Day 1 – Addis

This morning we woke and had a nice light breakfast at the guest house and I enjoyed a lukewarm bath of 5” depth and when I adjusted the water I noticed that it gave me a nice little shock…probably from the hot water heater not being grounded properly. These are the simple little surprises of life in Ethiopia! Our driver met us at 9:30am and we headed out to accomplish our goals. We stopped at Bethazhata orphanage to pay a visit to two children who are waiting for their court date in October for an adoptive family. I got some photos and some kisses and traced their feet so the mom and dad would know what size shoes to bring. Fun stuff. Then we went to lunch and ate while we tried not to watch the very provocative TV program and videos that were playing. Sometimes in their efforts to be “modern”, the very ugly side of American culture is shown on television here in Ethiopia…I really hate that. We then headed to a project aimed at employing blind men and women to make rugs and brooms and brushes so that they can be off the streets. After this, we made a few phone calls and then stopped in to visit Dr. John, a veterinarian working in Mekelle that had recently had surgery. After that visit, we headed to the Ethiopian airlines office where I was propositioned by two not very nice looking young guys. I was thankful for my taxi driver being close at hand so I could immediately retreat to his car and roll up the window as the one guy tried desperately to convince me, “I’m not sleazy you know…but I like your soft hair!” Nice. Always an adventure. Unfortunately, we had to go to a different office with less of a line (and in a better part of town) and then had to wait about 45 minutes to confirm my flight for 6:30am tomorrow morning. That means I get to leave at 4:50am to go to the airport. Despite my long flight, and the change in schedule, I managed to stay alert enough today until sitting in the lobby of Ethiopian airlines waiting for my number to be called. I got a little sleepy and then a little goofy with my friend Laura. We realized very quickly that the guard did not have a sense of humor. Oh well. After that, we headed to the guest house to unwind then headed out to a café up the road for a burger and their new “wireless internet” . I have to see it to believe it! I guess if you are reading this, you know it was successful. Hoping for a good night’s sleep tonight!