My mom's perspective on our trip

It was a real privilege for me to join Anita, Arvid and the girls on the trip to Ethiopia and I thank them for this invitation.  Who would want to undertake such a huge trip with three children and still have an old grandma to look after?!  Although I did have sleep challenges, God was so good to give me great energy to keep going throughout this time!

And what an amazing time I have had!  Although this is my sixth time in Africa, each experience and country has its unique flavour. It never ceases to amaze me how creative God is in nature and in the people and creatures living in the different environments.  

Seeing Africa through the eyes of children, (when they are not distracted by electronics), is delightful.  I do hope they will not forget too quickly how the other side of the world lives and that living simply does not mean they cannot also be content and joyful.  

Although the first day began with stomach issues for g and e and the long car rides were so tiring, they amazed us with their patience and good attitude.  We were thankful for electronics for them at such times, which kept away the dreaded question to travelling parents, "are we there yet?"  Our prayers for m's experience to be a good one and for the processing of this visit emotionally continue to be answered.  Seeing her so lovingly attached to her present family and seeing her great adaptability, gives me continued hope for the future. 

The girls amazed us, too, with their stamina of trecking on many a long jaunt and with their flexibility of sleeping in uncomfortable places and positions.  They are so adaptable, whereas I yearn for a comfortable bed to fall asleep in!

Their ease in adjusting to the culture and different sights and smells, different foods and different beds was an example for us.  Of course they had their little griping sessions at times but a special candy treat or granola bar from Omi, or repeated  games of Mille Boures, Uno or dice would often dissipate these!  

Before we left Canada, I had the girls sew together a travel journal to record their experiences in.  Although they did not do as thorough a job of it as I would have liked, each of them have a unique and interesting book of memories of the trip.

It is of course far too overwhelming to record all the impressions, sights and smells of such a trip but I do hope that paging through it in future years, will bring back good memories.

Our journey culminating in the experience of seeing the amazing city of London with its vast history, amazing architectural styles, and bustling economy, is a rich treat.  I just wish we would have more time to discover more of its charm. 

We are so thankful for all the prayers for us while we traveling.  God certainly had his angels around 

Made it to London...again

I'm about to fall over with exhaustion. Flew to London all night and explored the city all day.  We just checked into our hotel room at 11 pm Addis time and are all exhausted...but happy.

We have another day of London sightseeing before flying home on Friday. I will try to post more in a day or two. For now, good night!

Shopping day!

After many days of travel, visiting sponsor kids and the long trip to Soddo, and after we had recovered on Sunday it was finally time to do some souvenir shopping.  We had attempted to do some earlier in the week but because G got sick we had to cut it short and buy supplies for the orphanage instead.  This time we were able to just shop for us and it was a lot of fun (for the 5 females of the group, anyway).

We left the guesthouse at...you guessed it...7:30 am.  (Am I the only one who thinks that's ridiculous to do on vacation?  On a weekday at home I'm just barely awake at that point!)  Anyway, we first went to the pottery place - I knew my mom and the girls would be interested to go there as they make pottery together at home.  We were a bit too early so only one person was working, but it was still amazing to see how she would take the clay and turn it into a pot.  It looked like it was done by a machine and not by hand!  We bought a few things there to take home (I hope they survive) and then moved on.

Monday was the day before Christmas in Ethiopia...Christmas Eve, I guess.  It was very busy out, but I was surprised that school was still in session and most people still worked until mid afternoon.  The craziest part was the amount of animals out for sale.  Christmas is a big deal, and families all seem to purchase a live chicken (sold at various spots on the road) for doro wat, and a sheep or goat.  We drove by just herds and herds of animals and it was a common sight to see people carrying a live chicken (bound), or to see a pick-up truck with an animal tied up in the back.  Even our guesthouse owners have a live goat ready to go in their courtyard.  I think I'd rather brave Costco on Christmas Eve (which I did) than go pick up a live chicken or goat to cook up.  Wow.

Anyway, after the pottery place we drove to HIV women's cooperative where they make baskets and beaded jewelry.  They had some pretty neat jewelry made of coffee beans.  The highlight here was watching the basket weavers.  I couldn't believe how slow and tedious the process is to make a basket and how little you get for it.  (We bought a huge injera basket at a different market for about $10 and that would have taken days to make.) We also watched the women there make jewelry, although having some experience with that from home it wasn't quite as fascinating as the basket making.

