Gary's Journal Entry

Feb.13th/2011

Today I think we are going to enter into somewhat of a normal routine. Night before last we went to bed at midnight and got up at 4:30 am. Last night we went to bed at 7:30 and got up again at 4:30 am but we both feel rested.

The flight went well/ The kids got along great considering we spent 28 hours of travelling since arriving at the Winnipeg airport. On the flight here I was waiting for the reality of what we were doing to kick in but it didn't. Even on the flight to Addis Ababa things seemed fairly normal. I was surprised that the flight consisted of about 90% caucasian.

A bit of the reality set in when we stepped outside of the Addis airport and I felt the warmth and smelt the unfamiliar smell (not bad, just different) of another country. I am anticipating the full reality to kick in when we finally meet Sitina.

Our guesthouse is great! It satisfies all our need and feels very safe and homie. A lot of shops and restaurants close by. We had two amazing Mocciatos and two pop for $1.20 US. Our street is very easy to find because they pile all the goat skins and hoofs at the end of it.

Night time consists of the rounds of dogs barking and Muslim prayers being prayed from a loud speakerfrom a mosque about 6 blocks away. There are obviously no noise restriction by laws here.

The people here seem very nice and respectful. Sometimes people come up asing for money but not often. I would have handed money out if I was not warned about swarming before hand. A lot of people seem to just keep busy visiting and hanging out with friends. There does not seem to be very many options for employment other goat herders, shop keepers, taxi drivers,  & soda pop carriers(looks unbelievably hard).

It is hard to remember names and phrases but I am sure that will come. Wesley is good to learn phrases with me. The kids seem to really like it here and for that I am very thankful. I am excited to see what God is going to do with all of us through this experience. I truly believe He is going to do something great!

Trisha's Journal Entry

Day 1 in Addis Ababa/ Feb.12/2011 (Trisha's Journal Entry)

We woke for the day at 5:00am. Only went to bed at 12 am. Felt rested. I figured I had better start unpacking all of our bags and try to get this mess tidied up.

The rooms are great. Ours is large with many windows and two sittings chairs. There is also a double bed in another room with a door attached to a patio. The patio is great! A wonderful view...maybe of Ontoto Mountain??? The last bedroom has a single bed. I really am thinking that the guesthouse will be good for us. It has a very homy feeling.

Breakfast was great. The eggs are lovely. Wesley really liked the toast. There is a type of porridge that is very good as well. The coffee was delicious! Yumm.

I seen some mangoes at the market today. I will have to buy some soon. They look very good.

We are having issues with the internet here. Dial up... I went to an internet shop and paid $3.60 Birr (.23 US) for 18 minutes of high speed. It was great. :) I was able to send an e-mail to Robin to let everyone know that we are here and okay.

We ventured out for a couple walks near the guesthouse to see what is around here. We were very happy to find many shops and services in this area. One of which was a cafe with the best coffee both Gary and I have EVER tasted. Mocciato, $5.50 Birr (.33 US) each. So cheap. And fancy. For two bottles of pop and 2 machitos it cost us $19.50 Birr ($1.20 US). Crazy.

The people at the guesthouse(GH) are so sweet. The owner and her husband are both Christians. Gary has already been asked to preach!

The kids are great. They have already made friends with two children that live in the other Ethio GH behind ours. They play outside on the concrete slab. Soccer and basketball (without a hoop, only a clothes line).

The people who work here are so kind and helpful. We really need to learn some of the language ...

Caleb has a hard time with the smells of the city at night. It is quite strong. I look forward to not noticing it. He woke early this morning complaining (4am) of the strong smell. I then tried to explain that the altitude combined with so many people cooking on outdoor coal stoves gets pretty smokey. I do hope we get used to this pretty soon.

Court date is coming soon. 3 more days... I am fighting being too scared about the ordeal... I need to trust the Lord...

Dear Sitina

Feb, 10^th/2011/Toronto

Dear Sitina,

As I sit here in Toronto airport and wait to board our flight to Frankfurt, Germany I ponder the steps closer I am taking to you! Every flight we board brings us that much closer to seeing you.

I was looking at a sweet little baby while we were checking into our flight and began to tear up even thinking about how beautiful you are. We are so excited to see you, to hold you and for you to begin the process of you loving us. How exciting!!!

Love,

Your Mommy

One week from today!

Time is going fast now.  It was dragging on fairly slowly but as our wait draws to an end the time is quickly getting filled with things to do.  The packing is going well.  Seven suitcases packed so far but hardly any clothes included.  I was a bit worried until yesterday.  I was chatting with another adoptive mom that just returned from Addis and she mentioned how hard it was to pack.  They were only allowed 4 suitcases with two traveling and 3 1/2 of the 4 were jammed with baby gear!  She said they basically went with the clothes on their backs!  LOL!  Okay, we aren't that bad... We are allowed quite a bit more with 5 of us traveling which certainly helps but honestly I feel bad for the people picking us up at the airport in Ethiopia.  5 people, 10 suitcases  & 5 carry-on bags... yikes.  I actually just e-mailed the guesthouse tonight to warn them.
Please pray for the court hearing- that we will pass on the 16th. What a day that would be!  To pass court and meet our sweet little baby for the first time. Guys, I can hardly contain myself.  It is so close!  PLEASE PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!