Today actually passed very quickly, in spite of yesterday's cabin fever. Before our trip, we connected with some missionaries living in Addis Ababa who are part of our denomination. They were so sweet to email us and offer a tour, a meal, and a trip to a local church. Not wanting to leave Violet with a nanny, we took a "divide and conquer" strategy.
Fernando went with Rhonda and Bob to a church service at a local Ethiopian Assembly of God church. He received red carpet treatment and even drank coffee before the service with a number of their pastors and just about got talked into helping lead worship that morning. The service itself was very different from one in the states, as you'd expect. The worship was like one extended song with tempo and mood shifts and the sermon was extremely energetic and more interactive than what we usually experience here.
Afterwards, he was able to hang out with some of the youth from the church's youth group, and even sing some songs with them. Before heading back to the guest home, Rhonda and Bob took him to a few more hot spots for shopping and he found some great souvenirs to bring back with us.
We passed the torch (aka Violet) and I headed out to lunch with our new friends. They took me to their favorite restaurant, a few blocks from their home, and we had a lovely meal. I had excellent couscous and falafel and we talked about everything from Ethiopian politics and the local opinion of international adoption to the influence of the Christian Orthodox Church on popular culture.
They are a delightful couple and we were so honored that they'd spend the day with us! It was amazing to get out for a few hours - the day definitely went more quickly because of it.
During the afternoon we played outside for a little while in the yard. There is a patch of grass with a bricked courtyard area perfect for kicking a soccer ball around (or crawling to it and chewing it, as Violet's fond of doing). She doesn't like the feel of the grass on her skin, but doesn't mind crawling around on the brick one bit. The ants are plentiful and Fernando found a big white spider in my hair after I was laying in the grass... so we'll keep our playtimes limited to sitting and standing positions from now on!
We put Violet's first headband on her... she took it off immediately but then wanted it back on. We'll see how she adapts to the mountain of flowers and headbands waiting for her in Arizona! I went a little nuts with the glue gun and inventory of silk flowers at Michaels. (They are so addicting... so easy. I don't think I'm a fan of the ribbon bows on babies, but I definitely love the look of flowers for little girls. So sweet. I brought a few to Ethiopia in case she tolerated them well. For the first round, we just put on a headband without a flower to let her adjust. The verdict: She's at least interested!
I haven't really said anything about her hair so far, except that it's curly. Well, it's very curly. She has these perfect little spirals all over her head. In some of her previous photos, her hair was much longer but I'm guessing in group living environments, they tend to keep hair short for lice and other reasons. Well, it's fun to have it this length and for me to learn at every stage. Right now we are just putting some olive oil paste in a few times a day to keep it moisturized and only plan on washing it once a week or so. Her hair and skin are very dry and require lots of oil/lotion! It's interesting how different they are from my skin and hair. (I am determined though to become an EXPERT at doing her hair - she will be proud!)
After dinner, we gave Violet another bath and she became even bolder with the water, plunging her face in it to blow bubbles. She laughed at her success and repeated her trick over and over and over... and over. The bathroom we are sharing with another guest has a tiny shower and a very unpredictable water heater (translation: usually no hot water). Kim & Eric's room however has a big shower and a very predictable water heater. And being the angels they are, they let us bathe Violet there and I even got to take my own shower tonight... it was miraculous. Amazing. Transforming. After that shower, I am a new woman.
The guest home has been very accommodating to us but one thing seems strange to us - they consistently prepare "American" meals for us. And when you are traveling to another country, why would you want to eat "American" food? The other strange thing about it is that when you live in another country, you probably don't know exactly how to prepare "American" dishes. Tonight was a great example. They made us pizza... with tunafish on it. Just not something you'd expect, that's all.
Violet had a tough time sleeping today - naps and the first part of the night. She seems uncomfortable and restless (and no, we didn't give her the tuna pizza!). I wonder if she's still adjusting to the formula.
Our time here is almost over and frankly, I'm ready to head home. It would be different if we could travel and see the country, but we are ready to get home to Daniel (there aren't words for how much we miss him - we try to keep from talking about him so we don't cry). I want him to meet his sister so badly - and I just want to hug him for a good week or so.
48 more hours and we're homeward bound...
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