First Full Day

The next morning I woke up by 7:00am and was upstairs for breakfast by 8:00 where I met Mike and Amy from Lincoln, Nebraska who were also staying at the Bejoe house. They had arrived a day before me and already had their new son Mussie, what a cutie. I would definitely like to thank Mike and Amy for allowing Mesfin and me to tag along with you guys on the many occasions during the trip. It was great to have someone so nice staying in the same house to hang around with, since I was otherwise traveling alone with Mesfin.

After breakfast Ryan and Travis arrived with Mesfin. It was amazing. He looked exactly like the pictures we had received over the past months. I felt like I already knew him although I was just now about to hold him for the first time. Mesfin and Travis had become pretty good buddies, so at first there was quite a bit of crying when I tried to hold him. Over the course of about an hour he really warmed up to me and from then on he and I did great.

At this point we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Before leaving for lunch (with Mike, Amy, and Mussie) I also met Eyasu who handled driving Mesfin and I around for the week. Eyasu was great, he made it so easy to get where we needed to go and was yet another super pleasant person to be around. I’m not sure but are you seeing a pattern here. I know its hard to believe, but this trip was filled with unbelievably nice people, I certainly hope I can somehow keep this streak going. Eyasu took us to a restaurant called the Family Restaurant, which true to its name is what you would expect it to be. It was like you took a typical family style restaurant in America and dropped it down in Addis Ababa. Later that night when I was reading though my Lonely Plant travel guide on Ethiopia, it actually had a write up on the Family Restaurant. It turns out that the owner used to be the head chef at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, so it makes perfect sense that he understood American tastes.

I think at a high level Tuesday’s activities set the tone for the remainder of the week: Eat - Adoption work – Eat – Rain – Eat. The only variation seemed to be on certain days there was more adoption work inserted and more rain inserted at different places. So for anyone traveling to Ethiopia this time of year, if no one has told you yet, it rains…. A lot…. Everyday. Bring an umbrella…. Everywhere you go.

The Trip Over - by Randy

Here are some clips from the 'story' Randy is writing to help him remember his trip.

I remember when preparing for the trip to pick up our new son in Ethiopia my feelings were a mixture of excitement and a bit of worry about how he would react to me.

On the leg from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany I sat beside a very nice gentleman on his way back to Israel after visiting his son in who lives in Atlanta. Although his English was limited it was infinitely better than my Hebrew and we chatted for hours on just about anything you can think of. He was very nice and had led quite an interesting life. From Frankfurt we flew to Khartoum, Sudan for a short stop and then on to Addis Ababa. On this leg I sat beside another very nice man from Italy who was living in Switzerland. He was on his way to work on a water project at Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

Finally, after the 21+ hour flight I was greeted happily by Hanuk and Ryan from Gladney at the Addis Ababa airport. When Hanuk asked me were I lived and I told him Atlanta, I literally burst out laughing when he said, “So how are things goin’ in the ATL!” It turns out that Hanuk lived in the US several years while he attended college in Texas, so his English and knowledge of American culture was extremely good. After driving me the short distance to the Bejoe guest house, I remember Ryan telling me that he and Travis would bring Mesfin over the next morning around 9:30. Now keep in mind its around 10pm local time, however, I was wide awake at this point and my biggest worry was over sleeping since I didn’t bring an alarm clock with me.

to be continued...

Still More

He was LOVED by his Nannies

Inside Holy Trinity Church


Rodeo Addis-Just Like Texas!


Breakfast at LaParisian (Thanks, Jess)

Random Pics

Guest House (albeit a bit blurry)


Coffee Ceremony


Crater Lake as seen from Dreamland (I believe)

These are some of the scenes in Addis Ababa and the surrounding area. Obviously, there are scenes that are not as beautiful. There are also scenes of a city being renovated as well as scenes of the beautiful people living there. I am not allowed to post pictures of children who have not been placed with their forever families but let me assure you, they are all very beautiful. The other 'people' pics will have to come later when Randy can explain who they are.

First Meeting

I'll post more adoption trip pictures on this blog. To read about our life post-placement, go to our family blog. The link is on the right hand side of the screen.

Travis bringing Mesfin to the Guest House for first meeting

Not So Happy at First

Too Tired to Fight It

Their First Dining Experience

Read about it HERE
Thanks Ryan/Amy/Mike for taking pics of them

Mission Accomplished

They are Coming Home!!!!

They got the transit visa! (Word of advice: If you are traveling alone, avoid having to go thru Frankfurt and having to get the transit visa. Not a nice process apparently)

He was able to meet with Mesfin's birth mother and several family members today. He said it went well. (As well as that kind of meeting can go) Mesfin was not very interested in going to them, which is great(for us that he is attaching to Randy) and sad(for them as they wanted to hold him one last time) at the same time. Hopefully, they feel at ease with their decision and with us as Mesfin's family. They were very interested in the pictures I sent of our family. (For future traveling families, the pictures are something both of our childrens' birth families have really appreciated) This part always makes me sad (Imagine if I were sitting right across from them, what a blubbering mess I would be). It makes me sad the someone has to 'lose' but in fact, that is what happens. We gained a son but to do that, a mother lost a child and a child lost his birth family and his culture. In the end, he gained another family and another culture. Reality is harsh sometimes.

