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.

Women have 1 flaw

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.....

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in..

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their

family and friends.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Sabana Resort

We had lunch at a Beach Restaurant. It was a beautiful place the windows were opened and the view was spectacular. It looked like a Tiki Bar. There was even a tree growing in the center of the restaurant. Again with the food, Bill and Gretchen had kabobs and a dessert called Carmel cream. I had grilled chicken and Carmel cream. Actually Bill had a vanilla ice cream cone, boy was he daring. After lunch we walked down, down, down, down to the beach. I was going to count the steps on the way back up and I started to but by the time I reached a 100 I was more concerned in getting to the top than the number. I pushed my self too hard and if I didn't blow out the stents in the airport I am sure that I did on those steps. The beach area was very hot, the sand looked like tiny lava rocks, dark grey in color. The water was like fairly warm bath water and brown in color. But it was beautiful. In the distance were mountains. We sat at a table under a huge tree and rested for a while before heading up the cliff/steps and back to the van. While we were eating near us there was a table of American adults and Ethiopian boys. They went down to the beach too and enjoyed splashing in the water. It started to thunder and we headed back to the van. When we got back to the parking lot they were there too and we talked to them for a bit. There were 7 boys ages 8 to 17 1/2, one set of twins. The adults that were with them were sponsoring these boys and were taking them on a vacation. They were a part of a group from the US that sponsor many children, sending them through school, providing food and clothing, etc. Most of the boys were straight A students. In April this US based group will be adding a new house and will be able to serve another 100 children. On the way out of the Resort to the main road we raced, first us ahead, then them in 1st place, then us again. We thought that everyone was having fun but the other driver not Abeselom, got mad and basically cussed out our driver and gave him the HAND. People in the US give others the finger, in Ethiopia they use the whole hand in a exaggerated upward thrust, hanging halfway out of the drivers side window while doing so. This gesture was very common in Addis among drivers, when you got cut off or someone did a u turn. The little children were still trying to sell us things on the way out. Abeselom talked to them, we shut the windows, which was hard they are so needy but we were told not to give them anything. They didn't like what Abeselom said and one little girl cussed him out in Amheric and hit the back of the van. We have a very good driver, Abeselom, and so far we haven't had a fender bender, it seems funny to say that now that we are home, I'll tell that story later. He did pass another vehicle on a 2 land road at the top of a very steep hill, G and I caught our breaths, but we got around it just in time. Of course we had seen this happen with other drivers many, many times. He drives the speed that everyone else does, whipping in and out of traffic to get there as fast as possible. I think I told this story before but here it is again. Yohanna will have to get used to no horn honking in the US at least not like it is in Ethiopia. Most kids say vroom, vroom when they drive their toy cars, Ethiopian kids say beep, beep.

After thought. When we got into the van at our guest house we each had a small bag. Able and the driver asked "Is that all?" Emily and Terri had large suitcases on the top of the van and they were very heavy, full of donations. Emily commented that they liked us better because we traveled light. Sorry E and T but thanks for what you took to the orphanage.

Off the record

This isn't a usual blog entry for me. Yesterday I got my so called pink slip from ROWVA. That is I had to sign a paper that I understood that they were RIFFING me. Today there was a pink slip in the mail for the official letter and another letter that said the same thing that I signed yesterday. Three ZAPS in less that two days. (I knew they were coming but it's one thing to know and another to have it in hand) One was bad enough. I'm really not sure why my signature yesterday wasn't good enough. I know that we, members of the union, were suppose to show up at the board meeting on Monday but why would I want to pour hot wax on something that was already burnt. Sitting there and hearing them read off my name and many of my friends who will not have a job in the fall. It is hard to believe that we live in a state that doesn't see the impact that these educational cuts will have on our children in the future. I am not pleading for my job

(well I guess I am) but for our kids. The state legislature members are worried about being reelected in the fall if they instate an income tax but I think they should be worried about being reelected if they don't do something about the cuts that they are instituting. It's time to stop blaming the other guy and insure that our kids have a chance at the best future that they can possibly imagine. I think there is a SOS (Save Our School) trip on the 24th of April if you are interested look into it. (there is a poster on the bulletin board by the copy machine)

On our Way to Awasa

Yohanna was up 3 times during the night. She was so congested and no bulb snot puller. Bill finally figured out that they could use an eyedropper of course she hated it but felt better afterward. We all got up and to ready to go to Awasa. Poptart for me again, G and B had nothing. We were ready for a 5 hour van ride with Emily, Terri, Elliott and a new guide, same driver. We will stay 2 nights in a hotel and will see her finding place and maybe meet the person who found her. Abel came early, he's not going with us I am sad. He and Bill went to the bank and got money exchanged. Terri and Mahi, our new guide, a little size 0 thing, went to the market to get baby wipes and diapers, Elliott is having diaper issues. Now we are running an hour late. We went to Shalom Transition house to drop off Yohanna. G and B decided to leave her there because of unknown conditions in Awasa and how many shots, etc that she has had and malaria. I went in with Gretchen, she handed Y over to a nanny, kissed her goodbye and was out the door in a matter of seconds. It was pretty tuff on G. Bill and I comforted her in the van and she slept most of the way to our first stop at the Beach side resort.

