Mountain, Museum, and Children

today has been full, and wonderful.  a full day excursion up mountain Entoto.  our ears were popping, and the sights were breathtaking.  the air was fresh, so unlike the air in the heart of Addis.  the combination of diesel fumes and smoke from small cooking fires in the city can be a bit overwhelming.  the mountain air, however, was fresh with the smell of eucalyptus trees all around.  the people are amazing.  women, many older, carrying HUGE (like very HUGE!) bundles of wood branches and leaves on their backs.  Donkeys being herded with giant loads of the same.  women with babies and small children.  with every outing there is more to see.  so many people, going who knows where.....many of the Ethiopian people are so drawn to us because of our skin colour.  their opinion of us, based solely on our skin colour, is obvious.  many have expectations.  it is sad.  Christine and I (another adoptive mom) have struggled to process all of this.  there is so much desperation here....we attempted to shop some at a market today, but cut it short based on the "shopping assistants"  that latched on to us.  they are desperate for a sale, and seem so distraught when you say no.  then they approach your van, some with such obvious needs.  it is sometimes difficult to decipher between what is real and what is not, what is truth and what is not.  so, we will attempt to experience some more of a market tomorrow afternoon, this time with a guide.  one dear little boy about Adam's age (who reminded me of a brown version of my brother Tim at that age, the mischievous grin included) ran with our van as we left the scarf weaving place and all the way to the market.  he just kept smiling at us.  i gave him some fruit snacks when we left.  i saw some older boys approach him to check out what he'd received, and i made sure they didn't take them from him.  anyway, then we went to some historical churches and the national museum.  so interesting, and the Ethiopian culture, religious reverence, and history is fascinating.  

might attempt to load a picture....no promises! :)  

love to all.  

S.

Hi everyone back home!  sitting here in the cafe again.  trying to quickly summarize my thoughts is no easy task.  so much to tell, so much to process.  jeff, hannah and joelle are sitting nearby on a balcony.  this is quite a nice bakery/cafe that is very busy and popular with locals.  we were lucky to get a spot at a computer at all.  Elias, our driver has gone to drop off two families at the airport, leaving with their children.  one family from Manitoba, the other from Windsor!  Nice connections....

well, this morning i think will rank high on my list of trip highlights.  next to meeting A.Z, of course....have i mentioned how sweet he is????  we traveled a ways to an amazing oasis in a place that lacks so much calm.  it is the hamlin fistula hospital.  perhaps some of you have heard of the book "Hospital by the River" or seen a documentary on it.  worth "googling" for sure....wow, this place was amazing.  we had a tour by a sweet tour guide, and learned about this facility that is offering hope to many of ethiopia's wounded.  it is a complete holistic approach, and they are so much about providing healing to these women who have been cast aside by society around them.  fistulas are extremely common due to prolonged labour and other factors, but this hospital is offering surgery free of charge.  pre and post natal care, basic life skills training, emotional intervention for the years of grief and trauma they've faced as they've dealt with the social implications of living with a fistula, and often the still birth of their children.  anyway, i could go on and on... the grounds were so beautiful.  off a dirt road with so little greenery was this tranquil place with lush tropical flowers and grass and vines.  you could smell the fresh flowers, quite a contrast to the ethiopian streets.  we saw a woman who had just had a second delivery (i assume she lost the first) by c-section and the baby was swaddled tightly on the bed.  she has been given hope and a future through the wonder of this place.  apparently the founder is now 86 years old, a woman from Australia.  she still operates once a week, all without eyeglasses.  yikes...talk about investing in a country for the long-term....love that.  anyway, the ride to and from the hospital was equally intriguing.  wait till i show joe the pics of the scaffolding they use here.  oh my.  hannah has lost track of the number of men we've seen peeing on the streets.  there are incredibly sad cases of orthopedic injuries and swollen limbs, these people often resorting to begging on the street. likely injuries and conditions so treatable in canada.  one young women approached our van on a busy street, asking the Canadian woman in front of me if she would please take her baby.  she was wearing a small baby on her back, and her eyes lacked such hope....this has been amazing, and given us four such insight into Zake's birth country already.  tomorrow we are planning an excursion with another family.  perhaps a hike up a mountain that some are recommending.  we cannot wait until court on Thursday, to hopefully make this official.  we are hoping and praying we pass first time, because we'd be so disappointed if we weren't able to see Zake on Saturday.  he is so darling, and Adam, Layla and Hudson are going to be as smitten as we already are....

love to all back home.  hugs to our dear kids.  we truly miss you three.  we speak of you often and imagine what you would say about things here.  will try to update again tomorrow, but if not, then definitely on Thursday after court....

S.

Addis and Zake!!