They are heading to airport in a few hours. Randy is HOPING Mesfin sleeps the first leg of the journey and that he only has to keep him busy the last leg. *fingers crossed*

Pictures soon!!!

Forgot to mention. Apparently, Mesfin's birth father was a man, short in stature. Let's see, short and male pattern baldness. Mesfin may be more like Randy than Randy.

So Close

He's filling out the paperwork for the German Embassy. He'll be there tomorrow morning at 9am. He hopes he'll be able to go back after lunch to pick up his transit visa. *fingers crossed*

Today they went to an English speaking Evangelical Church service. He said it was great. He took some video of the children's choir. I think he said they opened up the service with "Holy, Holy, Holy".

Because it was so late when he got back from making copies of all his paperwork for his Embassy appointment tomorrow, he was not able to go back to Kolfe. Instead, he went back to the agency's baby house where Mesfin lived the past few months. He (Hopefully) took some pictures of a special little girl whose mommy and daddy are waiting. (If not, he's pretty sure Amy did. YOU know who you are) I think he also visited one of the younger kid's orphanages. (Not really sure of the proximity of everything)

He said there was a group of boys that started singing. The guards were laughing and Randy said the boys were so cute. Finally, the guards said the boys were asking for money. (it actually has something to do with the current festival that is going on) So Randy called the 'leader' over and gave him a few birr and told him to share with the other boys. So then they started singing again and he asked the guards what they were saying this time. They were singing, "Thank you, Mesfin's daddy".

It's been a great week of travel. He's met many wonderful people. He's grown to love a new culture, the culture of his 4th child. I know his desire is to maintain this connection with the people and the country, to help where he can, and to make sure Mesfin is very proud of his heritage. He is also ready to get home and spend time with the rest of his family. He wants us to meet this little guy who has already stolen his heart. Believe me, we're ready too. Ansley already wants to show him how to play with "her" toys and help me change his diapers. Judson is ready to teach him all about street signs and maps. Sawyer is just ready to be his friend. Mom is ready to have all her chicks in one nest! Soon....

DreamLand

Randy HAD to go shopping today. It was his last opportunity so he made himself go. He's a man who hates shopping. Add on to that, he had to 'haggle' and he was miserable. (you know, that I could have gotten a better price voice that nags at you) It sounded like he made several purchases. An outfit for Mesfin and Ansley. (Fingers crossed that the sizes are okay) A map for Judson. A mancala game and a few other purchases that I cannot remember. I think he was relieved to have that part behind him.

They also got Mesfin's biometric photos done for German Transit visa. He will be going to the German Embassy at 9am Monday. Say a little prayer that all goes well with the visit and the transit visa can be issued that day.

He also will get to meet Mesfin's birthmom on Monday. (if all goes well) Again, it's one of those things you WANT and NEED to do but get all nervous about too. Lots of knots in your stomach.

They went to Dreamland tonight. He said it was beautiful and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Mesfin did great too. When I was speaking to him after they returned, Mesfin crawled up beside him and started drifting off to sleep. Randy says Mesfin's personality is really shining through. (apparently, he's a lady's man!) Different from the other 3 and likely to clash with Ansley's, he said. Oh well, it'll make Ansley happy to have another cross to bear and another soul to torture.

Soon...we will have pictures of our family of 6!

Time is Moving in Slow Motion

The week is catching up with them today. They were out until 11pm last nite and today they visited 4 orphanages. So emotionally and physically, they are drained.

I knew this would happen, I knew once he visited with the older children, he'd realize we could have adopted an older (4 or 5 ish age range) child. He said, when he mentioned that very thing to Ryan, Ryan told him that's what everyone says. There are just no words or even pictures that can show how special the older children are. How sweet and well-behaved and lovable, etc, etc, etc. Ryan said if only they could bring people there BEFORE they decide the age range, they could probably get more older children adopted. That being said, they also realize that adoption is not the best long term solution for the millions of children in Ethiopia. There has to be a sustainable economy and infrastructure in place. To that end, Gladney and other groups are working on long term solutions. I just want to put out there, if you are contemplating adoption, you might want to consider if an older child (over age 4) is an option that would work for your family. Please do your research on what to expect with older child adoption, too.

Randy was really impacted by the Kolfe boys. There are officially around 130 boys living there with another 60 or so that sack out there when the sun goes down. They have done a lot of work on the dwellings but much more needs to be done. The kitchen has a pit for a wood fire over which their daily meals are made. Randy made friends with a 13-ish year old who wants to be a doctor. Biology is his favorite subject. Randy's impression was the boy's eyes were much older than his 13 years. Whether his age was off (which happens) or his eyes had lived much more than most 13 year olds should/do, is hard to know. Either way, he and all the boys made a great impression upon Randy. So much so, that Randy plans on going back to visit them on Sunday.