We drove about 4 hours through the country that we normally think of when we think about Ethiopia. Passing many, many mud huts with grass roofs. Some had mud sides and others had grass, or wood sides. The well to do, and that isn't saying that they were really well to do, had corrugated tin roofs. People walked along the road, 2 lanes very new and well maintained. Constantly there were animals grazing and seemingly alone. Lots of unused land, our guide says it belongs to the government, it is just grass. We did see some tilled ground, she said that they raised grain and had just had their harvest. We saw piles of straw outside houses, they use it on the floors. The stacks were huge and almost perfectly round.

We saw very few children on the streets of Addis, probably they were in school, but here, what looked like 5 years olds were in charge of a herd of goats or cattle. The cattle here look like Burmese. They just cross the road where ever they want. in one town a goat just laid in the middle of the road and never moved even with horns honking and cars zooming by. It was still cool this morning and it rained on us.

Gretchen slept quite a bit of the time and so did Elliott, the baby. There are termite mounds the size of an overhead fuel tank. People carried wood bundles on their backs probably 10 foot around and up to 12 foot long. Several children are wearing just shirts, often 2 shirts and no pants. No shoes just barefoot.

We drove by several greenhouses and flower markets. The flower markets were at least a mile long, ferns, yucca, flowering seedlings. The greenhouses would have covered the same area that Williamsfield covers or more. If people didn't walk to work there they rode bikes, you could see them lined up outside the buildings.

There were lots of Bonsai looking trees and mountains in the distance. The road was very smooth. The families before said the travel was hard and ruff, but really it was pleasant, except for sitting to long with not much leg room. 2 wheel carts and people pulling them could be seen along the road. the carried everything from food to people to even animals. One cow was strapped down to one of the carts. We went around the corner and there was a truck full of camels, they were all laying down and all you could see was their heads, there was 19 to 20 in the back of one truck.

Many goods were just sitting along the roads. Charcoal, potatoes, wood and hand crafted items. There was a little harvesting being done but the guide wasn't sure what it was they were harvesting. There were LARGE mud puddles along side the road where animals were drinking and people were washing their clothing,. Kids were waving at us, one little boy was blowing kisses. Babies were in carriers on the backs of their moms. Burlap bags full of produce were carried on their heads. People were almost bent in half carrying bundles of something.

About this time we had enjoyed the smoothness of the road but it was time for lunch and we left the main road. WHAT A MESS. Potholes as big as the van. Along the main road no one came up to the van probably because we were going to fast but here everyone came up to the van. Children trying to sell us carved incense burners or wood cars. Chasing us and waving. The house here were more tin roofed. There were buildings that were large poles fixed in the ground with a door and a roof, I think that they were a barn/corral. Enough to keep the animals in and safe from wildlife but open enough for air. The poles looked like the ones that the scaffolding in Addis was made with.

The next post will be from 23 pages of my journal so far I have made it to page 42. So you can tell that this day is very important to us. This is the day that we visited the orphanage where Yohanna was brought after being found in the street. I'm tired now but will begin soon.

Now to finish up Thursday Feb. 11th

Packed my bag for Awasa. When we got back to the guest house we were discussing the day and Gretchen described her experience with the bathroom at the museum. Sorry I had to write about it G and B, it was just too funny and takes up 2 pages in my journal. If you know my children you will know that they are prone to problems with upset stomachs and running to the bathroom, usually on a dead run. We were on the second floor of the museum and G asked Abel if there was a bathroom to use. He took her down stairs and outside as the rest of us continued to tour the museum. The restroom if you could call it that was a tin shed near the fence outside the museum. When you entered there was no outside door to close and of course like most of the restrooms here it is coed. The men's stall on the left and the woman's on the right. Again no door. No toilet either. Just a hole in the floor with a water hose running water on the floor to wash everything away, yeah right. There was no toilet paper either. No backpack, no baby wipes, no napkins, nothing. And to make matters worse Yohanna was with her in a front pouch. Now that was a feat trying to go to the bathroom, by holding yourself up, leaning on the wall, disgusting, squishing the baby, and nothing to wipe with. 1st G thought about using a sock but then she'd look pretty dumb running around with one sock and that was sure to grab someones attention, with need for explanation. So G decided her underwear was the best choice, at least no one would see that that was gone. Now came the test of taking off her shoes, socks, underwear and capris. This in as few seconds as possible to get the deed done before anyone else happened to walk into the building. G stuffed her socks in her shoes, stripped from the waist down and squatted. Scrunching Yohanna in the process, now not only did G have to worry about someone coming in to use the restroom but someone might come to find out why a baby was crying her eyes out. At last finished she returned to the group shaking her head as she went. Emily asked if there was a place in the restroom to change the baby. Are you kidding? No. G later remarked to B and I. "I might be short on underwear but better to wipe than not to wipe."

Later we visited with Greta the German lady, who was interested in the adoption process. We had spaghetti at the guest house, Drew a friend loved it when he was there, it was a very sweet sauce, tomatoes and onions. Pretty good. The Italian gentlemen had eggs and Ethiopian food. Panjera, the pancake stuff you use as silverware. It's interesting to listen to them talk. The sounds here are different, the water pump runs often and it has a whistle sound.

There we go Thursday is finished. On to Awasa tomorrow.