we traveled lightly...there ARE 5 girls and only 1 guy.  Actually, most of the 8 suitcases are donations - so happy to get those away and travel lightly on the way back.

Arvid was a nice dad and swam with the girls twice at our hotel in London.  I took one for the team, sat on the lounge chairs and took pictures.  :-)

First one to bite the dust.  Arvid got a cold and zonked out on the couch in Addis.

We made it to Addis!

Wow.  What a tough few days this has been.  We flew through the night last night (I doubled my sleep this time from 30 minutes to 1 hour) and arrived in Addis this morning at 6:40 am Addis time (3:40 am London time, 8:40 pm Edmonton time).  I'm not sure what time it feels like right now to us...all I know is that we are super tired.

We are staying at the GT Guesthouse and it's awesome here.  We have a three bedroom suite, 2 bathrooms, large family and dining area and kitchen.  It's nice to be back in Ethiopia again - the weather is about 20 today.

Arvid and I went to the bank this morning to exchange money - the largest currency you can get here is the 100 birr bill - which is the equivalent of about $5.  So you can imagine the wad of cash we walked out with, stuffed into various pockets. 

We thought of staying up today but it was just too hard so the adults napped this morning.  The kids did well all day but are fading fast right now.  It's just about supper time and I can't wake G from the couch.  She is so out of it!

We went for a walk to Kaldi's coffee this afternoon (an Ethiopian Starbucks knock off) for great coffee and smoothies and snacks, and also got some fresh fruit at a "Supermarket" down the street.

The rest of the day we have zoned out and are just trying to make it to bedtime...hopefully we will wake up happy and refreshed tomorrow for a day of shopping!

I'll try to upload some pictures tomorrow.  The network is really slow right now for some reason.  Tomorrow is a shopping day and then things will start getting interesting as we travel to visit sponsor kids for 2 days and then visit M's birth village.  Until tomorrow...

Arvid has come down with a bad cold now...being sleep deprived doesn't help.  Hopefully we can all sleep well and feel like ourselves again.

Made it to London

Well, after sleeping only 30 minutes through the night on the plane, we made it to London. Although it felt like 2:30 in the morning to us, it was actually 9:30 in the morning London time. Somehow adrenaline carries you through and we made it uneventfully to our hotel, the Marriott Windsor Heathrow. I had booked this on an expedia special back in the summer and it is nice here.

Once we were checked in to our rooms (so thankful they let us check in early!!) it was about 12:30. It was actually sunny in London and about 8 degrees out. Quite pleasant. We then had to decide whether we should nap or power through the day and then hopefully sleep hard at night. We elected to power through and I could not believe how well the kids did. Arvid and I faded at times but they never did. They even swam hard for over an hour in the afternoon. G and E had slept a bit longer on the plane, but I don't know if M slept at all. Or if she did, she moved so constantly that she managed to bump me every 30 seconds in her sleep.

Anyway, we had supper in the hotel and then settled into our rooms. The kids watched a movie while we read for a bit but by 7 we were all exhausted and decided that we would go to sleep.

I slept great for what felt like a long time...I looked at the clock and it was only 10:56. Wow. After tossing and turning I slept again and checked the clock... 12:15. Oh no! I started panicking, tried on my own to sleep, then gave in, took two melatonin and slept like a dream until 8 this morning! G and E sawed logs all night thanks to their colds, and we had to wake them up hard at 8::30.

We had a wonderful breakfast buffet at the hotel...fresh fruit, omelettes made to order, waffles, sausages, pastries, cereals, etc. etc. and will go for a walk (another sunny day!), the kids will swim and we will head to the airport at 4ish for another flight through the night to Addis.

Thanks for those who have indicated you are praying. So far we are mostly healthy, but would appreciate lots of prayers for health. The time change, germs on the planes, exhaustion, and multitude of sick people we left behind in Edmonton don't add up to good odds. Also, please pray for patience and grace for each of us. We are not an adventurous family (except for m) and this is testing each of our limits.

One final comment on M. Although she was incredibly nervous about this trip, she is doing marvellous so far. She is so happy (this airplane food is the best food I've ever had! I love London - I want to live here! This hotel is the best) pretty much sums her up. Hopefully she continues this positive attitude when we hit Ethiopia.

Ok, sorry this wasn't the most exciting update...I'm still not exactly with it but am thankful that all is well. Hopefully we can sleep on the plane tonight and be ready for Addis tomorrow!

A Different Kind of Christmas...but still good

One of the biggest highlights of Christmas for us each year is the lazy, carefree feeling once everything is wrapped and ready.  Christmas usually kicks off another week or two of celebration and we revel in the fact that we don't know what time it is, or even what day it is.  We spend our days doing puzzles, sledding, skating, seeing friends, playing games and just sitting around.

This year, things are way different.  Although we still managed to enjoy our Christmas season, we had a million things going through our heads with our upcoming trip.  There are so many things to think of when you are traveling as a family of five to Africa, when you know you can't just run out to the nearest WalMart if you forgot something.  On top of that, we are trying to fill our suitcases with donations...trying to find the right items for each person, which has required quite a bit of running around.

We did three things this year we've never done - 1) We went to WalMart at nearly one in the morning on December 21st (eerily quiet!) 2) We went to Costco on Christmas Eve at 3:30 pm (busy but no line-ups) and 3) We braved WalMart on Boxing Day in the evening (eerily quiet again!)

Aside from buying last minute things, we did sneak in quite a bit of celebrating...here are a few highlights. I did not do Christmas cards or pictures this year, so from our family to yours - Merry Christmas!!

We started puzzling early this year - we finished about 4 puzzles by December 1 but then lost some steam

We had a really nice visit with Arvid's Aunt and Uncle.  They have really filled in the role of grandparents on Arvid's side of the family and are very dear to us.

Presents...the girls exchanged a few gifts early.  Duct tape was a hit this year!

My favourite service of the year - candlelight.  Loved it!

Christmas Eve at my parents'...complete with musical production by the kids

Playing a xylaphone duet

Yes, my dad's lighting candles on the Christmas Tree, following the German tradition. Yes, it was for a very short time and Yes, we had fire extinguishers ready.  :-)

So glad to still have my grandma celebrating with us

Christmas morning stockings

Mmmm...Christmas morning breakfast...waffles, bacon, tons of fresh fruit, muffins, yogurt, whipping cream, fresh juice...

Christmas Eve turkey at the Matsons...so fun!

The adults are largely outnumbered!

Family pic - so blessed to have such amazing family on both sides!