We were making great time and stopped at the Misrach center for the blind and disabled.  The store sells items made by the blind or disabled, and it was fun to pick out little wooden items and cards.  Not only is it fun to buy, but the proceeds go to a good cause and it is very reasonably priced.  The kids would ask me for something at these stores and the answer would almost always be yes - a rare treat for them!

The previous stops all had set prices, but our next stop was the market by the post office, which involved a lengthy bartering process - especially when the owner of the store saw that we were "ferenji" - foreigners.  The post office shop area is where we bought the majority of things on our previous trips, so I knew what to look for.  The girls had fun buying some small trinkets for their friends, some small decorative items for their rooms, and M bought a few more scarves for herself.  We bought an Ethiopian painting, as well as our injera basket.  It was ideal shopping - the girls and I and my mom would walk in a store, pick things out, then leave Marcos, our guide (to barter), and Arvid (to pay) and we would go into the next store and repeat.  Arvid didn't love this day, but because the prices are reasonable and our suitcases returning home are nearly empty, he didn't argue.

We stopped next at a silk scarf place, however, were disappointed not to be able to see the silkworms as we had hoped.  Things were either shutting down due to the holiday or due to lunch.  We had already purchased so many scarves so elected not to buy any here.

Marcos had to depart early so we dropped him off and then went to a much needed lunch at the Lime Tree.  They advertise that everything is safe for foreigners (vegetables are washed in proper solutions, etc.) and I was so happy to finally eat a salad.  I ordered pasta and a salad and a fresh juice (mango-orange) and everything tasted soooo good.  It was the best meal I've had on this trip.  We also ordered coffee (I had a delicious cappuccino) and some chocolate cake.  The cake looked better than it tasted but it was still a fun treat.

OK, one more thing before I sign off.  Our last stop was to a shoe store where they sell sandals made from old tires.  The treads of the shoes are made of tires. I had once bought some like this in Mexico and the tread was actually a big tire tread - they were rough and heavy but kind of fun.  Well, these shoes were nothing like those - they were all so beautifully made.  This store just made sandals, and another store sold closed-toe shoes.  We went to the sandal one because Arvid needed some new sandals.  It turned out that he didn't like the style (he doesn't like anything between his toes) but the girls and I had a great time trying on sandals.  Unfortunately, I have a wide foot, and wear an 8.5 or 9 so I was very limited in my selection - I guess I have much bigger feet than the dainty Ethiopians.  We walked out of the one store that Arvid wanted to see, and he walked out empty handed while the girls and I each got a pair.  My only regret about leaving Ethiopia is that I didn't have time to go to the tire shoe store where they sell closed-toe shoes.  Oh well, I'll keep it in mind for the next trip.

Thanks for following along - here are some pics (they may be out of order because we used a few different cameras)!!

The clay at the pottery place, it is brought in, then mixed with water here and turned into masterpieces.

The oven where it is fired

Making a pot

The finished pot before firing

Some items in the store

Cotton, hanging and ready to be made into traditional clothing

Our van - we spent MANY hours in here!  The seats were covered in animal fur/hide.  When we stood up we always had little bits of fur on us.

Some of the many animals ready for Christmas Day slaughter.

Basket making at the HIV center - amazing!

Jewelry making at the HIV center, some of these will make it to the US

At the post office market

Our driver, Married, with the girls.  What a great guy - so happy to have met him!

For a city of approximately 3 million there are very few traffic lights, however, there are more than the three we spotted on our last trip!

Mmmm....Lime Tree for lunch!

Buying chicken at the side of the road

Making tire shoes

Coffee at the Lime Tree (out of order, sorry).

Mmmm...coffee and cake!

G enjoyed her "unlimited lime juice"

Trying on shoes

E and M enjoyed sitting at the front for the last few stops.

Saying goodbye to Married - he got the girls each a pencil and necklace, and us a keychain.  So kind!

Successful shopping trip!!

Sunday - Finally a day of rest!!

