Still on the way to Awasa

There were schools and colleges along the way. But you can't see much because of the metal fences. One town we went through had a crude drainage system, a cement ditch, very deep on each side of the street. And every once in a while there were little bridges for people and animals to cross over safely, did I say safely, sometimes it was rotten planks, not so safe. I most likely was their sewer system. They have large grain bins here to store grain in, kind of like the ones ones in Galesburg near the railroad tracks.

After leaving the Resort it was 75 minutes before we entered Awasa. There was a rope across the road. Their kind of barricade, a customs check. Our driver just went around. A little farther down there was a police check and our driver was pulled over. We all made jokes about there being a "Problem", yesterday Terri took a picture of the Ethiopian FBI before our driver could tell us no. Maybe they were just catching up with us. They just checked documents and let us go on. There are a few places that you can't take pictures the FBI,or it's equivalent, No military compounds, and the Prime Ministers compound or the Embassy.

We met 2 men standing in the middle of a very busy road that were waiting for us. One gentleman walked on while the other tried to slip in the front seat with Mahi. The driver made one of them get in the back . So of course Mahi climbed back with us and we drove on for a short, very short distance, maybe a block. This was the Orphanage, another gated area, this time the gatekeeper had on a uniform. Gretchen was able to use the camcorder. Bill had charged it up. We stood and took pictures for a few minutes. They took us to the front boor where 3 posters hung of people who had come to get their children. We changed our shoes, they had to come up with more crocs for us and we entered the day room. The transitional house in Addis was very, very clean. This place was ok but you could tell that they weren't able to keep the building up as well or as clean. There were children mostly boys from the age of 18 months to 8 years sitting in a row of Barbie lawn chairs against the wall. When we walked in they all stood up and said hello, with a small bow. Across and down the hall were 2 infant rooms and a toddler room. They showed us the crib that Yohanna had had, in the corner and Elliott's bed was there too. The staff was wonderful. In the second infant room there were several babies, two that were sooooo tiny that it got to Gretchen because they looked very much like Yohanna would have when she came to the orphanage. Gretchen left the room in a big hurry, in tears. I took pictures of the two babies and even held one of their hands in mine and photographed that. I was afraid to even touch the other tiny angel, she was sooooo small, such shallow breathing, if I touched her would I hurt her. ( Come to find out after we got home one of Gretchen's friends received a referral for the baby that I had held hands with, Gretchen sent her that picture, I only wish I would have taken more) The toddler room across the hall had several beds side by side, some bunk beds all brightly colored. That is one thing about this place, this land, they may not have much but there is so much color. Things are painted in not just one color but many and the colors are deep and rich.

The House Manager Abraham, guided us to the office and they pulled up pictures of Yohanna, ones that we had never seen before. I didn't go in, didn't think it was my place and they were suppose to save them on a flash drive. Well it didn't work but Gretchen has some on the video.

I have yet to see them, G says Yohanna was skeletal, Her head and body nothing but bones. There was a bar of soap laying next to her and she was only twice it's size. They presented G and B with the towel that they found Yohanna in. Back at the hotel we looked at it. It was filthy and smelly and looked like the bath towels that you put on a young child that has the little wash cloth corner. That was it, that was all that protected her from the sun, the insects, the world. Later at supper Mahi said that it was a true miracle that Yohanna lived. IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to the orphanage. We were graced with a coffee ceremony: lightly sweetened popcorn, very dark coffee with lots of sugar. The popcorn wasn't quite kettle corn, not as sweet. They cooked the coffee over an open fire in the breeze way. The metal tea pot they heated up on the coals was like one of our regular tea pots here, not too large, not too small , just right, middle size. Into this pot they put 12 1/4 cup scoops of coffee grounds. Then let it simmer over the fire. There were several women helping serve and one came out with a bowl of soapy water and rinsed all the cups and put them back on the tray, never drying them, readying them to have coffee poured into them. The cups were the size that you would play tea with your little girl. They thought it was funny that in my whole lifetime I had only had 2 cups of coffee and this was #2. The other was at the Ethiopian Restaurant in Indianapolis, just a few months before. The only way to get through the thick coffee was with sugar, plenty of it. Half way through the cup you had to stir it again or you'd have to eat it with a spoon out of the bottom of the up. Caffeine fix for three days at least.

We took lots of pictures while G and B talked to the man who gave YoYo her first assessment. He flirted with Elliott and she flirted back with him. Elliott had been there several months, she is 8 months old now, and usually she talks and talks and talks, you know babble, she will be a champion debater or something but while we were there she was silent and wide eyed. I finally took her and we wandered around the compound looking at the flowers and things.

At the coffee ceremony they asked Gretchen to pray, tuff call for someone overwhelmed by the surroundings and stimuli. Emily and Gretchen went back into the home to find the children who's parents requested photos of and to give them kisses and hugs. Terri handed out suckers.

A little 4 year old who looks 2 1/2 was very shy and hadn't been there very long and didn't know any of the language. He folks in the states wanted pictures and so they tried. I took pictures of the doors, halls, where they wash and dry the clothing, a small garden along the wall that maybe had something like broccoli or cauliflower growing there. There was another building, I think might have been a type of gym, we could hear children playing inside. There was a small kitchen inside the building but also a cooking open area in another building where they also heat up water for washing clothing. The smoke was rolling out from under the rafters, no chimney.

When we went to leave we had to put our shoes back on again. G asked one of the little boys if she could take his picture, he had an Obama t shirt on, with short sleeve shirt over the top. He was very pleased to get his picture taken and straightened up his hair, shirt and pants so he would look good for the picture.

Funny thing there was a beer calendar in the main room. Along with pictures of Christ and a poster of children who had left there and another poster of the children who were sponsored students. They showed off for us while they were there, writing and doing math problems. One child had beautiful handwriting. Another boy was trying to impress us with math problems. I read one. 20 divided by 20 is 0, he was in a hurry to show us he could get done first.

Some of the last pictures I took there were of the kids out on the porch, you can see that the building is crumbling around them. There was a beautiful flower garden in front of the building, with a large Persian rug . They sun the babies for 15 minutes a day, naked.

My journal entries are a little boggled here. I thought of things during and after we were at the hotel, I hope you can keep up.

It's time for bed, good night my precious Ethiopian Princess and her sisters and brothers that we left behind.