Hello again from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia...

Yesterday was a very exciting day for Theo and his family. We went to the orphanage in the late afternoon and gathered Feven. It was very sad for her caregivers, but happy for us. Her caregivers know that she'll be loved by family and friends. And, they are thrilled that she'll have opportunities in the United States that she might not have had in Ethiopia. More about gathering Feven and the orphanage later...

Theo is slowly getting better. After another breakfast at the hotel and some late morning rest, Theo felt well enough to agree to a trip to Ethiopia's National Museum. Along the way, to the University Neighborhood, we saw many thousands of people walking in the streets going to and from the many-colored open-front shops. There are dozens/hundreds of these open-front shops on most streets. They sell everything from bottled water to fruits, vegetables, and clothing. The colors are fabulous. Many of the buildings are built from metal sheets. They are blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and purple. It's like a rainbow of colors as you drive or walk down the street.  There were even a herd of cattle being driven right down the middle of the busy street.

Once we arrived at the national museum, we each paid 10 "birr" for admission. The birr is Ethiopia's money. It is like our dollar. Currently, every American dollar is worth about 17 birr. So, our admission price was only about 65 cents a piece. Imagine that! We saw ancient carvings and sculptures that date back to the time before the Egyptian pyramids and the pharoahs. We saw displays that described the Ethiopian monarchy. The Ethiopian kings are no more. The last king/emperor, Haille Selassie, was dethroned in 1974, but before he lost his crown, the kings of Ethiopia could trace their ancestry for over 200 generations to King Soloman of Israel and the Queen of Sheba. We learned that Africa's Rift Valley, which runs through Ethiopia from the northeast to the southwest, is felt by most anthroplogists to be the cradle of humankind. That is, we are all believed to have descended from human beings who arose for the very first time in this part of the world. We even had a chance to see the famous skeletal  remains of "Lucy." Until recently, she was the oldest known descendent of all modern humans. The Ethiopians refer to her as "Dinknesh" which means "wonderful one."

laundry at the orphanage



Theo at orphanage




 

Theo and Feven

 When we went to the orphanage later in the afternoon, we gave Feven hugs and kisses and got to tour the compound briefly before we were invited to a traditional coffee ceremony. Coffee is prepared from fresh coffee beans. A charcoal fire is made and the fresh beans are roasted on it until they begin to crackle. Sometimes, incense is burned in the charcoal to give it a pleasant scent. Frankencense is most often used. It kind of smells like Christmas at many christian churches. The roasted coffee beans are mashed in a mortar and then brewed in a clay coffeepot over the charcoal. The coffee is served in very small coffee cups and is frequently served with popcorn or kolo (barley nuts mixed with peanuts). We were lucky enough to be given both. After giving her caregivers simple presents, we said our goodbyes and drove with Feven back to our hotel. There were many tears in all of our eyes. Feven handled the situation well and only protested a few times.

We ordered dinner from a  nearby restaurant (Cafe Zola) and ate in our hotel room; spaghetti all around. Feven didn't want anything to do with the spaghetti, but she chowed down on toddler crackers, cookies, granola bars, and bananas.  After a tiny struggle with getting her sandals off and her PJs on, she watched a Baby Einstein video with great interest and then fell asleep around 9:00PM and slept almost uninterrupted until 9:30AM this morning. So, all in all, a great first night.



Theo Feven and worker for orphanage

 We went to the US Embassy today and finalized the adoption with the US government and secured her visa for entry into the US. All went well and very smoothly. We're taking it easy this afternoon and will be having dinner at our guide's home tonight. If all goes as plannned, we'll be back on our way to the US tomorrow  night. We'll try to blog again tomorrow before we leave. Thanks for following along on this adventure with us.

Theo and family.