What a relief it was to be able to sleep in and not have to leave by 7:30 in the morning like every other day this week.  We slept in until a leisurely 8 am, had a great breakfast at 8:30 and just relaxed and hung out.  At 10:30 we enjoyed a coffee ceremony downstairs and were able to meet some Canadians who had just arrived.  There are 4 bible school students who are here for a month to help out at one of the orphanages and it was nice to visit with them.

We wanted to reward the kids for the amazing job they had done through all of the travel, lack of food, lack of sleep, trying new things, having good attitudes, not fighting, etc, etc, so we decided to go to the Sheraton to swim.  We knew it would be very expensive, but were shocked at the price.  It cost $20 USD PER PERSON to get in.  OUCH!

I have never been to the Sheraton in Addis before - I prefer not to hang out at all of the western places and knew it was expensive.  It is just too weird to drive through extreme poverty and end up at a hotel that is nicer than most hotels at home.  However, it was decorated for Christmas so beautifully, and after the hard week we had, it was exactly what we needed.

Although we didn't love the price, the rest of the day was great.  The students joined us and were great at keeping our girls entertained in the pool so Arvid and I were actually able to hang out on a lawn chair and read.  What a treat!  The weather was perfect - about 23 and sunny, and we enjoyed every minute.  After a bite to eat there for supper (thankfully the food prices at the pool grill weren't as exorbitant as the price to swim) we came home.

Not as much to blog about this day...and that was perfect.  However, the hotel there is amazing so I'll include lots of pictures!

Some pics of the girls

One of the kids took this picture - at least our heads made it on. :-)

Such a gorgeous hotel

The view from the hotel - this area has already been quite cleaned up.

So nice here!

Celebrating Christmas...again!  These were the first nice Christmas decorations we saw...every other place has the tackiest decorations!

More hotel pics

Giant gingerbread house.  They even had photo ops with some reindeer!

Aah!  Enjoying the pool!

Such fun after spending most of the week in the car!

Beautiful pool area

Freeze tag, throwing the kids up in the air, finding things...our Canadian friends kept the girls very entertained!

Aaaah!  LOVING life!

A short rest before heading back into the pool

Such pretty flowers

Trip to Soddo - Day #2

OK, day 2 in Sodo.  We woke up very early to the Muslim call to worship, blasted from speakers at the mosque somewhere.  I don't know what time this was...5?  Very early and while it was still dark out, in any case.  I lay there for over an hour and at 6:45 it was time to get rolling again.  Oh, those early mornings are killer on vacation!

We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel (cold fir fir, cold eggs, pancakes but no syrup) and then were able to get a tour of the Soddo Christian Hospital.  This was a real treat as the girls, my mom and I had spent countless hours on a fundraiser for this hospital.  (I can't remember the exact number, but I think we baked over 60 pies and made over 60 friendship bracelets and raised $3,000).  Anyway, the person who gave us the tour is Jackie Anderson, and she and her husband were there at the start and oversaw the entire building and development of this hospital.  Not only do they provide excellent care to the people of Ethiopia, but they train local doctors as well.

The compound is beautiful - it was amazing to see the level of care they can provide, yet there is always great need there for more (used laptops, people to provide construction/electrical/plumbing work, etc.).  You can check out their website to donate to various projects or find out more information.  http://www.soddo.org/

After the brief tour we had one more visit at M's birth village.  This time it was not as stressful or emotional as the first time, but was bittersweet as we were leaving again.  It was a bit of a shorter visit, with lots of photos, and then we left to head back to Addis.

(On a side note, Soddo is much hotter than Addis.  We were dying in the sun both days there...it would have been so nice to sit by a pool or to wear shorts and a tank top, but the culture is very conservative so we had to cover up and sweltered if we were in the sun!)

Well, we left the birth village at about 12:15 or 12:30.  We figured it would be about another 6 hours to get home.  We ended up making a stop at Solomon's father's house which was somewhat on the way.  We were very happy that he had the chance to see his dad, and his parents were so hospitable and lavished us with a coffee ceremony, popcorn, pop, kolo, injera with cheese, and the best freshly made guacamole we have ever had.  The avocado was literally just taken off the tree in his front yard.

