Ethiopia Day #2

We woke up on the second day of our journey mid-Atlantic towards Amsterdam. Landing there was so serene... the sunrise cast purple and pink tones over the city... rivers everywhere... lazy smoke stacks... everything was green and lush. Beyond picturesque.

The airport is by far the coolest one I've seen - like a giant IKEA. We walked into the food court area and Fernando said, "Oh I get it - they aren't trying to be cool - they just are."

We wandered around, found a snack, contemplated getting Mikki a pink bowling bag that said "Amsterdam" and practiced lots of variations of our new favorite word game: We're in Amsterdam I need to find a bathroom. :) Say it out loud a few times. You'll get it.

After two white planes, we boarded a big blue one. Daniel would be so happy. Sitting in the seat in front of me was the sweetest Ethiopian girl ever - she was three, and kept turning around to smile at us, and play little games. It was such a beautiful reminder of the purpose of our journey.

Eight hours later, we landed in Khartoum, in the Sudan. We had to stay onboard while they refueled and picked up some additional passengers.

Arriving in the Sudan was the exact opposite experience as the morning arrival in Amsterdam. The city was brown and white with only an occasional sea foam green military looking building. The landscape was a drab sprawl of rectangular, utilitarian buildings - the oppression was palpable.

It was 104 degrees outside... which should have made me appreciate that during our ninety minute wait, the temperature inside the plane cabin only reached 95 degrees. But it was miserable. Babies were crying and everyone started to get panicky. It was hard to breathe - we used baby wipes to keep our faces cool. Only an hour from Addis Ababa, that wait was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life.

But eventually, the air came back on, and we took off again. And just before midnight, we landed in Addis. We flew through the visa line, exchanged money, grabbed our baggage, and went through security (for what felt like the 15th time since we had left Phoenix).

We were greeted by Zerihun ("Z") along with the director of Acacia Village, our agency's mission site. We met Kim & Eric - a couple who was also adopting a little girl, and staying at the same guest home as we were.

And with the introductions behind us, we opened the door and took our first steps outdoors in Ethiopia. The night was beautiful - the surrounding mountains were dusted with lights. The flowers were blooming and we were enveloped with the sweet smell that always seems to mix with the stench of poverty. But that night, it was only sweet.

The drive to the guest home was in the dark of night, at in that light, we could have been anywhere - Peru, Haiti, or anywhere in Central/South America. We arrived at the guest home to a room that was small but comfortable.

Tomorrow we'll see the city that was our daughter's first home. Tonight, we ended the day by standing on the patio, hugging, and repeating variations of "I cannot believe we are finally here" and "She's out there somewhere..."