Oh my, internet is a problem...however, i have a few minutes and am at a cafe under Joelle's email.

we arrived yesterday with no problems.  smooth flight.  great guesthouse that is safe and clean.  super kind staff.  sleep is off a bit, but we'll adjust.  Ethiopia is amazing, such beauty and promise, and contrasting it with Dubai is a lot to process.  why is equality so hard to achieve??  well...on to the good stuff.  today i played "peek a boo" with my newest son.  he is darling, with sweet dimples and playful giggles.  we spent 1/2 hour with A.Z and all the children he rooms with between 1-3 years of age.  much like GLA, they all clamour for love, attention and affection.  we interacted with all of them and Joelle quickly had Zake giggling.  we're off a bit on his name pronunciation, so i'm not sure if that will change our name decisions any.  haven't had a chance to discuss it yet.  this was only an hour ago....A.Z. looks well, and he is definitely sweet and smiley.  can't wait to know more of him.  we brought 1/3 of our donations and they were welcomed and needed.  we gave each child a candy (the staff brought out the hard choking kind), but said they were used to it.  (would have scared the grandmas!) so we left them with sticky hands and faces.  we had many hugs and jeff high-fived his new son.  ok, almost crying again....what a gift this is, words fail me....so, i don't want to hold up our driver any longer.  thanks for reading and praying for us here.  all is well.  sorry we couldn't update sooner.  not sure when we will again.  love to all....
Shana (for Hannah, Joelle and Jeff)

A Taste of Dubai

Wow....we're here in Dubai.  It is 12:30 am. The flight was uneventful and smooth.  The girls were delightful, and super easy.  How could they not be, considering the unlimited screen time with games, music and movies all to themselves?? The weather is hot and humid, and so beautiful tonight.  Loving the palm trees and the bath-like temperature of the Gulf...We've just spent a wonderful evening with Dave and Sandra Archer and their three sweeties. They met us at the hotel and Dave found a wonderful tour guide to give us a snapshot of Dubai in about three hours. Such a massive display of wealth and creativity in the buildings and designs. Over the top, but so neat to see...It was great to connect with friends, and now we hope to fall into bed for around five hours before we embark on leg two of the journey! Addis Ababa, here we come....What a contrast that will be...Miss you A, L, and H....hugs and love to our family and friends as well.

Leavin' on a jet plane....

Yep, I've always loved that song.  Whether it's by Peter Paul and Mary (I say it with pride Mom and Dad, don't you worry.  Remember that cassette??) Jewel, or Chantal Kreviazuk, there is something about that song that stirs me every time.  Sitting here tonight, adding final items to our luggage, and listening to the soulful lyrics with this sentimental side of me welling up.  While I'm not leaving behind a man who I'm crazy in love with and won't see for a time (he's coming!), I am leaving three of my little cherubs, and this is always hard to do.  I know they will be having a blast, because that's what grandparents do best, but still....this is our longest stretch away from them.  On the other hand, we have this incredible feeling of expectation.  In just a few short days we will lay eyes on the child we've been waiting over two years to meet!  On top of that, we are about to experience a little bit of Africa....AFRICA!!!!  To spend a week in A.Z's birth country is the ultimate privilege.  We truly want to soak it all in....the climate, the people, the culture, the cuisine (hope I'm saying this in a few days....ahem....), the beauty, the poverty, the joys and the pain.  Ethiopia has already changed us, and we have little doubt that more transformation is inevitable, and necessary. 

So, yes, "my bags are packed, I'm ready to go".....(I know you'll be singing this in your head by the end of the post). We're pretty much set and all the details seem to be coming together.  Just the other day I was sharing with someone how blessed we feel.  So many things~ too many to share, but endless ways leading up to this trip that we've seen our needs met.  We are not seasoned travellers (shocking, I know) and at just the right time I'd connect with someone who had information that was most helpful as we planned this adventure.  From flights, to accommodations in Eth., to in-country tips and insight, what to expect during the court proceedings, etc....Not the mention the help I've received setting up this very blog (you know who you are!).  This may sound trivial or coincidental to some, but I've seen this happen way too many times in my life to feel anything but gratitude that God cares so much about the small details of our lives.  So, with that profound knowledge, we leave with great anticipation and peace.  Can't wait to see what the future holds!
We're hoping that the internet cooperates so we have a way to update everyone at home. The support of our awesome family, friends and amazing church family has been invaluable, so we'll do our best to keep you "in the know"...
Lots of love...S.
One more thing~ rest easy and search no more, because I think I may have successfully linked here to C. Kreviazuk's version of the above mentioned song, purely for your listening pleasure!!  Enjoy!! (D and PD, are you impressed?? :) )

Medical Request

I received some surprise news today from our adoption agency that I wasn't expecting quite yet!  For any of you that have paid even the slightest attention to this 28 month journey (not that I'm actually counting...I mean, who would do that??), you know that surprise news before it is expected almost never happens....So, when Val from Imagine called me today to let me know that A.Z's immigration medical had been requested, this was really good news.  To spare you all the details, this basically means that another part of the visa process is underway.  Each child coming to Canada must have a medical done by Canadian Immigration before being considered for a visa.  So, I'm told our son's medical has been requested and will be done in the next few days, if not done already.  This information, as well as the court decision/documents after we pass court (October 21st) will then be sent to the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi where we'll wait to have the visa processed to FINALLY BRING HIM HOME!!  So, the medical is just another piece of the complex puzzle of this adoption.  But hey, every piece is worth celebrating!

To Ethiopia, with Love

Seriously, I have the very best KidJam class at my church. A very fun and lively (translated: chatty :) ) grade 5/6 class of approximately ten kids. For the past four weeks they have been gathering donations for us to take to the children of Ethiopia. We will be visiting three different orphanages while there, and I can almost picture the excited little faces of the wee ones receiving these treasures. New flip flops, crocs, toothbrushes, toys, bubbles, socks, clothes and candy. Can't wait to dish out these treasures!! Thanks so much class! I love each one of you, and can't wait to share pictures and stories with you when we return.