Update

Saturday: Today was a very busy and emotional day! We started out at the CHSFS office, where groups of 3 or 4 families were meeting with their team while the others went to the care center to hang with their kids. We were among the first group. Our team was made up of Merete's social worker, nanny, nurse, doctor, and videographer. All were present while we watched his life DVD (E had to play in another room while we watched). First off, that CHSFS makes this life DVD and life book is incredible and very unusual in international adoption. They gather information about his birth place and birth family. They went videotaped the hut where he was born and where he spent the first 3 years of his life. They showed the country side and the garden. They interviewed important people in his life. At this point, if I haven't already mentioned it, I will be purposefully vague about his exact situation, which family members were available, etc. The reason for this is that it is considered his story to tell, when he is old enough and ready to do so. Anyway, it was very strange viewing this with all those other people there, but they were very respectful and did their best to give us privacy. That a child is available for adoption means that they had to experience a terribly sad event or set of circumstances. The details of this are what we watched, and needless to say it was quiet an emotional experience. It's a very "in your face" presentation of what the child and family has lost. Afterwards, we were able to ask his nanny and doctors questions. It is clear that he was very well taken care of and very loved. In fact, there have been a couple of nannies at the care center who have come up to us and said "Merete's family!!" with huge grins on their faces and a tear in their eye. His nanny was so sweet and clearly trying to hold it together. It must be so difficult for them to love them that much knowing they will all be leaving soon (though at the same time they are clearly very excited that the children have loving families). The lowdown on Merete is that he's shy and very well behaved. He sleeps well, but chats with friends if they are around when he is supposed to be down (it'll be interesting to see what kinds of chats he and E have a first!). He is a good eater but eats slowly and his favorite food in injera (yeah, that's right, the one dish I know for a fact I'm not doing correctly and don't actually like when it is correct). He's easy to sooth (well, apparently he doesn't get upset that often either). As far as health goes, he's well on the Ethiopian charts for height and weight now, and I asked his Doc for a copy of that chart to compare to the US one his pediatrician in the US is likely to use.

OK, so far our meeting was over, we found E in someone's office, playing a video game while the guy looked on. My guess is E spent most of the time describing his game and his scores to someone who knew very little English (not that that would stop him). Oh, this is also the day that the donations for CHSFS were brought in. They did that for us though, so we weren't able to see where they were going, but I know they were much appreciated!!.

On our way out, we meet the next group of families coming in, and one of the mom's mentioned that Merete was looking for us :-) So we headed over and when he saw us, he came running! Soooo freakin' cute! We took the kids out to the courtyard to play. He is getting to be an expert in blowing bubble for the other kids, and anytime another kid wanted to blow one, he dunked it
and held it out for them. Once in a while he was OK with handing it off to someone else (actually, he was only OK with that when it was me or E asking). For the other kids, he just held on tight and turned away. He also loves playing ball with E and playing with cars. At one point, many of the other children came out to play, right around the time I had brought out the paper and colors. After a while it looked like I had a little classroom of kids, all at different stages trying to make symbols and letters and showing them to me. Each time, they would say "family" and hold it out. They are so adorable!! One little girl kept taking over my lap; I think she desperately wants a new mommy! Up to that point I had only heard Merete speak in Amharic to other kids, not to us, and he hand only said "two" to me once after I counted his cars. Today he started counting crayons in English too, said "family" a million times, and even got in a few "daddy's" for Han. They left for lunch while we continued to sit outside waiting for the bus to get us. In all that time, I completely forgot that I was in the hot sun without sunscreen or shade. You can imagine what I look and feel like now (lobster just about describes it). Oh, the kids were transitioning from lunch to something else and they all walked by. Merete came running up to me and we were hugging when I realized he wasn't supposed to be with me. So I walked him over to the other group and off he went, blowing kisses to me the whole time. Yes, I know, it would be great to have pictures and video to share of all of this, but unfortunately, we aren't allowed until he's out of the care center (which is tomorrow at lunch!!, I think we'll be allowed to take pictures then).

