A new day

Busy day. Ashe woke me up at 7 a.m. He was leaning over the crib looking at I. saying "baba, baba" (Amharic meaning is Father). I fed him a bottle. It was so amazing to wake up to his voice. I heard all his little noises in the night though he slept very good. When he's ready he sleeps really well. We on the other hand did not sleep well, again. I woke up at 11:30 and couldn't sleep again until 2. I. woke around 1:30 was awake for several hours. We got up when Ashe did because we knew we had a lot to do before Jonathan arrived to take us sight-seeing. As I had treated us all for scabies, we needed to now wash off the cream. We had to do Ashe's bath in the sink since the hot water in our bath was not working. He did well but was very wiggly. I also treated him with lice shampoo though I am not sure he has it. I don't want to take a chance. I took a hot shower in the 2nd bathroom while the boys went to get breakfast. The shower in this bathroom was much smaller and just consisted of a small space a bit lower than the rest of the floor with a drain, no curtain. Also, the window was open and mosquitos were everywhere. I took my shower as quick as I could and then tried my best to mop up the 2 inches of water on the floor.

I. and Ashe returned from breakfast and I. had news. Ashe was pulling up on everything and begging for cereal. We had no idea he was there yet. There will be little use for a lot of the stuff I bought not knowing his age or stage of development. Oh well, we will save it for the next one. We didn't have any cereal so we had to borrow some. We would need to find sometime and somewhere to buy some and the formula that he was used to at the orphanage. Not sure where that will happen.

Jonathan showed up and we got a taxi. Our taxi driver attended everything with us. This was a little weird to us but seemed normal to Jonathan and his cousin. He stayed with us for over 3 hours. He took us to the church de Selassie. It is a church that former Emperor Selassie had built. It was very interesting. The churches here are mostly Ethiopian Orthodox. It is very formal like that of the Catholics. They have very fancy buildings and many traditions. They also hold many of the same beliefs though I don't know specifics. The Orthodox church is set up like the Tabernacle of Moses' time with 3 sections, including the Holy of Holies. The church was very busy when we arrived and we soon discovered that there was a funeral going on. It was incredibly humbling to watch the crowd in their mourning. We were told that we would have to pay a fee to take pictures so we went with someone to a little building outside and paid money. This ended up giving up a tour of the church, the church museum, and liberty to take photos and video within the church.

We did the museum first. It was full of religious and historical artifacts donated by Selassie. There were crowns, Hebrew and Arabic bibles, gold crosses, and vestments. The guide was like something out of a movie, exactly what one would picture a historian to look like. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed here. We moved to the church and had a new guide. He spoke very good, but very very fast English. It was difficult to keep up. The church was beautiful and ornate. Inside were the tombs of Emperor Selassie and his wife and their thrones. We were told we could come back for a mass but only if we were wearing appropriate attire. As we were leaving the priest who had not helped or spoken one word to us asked I. for money. So we gave it. What can you do?

Next they wanted to stop at the National Museum. I had heard a lot about the museum and did want to see it. However, I was exhausted at this point. I carried K in the sling the entire time. I was really surprised how ergonomical it was. I didn't start hurting until much later than I thought I would. But we pressed on, this time I let I. take over holding the baby. We paid our entry fee which was more than that of the Ethiopians, including Jonathan who they didn't know is really an American citizen. We found out later the Dutch couple that came in after us was charged a whole lot more as they were not with Ethiopians who would question it. We were so lucky! The museum houses Lucy, the neanderthal skeleton thought to be the first human skeleton found. It also contains many pre-Axum relics, fossils, and much information on the origin of mankind. It is a rather small museum however. The tour was very long and somewhat boring but still worth it.

When we finally returned to the room, we let Ashe down to play. I. took a nap while Ashe and I played. He started out on the bed but then kept crawling towards Daddy. I would pull him away so as not to wake I. up, Ashe would grin and immediately start crawling back. It was quite a game to him. I finally pulled him away and let him play in his crib and suitcase. The floors were all tile and I was wary about letting him play on the floor for fear of uncleanliness and taking a hard fall. It was very difficult to entertain him without floor play. He eventually got sleepy so he took a nap along with us. After we changed a very messy diaper. He continued to have digestinal problems until we got home. We think it had to do with the change in formula. We were never able to find the formula he had been given so just gave him what we brought from America. I guess the change had to come at some point but there were some very inopportune moments. Also, he is incredibly difficult to change. He does not like to stay still. This has gotten somewhat better since we arrived home but was and can be WWF to change the kid.

After our nap, Jonathan was off again, ready to take us to his cousin's family's house for dinner. I was very interested in being a guest in someone's home and experiencing all that meant, but I was worried about how Ashe would do and the food. We were very much cautioned about what we should eat while in Africa. It was never a problem at the guest house as they are familiar with American sensitivities. However, outside of the guest house we weren't sure what to expect. It ended up being one of our favorite experiences. We experienced the culture so much more in that one night than the rest of our time in Addis. We ate injera, wot, and split pea soup. Everyone but us had seconds or thirds and ate really fast. It is a wonder they are such skinny people. I guess it helps that they walk almost everywhere. The dinner was really good and the company even better. Everyone was so friendly and hospitable, and much of them spoke some English. Another of Jonathan's cousins showed up whom he hadn't seen in 10 years. Arugaye had grown up with Jonathan. They were as close as brothers. In 8th grade his cousin left to be in the war and Jonathan hadn't seen him since. It was very moving.

We got to have our first and favorite cofffee ceremony as well. Coffee is Ethiopia's main export and they take great pride in it. It is said to be one of the best places for coffee in the world. Ethiopians have coffee ceremonies when they have guests and also to celebrate special occasions. They roast, grind, and brew the coffee right in front of you and I will personally attest to it's goodness. It was divine. They serve it in very tiny cups and usually give 3-4 cups. I am not a fan of black or strong coffee here in the US but it was fantastic. There was no need for cream and sugar.

Ashe was, as predicted, a handful. There wasn't really anywhere good to put him and he was very interested in our food. One of us had to hold him while the other ate. He played with the host's daughter Leah but neither of them were very good at sharing. We ended up leaving one of his books for Leah because she was very intrigued by it.

We all had a wonderful time and Jonathan was so proud to show off his country and its people.