His other impression was that all these kids (in all the orphanages) were very good about looking out for each other. The older ones took care of the younger ones. It was just 'what they did'. At one point, Mesfin was about to fall down, one of the other children reached out and picked him up to steady him.

Oh yeah, for those traveling soon, he said it rained harder today than any other day. Water was rushing through the stores he said. He asked if this was unusual and they said, no, it happens a lot. It also hailed/sleeted for a bit too.

One more thing, the group that is there now went in together to have a party for one of the orphanages as I wrote a previous post. However, this is a fasting time in Ethiopia, so they are not able to consume meat and therefore, not able to have the party this week. They will have the party in a couple of weeks and send us pictures. Maybe some that are traveling after this group will be able to participate in the festivities, who knows. (one might wonder why my husband just told me this. Well, if you know my husband you'd know the answer. Basically, I think it was Travis that told the group about the meat prep, etc, however, Belay confirmed that they couldn't have it this week due to fasting. Just a communication glitch)

I did get to babble over the phone with my littlest guy. He says his "ma ma ma" and "ba ba ba" sounds. Heck, he may have said something in Amharic but I didn't understand. Randy says he's saying "ciao" to everyone. Guess he's ready to get home!

2nd Time is a Charm

I did get through tonite. They had a great meal and entertainment tonight. This was the traditional meal and dance ceremony night. He said the food was wonderful as was the music and dancing. He really, REALLY liked it. He even said he could live there just for the food.

Tomorrow they visit the orphanages. I'm betting that will be rather bitter-sweet.

Mesfin is doing great. Sleeping well and eating well. NOT liking baths.

Until tomorrow. (BTW, I posted the answers to people's questions on the yahoo group. If you have more questions, let me know and I'll try to get them answered.)

No Communication Today

Randy is at a Gladney function and won't be back until 11pm. Doubt I'll get to speak with him today. So for those getting ready to travel who had questions, I'll get them answered as soon as I can.

Another Day in Addis

Day 3 (or is it 2): He said he was able to take lots of pictures in the bigger kids house. (not so many in the baby house) So those who are waiting for toddlers, maybe he'll have pics of your child. I'll let you know. He had his Embassy appointment. It was fine. I think tomorrow is breakfast with all the Gladney families and off to visit a church/museum. Mesfin's visa will be ready Friday morning. He then will have to go to the German Embassy on Monday and apply for Mesfin's transit visa. There is normally a 24 hour turnaround. HOPEFULLY, he can get it sooner since his plane leaves Monday night.

The Gladney families pooled their money to have a party for one of the orphanages. While the orphanages provide for the necessities, they aren't always able to provide 'extras'. So this party will have meat (a luxury) and drinks and fruit. They were also invited to the pre-party activities. (ie: preparing the meat if you know what I mean. Approx 5 goats to feed 1 orphanage). I think the party is Friday. I do believe Randy declined the meat prep portion of the party.

That's all for today. More tomorrow.

Communication Success!

Finally was able to speak with Randy. He's doing great. He says Mesfin is warming up to him well. He started off hesitant, then moved to the 'clingy', 'Don't leave me' stage. He is now venturing off and visiting with others and coming back to make sure Randy is there. This is their first day together so that is great. He had fallen asleep on the couch after his big day. Tomorrow is the Embassy appointment and the coffee ceremony. So, another big day.

Forgot to Mention: Randy thinks Mesfin has male-pattern baldness. He has a bare spot on the back of his head. Oh well, like father like son is all I can say!

Communication Problems

Couldn't get through via telephone last nite. Today, I got this email from Randy:

"Things are going very well, very busy though. Ryan and Travis brought Me=
sfin to the guest house this morning, they have decided it is best to do it=
away from the orphanage because it a lot of people are crying it really up=
sets the child and makes things a lot harder.=A0 It has gone very well, he =
was very cautious at first and cried a little bit, but now he has really wa=
rmed up.=A0 I have him in the harness now and he just snuggles up to you.=
=A0 We went to the 'Family Restaurant', Amy and Mike wanted to go there and=
we had hamburgers and fries.=A0 It was very good and Mesfin ate french fri=
es, little pieces of hamburger, and little pieces of bun and drank water ve=
ry well out of the new sippy cups that you sent."

The Mission

One Man

Three Suitcases



His Mission



Bring Back Their Brother

Why Adopt?

I cannot say it any better than this!

GO Here and Read what I'm talking about.

Court Closed

So today's court proceedings were the last for two months. The courts in Ethiopia have closed for the rainy season. To those whose cases made it through, Congratulations! To those who are still waiting, what can I say except that I am sorry for you and your child. I'm very sad that you have to wait. I wish you peace and comfort during this time.

Jan