After lunch at the guest house, we headed off to AHOPE. This is the orphanage for children who are HIV +. It is not as nice at CHSFS, but the ladies there were so sweet. It was nap time, and in two rooms we found kids in their bunks, most not sleeping at all. They were super excited to see
us, and very proud to demonstrate that they knew some English! Lots of "I'm fine", "My name is X, what is yours?", and the funniest one direct at Han: "Oh, Chinese! You know Karate??". At which point he came to find E in the next room to ask him to show off his kata for this kid. E was too shy to do so, and instead handed out candy and crayons to all the kids. They were so
very cute, each one saying "thank you" in English. They all pointed to the kids who were actually sleeping (at this point, like 3 of them) so we'd give them something too. They posed for pictures with E and exchanged names. I had to put the camera on video mode to record them 'cause there is no way for me to learn them all that quickly! We dropped off the donations you all gave us for AHOPE and they laid it all out on a table. The ladies in charge were very thankful :-) Sadly, we weren't able to stay there long. It would have been nice to play with these kids; they are so upbeat, even the ones who were clearly sick. I've heard they are having a hard time finding families for these kids, but they have adopted many!

Ok, so next was shopping. First we went to the Hilton, which is in a very fancy part of town. I mean, pretty fancy by most standards, but extravagant by Ethiopian standards. At this point I should mention that Elijah is a rock star here. Seriously, people keep going up to him, putting out their hands to shake his and then kissing it. They smile at him and ask him his name. He has not hesitated once to put our his hand or say "salem" to everyone. One man held a door open for us at the Hilton, and as I tried to squeak out "thank you" in Amharic (which of course has to be a million syllable word), he said "it's for him, he is the important one!". He was smiling, but I'm pretty sure he was serious. After visiting the fancy part of town, where everything was expensive, we drove through a section of town which seemed devoted to little shops and tents selling tons of stuff! People were everywhere. We took our usual seats at the back of the bus,
which helps with the "oh shit!" factor people in the front must be experiencing. Often we'd hear our driver honk, and then see a car, person, goat, horse, or cow dart to the side. People were so close to the van that they were literally brushing up against it as they walked on. We were dropped off at a row of shops, warned to keep our cameras and money close, and set loose with 1 hour to get all the shopping done. Instantly we were surrounded by people wanting to sell us maps, sunglasses, tissue, etc. We had to dart into shops, where of course there was additional but less intimidating shop owners trying to get our attention. We were able to find cute outfits for the kids, tons of trinkets, and some undisclosed gifts for a few lucky readers :-) Unfortunately, we didn't get all the shopping done in time, so I hope I can get a group together to get a cab and do more shopping later in the week.

Our day wasn't over yet and we headed off to dinner and a show. The restaurant seemed traditionally Ethiopian and we sat in group around a "table". This time it was buffet style, and our hostess was nice enough to fill E's plate with foods he wasn't allergic to. On one end of the restaurant, there was a band playing beautiful music and singers took turns entertaining us. Off to the side was a set-up for a traditional coffee ceremony, where a woman had some green coffee beans on a round medal pan on the fire. As we ate, dancers came out, and let me tell you, we got a true glimpse of what really "Pop and lock" dancing is all about. Two ladies and two men kept coming out in different outfits and they were amazing! I have most of it on video to show you all later. One of the guys was going around moving his shoulders up and down in a way I really can't describe. He came to our area, where E displayed his shy side and refused to dance. After dinner, the hostess came around with little pieces of rolled up paper and asked us each to take one. I must have had the magic number, because I was chosen to get a traditional dress and go make coffee for everyone! And this isn't your regular coffee either. At this point, the other woman who had been working on the coffee for a good 30 minutes already had drained the water and was moving the coffee around on the hot plate, roasting it. That was my job apparently, to keep roasting the coffee. I must have spent a good 15 minutes doing this, getting a little anxious at near the end when it was popping and seemed to burn. Apparently that was a good thing and soon I was able turn the rest of the task to the other lady and return to my seat. I didn't notice them grinding the coffee, but it came back out as espresso like liquid, which was served to us in little cups alongside a large amount of sugar. Sound familiar to anyone?? This totally reminded me of Cuban coffee (except for the intricate roasting raw beans right before you drink it part). It was excellent and I'm sure contributed to my sleeplessness this night. Well, that and the huge day we had coming up next...

