Ethiopia: Day 6

Friday January 8

This morning first thing we ventured to the Dutch Embassy in order to get Isaac a transit visa after being told multiple times that we needed one. We'd also been told it was going to take 3 days, so Fikker was telling us on the way "Be adamant that you need it today. Tell them you're leaving tomorrow. No other Embassies take more than one day, especially on Fridays." Anyway, we got there, waited in line for 15 minutes or so while filling out the visa application, and then since he didn't have official business there, we had to leave Fikker outside and head on alone. There were no other people there waiting to be helped, so we walked right up , handed our papers through the slot. She looked at his passport for 2 seconds, and told we didn't need one because he was on an immigration visa. Yay! So were back at the van about 1.5 minutes later, and I think Fikker was alarmed to see us back so soon, like something must have gone quite wrong, but he was relieved that everything was fine, and we were done already. Good start to the day. :)

Then, since we had lots of free time, we went to the Hilton and got to use the internet for bit. John was trying to get checked in for our flights, but it was too early. I learned it's very difficult to type efficiently with a 2 year old on your lap. Haha.

This afternoon we went shopping briefly so that we could bring donations of formula to Isaac Tamirat's original orphanage, Enat Alem. Enat Alem was quite eye-opening. I believe the head lady said they have 72 babies right now. Turns out Isaac and another one of the CHI babies being picked up right now were next-bed neighbors during their time there. :) Isaac's nanny scooped him up right away and was excited to see him, but I don't think he remembered her. They did have a set of twin girls there, and lots and lots of cutie pie babies. I could have taken many of them home! (Not all, only because I don't have that many arms.) We were able to take pictures of these babies, so we have pics and video of the rooms more than at the HOH, where photography without any babies was hard, since there were babies all over the place. (There are 63 kids at the HOH now, and I think all but 3 or 4 have homes, according to what another of the CHI moms heard somewhere along the line.) I should have asked how many of these babies at Enat Alem would be adopted out or what would happen to them, but I didn't think of it when I was there. Generally, the conditions were good, tho. I mean, it was actually not bad, and was much better than I expected. It was quite clean, and the babies seemed pretty healthy. Just lots of little beds with little babies, all with no mommies and daddies to take care of them.

After Enat we went to Mount Entoto. There is a lookout there, where you can see the city, and a museum of Emperor Menelik and his wife Empress Titu. There is also the palace where they lived, and the oldest church in Addis Ababa, which is an eastern Orthodox church. I have pictures of all those. Fikker was again a wonderful guide, telling us about the history, and as usual, I forgot most of it already. Along the way there were all kinds of ladies carrying huge parcels of firewood on their backs. They looked so heavy! Some of the ladies were very old, and some quite young. They had these resting posts along the way where they could lean back and rest their backs for a while, with their parcels on the wall. Apparently this is traditionally a job for women to carry firewood down the mountain. It seemed like very hard work to me.

The people of Ethiopia are exceptionally clean, despite the smog and dirt. With the exception of possibly their shoes (which one could get shined just about anywhere), they are invariably well-dressed and clean. We've seen some very ornate hair-dos too, almost like basket-weaving reeds braided through. People walk most of the places, and the streets are always bustling with people and cars. If I had to describe the traffic, I'd say “willy-nilly.” They just sort of weave in and out and around each other and honk a lot. But there are very few accidents, so for the most part, people are patient with each other. The other most popular form of transportation besides walking is the buses. Mostly like blue vans, they are often packed full of as many people as it can hold. We've gotten a lot of waves. One of the CHI dads apparently looks like Wayne Rooney, from the Manchester Soccer team. I don't know what Rooney looks like, (neither does his alleged look-alike) but several people have come up to him, one even shaking his hand in awe, thinking he is this Rooney fella, which is pretty fun. Maybe I should get his autograph. :)

Isaac and his Enat Alem nanny

The building where he lived.

The Eastern Orthodox Church- oldest church in Addis

Carrying firewood bundles.

Mostly because I was curious- Wayne Rooney.

Shave your beard, Richard, and this would be you!

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:31