I have 45 minutes until our next event so I thought I would update the blog.
The flights were pretty uneventful. We did have to change planes in Chicago due to some mechanical problem so we ended up at O'Hare for 9 hours even though it's only a 3 hour drive from Grand Rapids. Pretty frustrating. But the flight to London was good and changing terminals was quick. The delay in Chicago meant we didn't have time to go into London, but we ate and relaxed for a bit. The flight to Addis was also good. Erik got his visa quickly, I did the currency exchange and we were through customs all in about 15 minutes. Not bad.
The driver took us to the guesthouse. It is a very modern building and very comfortable. Pretty typical American style room. We landed at 7am so we were in time for breakfast at the guesthouse. The cook is amazing and brought out plate after plate of food. Fried eggs, french toast, breakfast spring rolls, coffee, juice. It was amazing and has been our routine for 3 days now.
After breakfast and a shower we wanted to see some sights, so we hired a driver to take up Mt. Entoto. That is a mountain overlooking Addis Ababa. The drive up is very steep and the road is filled with women and donkeys carrying eucalyptus branches down from the mountain for cooking. The women must have been carrying loads of firewood that weighed hundreds of pounds and walked for miles. The driver shook his head and said "Our sisters are very strong." At the top of the mountain was the former palace of the King and the old Ethiopian Orthodox Church, both dating from the late 1800s. There is also a more current church that is still used for services and a museum full of artifacts from the history of Ethiopia and the church. The guide spent several hours with us and seemed impressed that I knew a bit of Ethiopian history! There was a guestbook and we were the first American visitors in three months. For Americans the most impressive pieces may be the Olympic gold medals that Ethiopian runners have donated to the museum, including recent gold medals. Our guide said the athletes train at the top of the mountain and believed they could not have won without God so felt it appropriate to give their medals to the church museum.
At that point we were were exhausted. A 4 hour nap, then dinner at the guesthouse, then another long sleep.
At breakfast the next day we met the other two couples who are traveling with us to meet their children and go to court. It was nice to finally meet them after quite a long time in contact online. After breakfast we headed to Holt's offices to get a tour of their facilities, see what they do with family preservation and adoption, and get a short presentation on our stay and the adoption process. We were also able to see our files, which included more information about our son. That was great to see, including his birth certificate.
Just got word the coffee ceremony is about to start so I'm going to head out now. Afterwards we are doing a day trip but I will finish this tonight.
Justin
The flights were pretty uneventful. We did have to change planes in Chicago due to some mechanical problem so we ended up at O'Hare for 9 hours even though it's only a 3 hour drive from Grand Rapids. Pretty frustrating. But the flight to London was good and changing terminals was quick. The delay in Chicago meant we didn't have time to go into London, but we ate and relaxed for a bit. The flight to Addis was also good. Erik got his visa quickly, I did the currency exchange and we were through customs all in about 15 minutes. Not bad.
The driver took us to the guesthouse. It is a very modern building and very comfortable. Pretty typical American style room. We landed at 7am so we were in time for breakfast at the guesthouse. The cook is amazing and brought out plate after plate of food. Fried eggs, french toast, breakfast spring rolls, coffee, juice. It was amazing and has been our routine for 3 days now.
After breakfast and a shower we wanted to see some sights, so we hired a driver to take up Mt. Entoto. That is a mountain overlooking Addis Ababa. The drive up is very steep and the road is filled with women and donkeys carrying eucalyptus branches down from the mountain for cooking. The women must have been carrying loads of firewood that weighed hundreds of pounds and walked for miles. The driver shook his head and said "Our sisters are very strong." At the top of the mountain was the former palace of the King and the old Ethiopian Orthodox Church, both dating from the late 1800s. There is also a more current church that is still used for services and a museum full of artifacts from the history of Ethiopia and the church. The guide spent several hours with us and seemed impressed that I knew a bit of Ethiopian history! There was a guestbook and we were the first American visitors in three months. For Americans the most impressive pieces may be the Olympic gold medals that Ethiopian runners have donated to the museum, including recent gold medals. Our guide said the athletes train at the top of the mountain and believed they could not have won without God so felt it appropriate to give their medals to the church museum.
At that point we were were exhausted. A 4 hour nap, then dinner at the guesthouse, then another long sleep.
At breakfast the next day we met the other two couples who are traveling with us to meet their children and go to court. It was nice to finally meet them after quite a long time in contact online. After breakfast we headed to Holt's offices to get a tour of their facilities, see what they do with family preservation and adoption, and get a short presentation on our stay and the adoption process. We were also able to see our files, which included more information about our son. That was great to see, including his birth certificate.
Just got word the coffee ceremony is about to start so I'm going to head out now. Afterwards we are doing a day trip but I will finish this tonight.
Justin
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