Anyway, this stop meant that we would drive home a different way.  The way down was mostly good, but a chunk of the drive had a lot of pot holes and made the road quite rough in spots, or we had to swerve a lot to avoid them.  This way home didn't have pot holes and it seemed like we were cruising along so fast, but we kept driving, and driving, and driving.  We stopped at an amazing hotel in Sashemane for a quick bathroom and coffee/pop break, then continued on driving, and driving, and driving.  The drive was fairly interesting - we drove by Lake Langano (we eat at the Langano Skies restaurant in Edmonton so it was neat to see Langano skies firsthand), and drove by the biggest greenhouses I have ever seen.  They went on for at least a kilometer wide and went on as deep as you could see.  Apparently Ethiopia is a huge exporter of flowers - I would have loved to have stopped at the greenhouse but it was getting late.

The ipods died after a few hours, it was hot, and we kept driving and driving and driving.  Thankfully Arvid had the GPS on his phone so we knew it would be awhile.  We still kept driving and driving and driving.  I mentioned before that I felt more comfortable on the roads this time around, but all of that changed the minute it turned dark.  Not only are you dealing with oncoming traffic literally coming in your lane right at you, but you're trying to avoid potholes, animals (although there were much fewer out, thank goodness), and way more trucks than during the daytime...and it's DARK!  Our driver was very safe and cautious, which I appreciated, but the trucks are big and just go and YOU have to move around them.  It was very stressful!  Not only was it crazier at night, but our speed dropped to about a third of what we were going before...which made it even longer!

Oh - I forgot to mention that we saw a busted up car in one spot (it had happened sometime before), but then came along another accident scene that looked a bit more fresh as it had tons of people around it. Solomon asked if they needed help, and what happened - it turned out that one person had died and 2 were very injured. So now we were exhausted, driving in the crazy night, and the accident scene was still fresh in our minds.

We had already been driving for over 6 hours, and now we had to deal with driving in the darkness, with nothing but a cold breakfast and some pop and granola bars all day.  I am so impressed by the kids...we were all pretty much ready to jump out of the car with exhaustion from so many days of travel, but somehow we all managed to hang in there.  We stopped for a quick bathroom break and ice cream shake/smoothie in Debre Zeit (it was so good after not having eaten all day), and continued to drive, drive, drive.  I don't know the exact time that we finally got home, but it was about 9:30.  Other than a few quick stops, we were in the car for about 9 hours.

This was probably the hardest part of our trip.  The flights were long, but we were well fed and everyone had lots of entertainment options and bathrooms available.  We weren't anticipating such a long drive home and after having spent the previous 3 days traveling long distances we were just dying to get home..  We were absolutely thrilled when we finally made it back to the guesthouse.

OK, now for some pics:

Our view from our hotel room

Part of the Soddo Christian Hospital Compound - where the missionaries live.  There are numerous doctors and families who serve here instead of amassing fortunes in the US.

Ethiopian flag - such a beautiful area!

They have tons of wards here - ICU, Emergency, Pediatric, Orthopedic, Dentistry, Maternity, etc.

One of the sick kids in the pediatric ward

A group had previously come in and painted the walls in the ward.  I would LOVE to come here on our next trip and do some work there.

The girls got to blow off some steam at the playground.

A trampoline, built into the ground...so smart!  :-)

Of the fundraising money we were able to give half to maternal benevolence (helping pregnant mothers who can't afford assistance), and the other half towards the purchase of this ambulance.  When we gave, the project still needed more funding, then it was fully funded, and here is the ambulance, ready to go!

A pretty flower outside M's birth home

Agriculture behind the house - the tall ones in the back are banana trees, in front is avocado, beans at the side, and more.

At the restaurant in Shashemene where we stopped for a quick drink.  This was a beautiful hotel and even had little monkeys climbing around the trees.

Some monkeys at the bar

In the tree

Snuggle time, dreading the rest of the way home.

Solomon, a huge help to us on our trip.  Not only did he help coordinate our trip to Soddo, but acted as our translator as well.

E, looking out the window and catching some of the sights.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the greenhouse just goes on and on.  I would LOVE to see inside.

Some cacti...we saw a lot of this on the way home.  In many areas it acted as a fence around property.  

Home sweet home.  What a lovely sight after an exhausting two days away!