Ethiopia Trip One: Experiencing Ethiopia

Sunday was our second day in Ethiopia, and it did not disappoint! We were excited because several families came in the night before and were having their "gotcha day" that day. We got to ride on the bus with these four families and take pictures and video for them. They were all getting children who were over a year old, so they recognized their parents! It was unbelievably sweet.

AGCI Families at the hotel

Waiting to go in the gates to get their children!

We  immediately spotted Israel sunbathing outside with all of the babies, and scooped him up! He was so tiny and precious as ever!

We had to meet with one of the office workers, Tsiege, for our "orientation" to Ethiopia and to finish some paperwork. She also converted some of our dollars to birr for us. (It is 17.3 birr to $1). Almaz came in to meet with us, and it was great to chat with her for a while. She explained a bit more of what to expect in court tomorrow, and what the process looks like after court. She was optimistic about our timeline.

Almaz talking to Israel

We got to spend just a little more time with Israel, but all too soon it was naptime! We held him while he slept, and he took another bottle. We soon found out that whenever any baby cries, a bottle soon appears to comfort him!

Will and I took turns holding Israel while he slept. He has the cutest expressions while he sleeps- his mouth is open and he keeps his eyes cracked open. You can see his eyes moving while he is dreaming.

 

 

At 12:30, the driver Wass came to get us, even though Israel wasn't awake. We were bummed, but we knew that we needed to take advantage of our free time in Ethiopia to explore too. We went back to the hotel and ate lunch with one of the other AGCI dads. One of the taxi drivers in front of the hotel, Sesay, agreed to take us around Addis for $15 per hour. We brought our own reusable bags and headed out to explore the city. We had an idea of places that we wanted to see, but Sesay wasn't sure where all of them were. Still, we were given a great tour and went in a few shops.

Sesay was so kind to us. He listened to a Dolly Parton cd on repeat for the 2 hours that we toured- so we heard the same 5 songs over and over. It was pretty hilarious! It was unbelievable driving around Addis. It is such a beautiful, colorful city. Because it was Sunday, the traffic wasn't too bad and there weren't that many people around the shops. Our driver recommended that we barter with the shop owners, and to "never take full price in Ethiopia"- hah!

Sesay!

Our loot from the first day of shopping!

We had to get back around 4 so we could get ready and rest for our Cultural Dinner. Wass took us to Yode Abyssina, a popular tourist stop and a scheduled dinner for all AGCI first trip families. It was just us three at dinner, but we had a lot of fun!

Washing our hands

We were served traditional Ethiopian food, then had coffee and popcorn. There was a show with traditional dancing and Will even got pulled up to the stage to join in on the fun!

We laughed a lot, but I even teared up a few times- just so thankful to be in Ethiopia and so in awe of the beautiful culture of Ethiopia. I had been in love with Ethiopia before, but now we are SO SO in love with it, So thankful to be there and to have seen firsthand the country that our son is from. It is such a privilege to adopt from Ethiopia, WE are the blessed ones here.