Sunday: we woke up at 5, stumbled into our cloths and headed to the bus that was taking us all to Hosanna, where the birth families or other important people in our children's lives would be waiting to meet us. I think everyone was very nervous and the ride was quiet and peaceful (well, except for the "oh shit" moments). As we left the city, the true Ethiopia welcomed us. This country is absolutely beautiful!! Surprisingly green (which is why they refer to the "green famine" here), lush, with hills and mountains and interesting people walking about. Soon shacks were replaced with huts, some looking run down and some painted on the outside. Every so often we'd see countryside and well spaced huts, and then run into rows of shops and shacks, which I assume was the "center of town" by Ethiopian standards. It was at one of these little "towns" where we made a pit stop. I was busy helping E hand out "caramelo", or candy, and crayons to the kids who came running from every direction to circle E. They were very patient as he handed them out one one at time. They were all grinning at him, he was grinning at them. Eventually we ran out of crayons and he was handing out candy to the adults too. We had to get back on the bus, but all the people were hanging around, grinning at us, and waving. All for a candy and the chance to see a little light skinned boy with a big smile. Needless to say E is having a great time here! And by all accounts, he's an amazing traveler! No problems what-so-ever. Charming our fellow travelers, befriending two of the older kids (who he is always asking to play soccer with him when we get some down time) and being a wonderful example of why kids should definitely make this trip!!

So off we went again to Hosanna. I think it took 4 hours to get there. Somehow I didn't get sick at all on the way there; probably the excitement and the fact that there was so much to look at all the time. We finally arrived and sat in a room, waiting for our turn to meet our special person. Parents went and came back, all exclaiming what a truly amazing experience it was! We were the last to go, and for a while I was afraid our person hadn't come. But she did, and off we went with our map of the world and our pictures to give her. There were two translators there, one to translate from English to Amharic and another from Amharic to Tembarssa. Even if I could go into detail about this meeting, words could not possibly explain this experience. It was overwhelming and beautiful and one of the most meaningful moments of my life. Afterwards, we were allowed to take pictures with her, and of course, she was happy to meet E (who wasn't allowed in the meeting and was instead entertaining the other families with his kata). We returned to the room with the other parents and all lined up on one side. The VIPs came up and lined up at the other side. First the VIPs recited a prayer, essentially entrusting us with the care of their children. At this point, I was suddenly hit with what I initially thought was an instant infliction of one of the diseases I had chosen not to get a vaccine for. I got nauseous, shaky, and very warm. Then everything sounded like it was coming through earplugs and I couldn't see clearly. Not having every fainted before, it took me what seemed like a long time before I said to Han "I think I'm going to faint", then I sat down and started at Merete's VIP, willing myself to keep awake. She was taking her turn lighting and handing us a candle, which of course she handed to me. I must have looked like a ghost at that point, and after she turned around, Han took the candle so I wouldn't burn down the place. Thankfully this all passed as quickly as it came and I didn't faint and got up to finish the ceremony. To say this was all overwhelming is an understatement. Once we sat down again to start another coffee ceremony, I realized I had eaten practically nothing and drinking coffee right then probably wasn't the best idea. Which is why I did it anyway, because it's not every day one has an entrustment ceremony in Ethiopia! I ate some snacks on the way home, which lead to all sorts of icky motion sickness feeling for the next 4 hours!

About an hour into the ride, we stopped by the side of the road to visit someone's home. Each week, CHSFS asked one of the locals if we their group of parents can tour their home. This hut had a little side hut and a garden in the back. It is customary for the people here to keep their animals inside, although I didn't see the chicken until I walked 1 inch from it and it squawked at me! There was a pit in the center of the home for cooking, and a section on the side with some cups and a few toys. The family was there, very proud of their home. Children and people from all around came to stare at us again. E started to hand out candy, but another parent was handing out bubble and she got seriously mobbed! I had E put the candy away and head back to the bus; these folks weren't quiet as patient as many of the others had been! We made it to the bus and there appeared a man at my window (which of course I had left open, duh) and he just started at E in amazement and kept saying "hi baby". BTW, staring at people is not considered rude here! By the time we got back I was too sick to eat, but thankfully a couple hours of not
being driven around helped and I'm all better.

Tomorrow we get to visit Merete and bring him back to the house with us for lunch!! Then we visit some other CHSFS sites and a museum. Until then, "ciao" (yeah, that's right, like in Italian!).