We went to Hosanna this morning. Randy said he didn’t know what was weirder, the fact that we are in Africa across the world from our home, or the fact that I was up and moving at 5 am. We had to leave at 6 on the 4-hour bumpy bus drive. We went through Addis and headed out of town in the dark. Surprisingly, it was rainy last night and this morning, which is not the normal for Ethiopia when not in the rainy season. Almost right away we began to see the round, thatched huts that are so common in more rural areas. There are also dilapidated shacks near the road. Corrugated sheet metal seems to be used everywhere in Addis and the smaller cities we went through. Even once you’re well out of the city, there are people continually walking along the road, as well as goats, mules and cattle. As in Addis, there is literally poverty everywhere you look.
There were people outside everywhere. We saw children herding goats and cattle, carrying water, straw or other children, peeing and playing. The scenery was beautiful. There are rolling hills and low mountains, flowering and acacia trees everywhere. Randy took about 300 pictures – seriously.
We arrived at the orphanage office in Hosanna late morning to meet with birth parents if possible, or with the people who found children abandoned. Most of those people traveled a long way to get to Hosanna to share their stories of our kids’ beginnings, and to meet the people who would parent these children. Almost as soon as we stepped off the bus the meetings began, which caught us a little off guard. Each group (the adoptive parents and the Ethiopian person) met privately in a small room with a social worker and translator. We were able to ask questions and share a little about ourselves, our families, what it’s like where we live, etc. When our meeting was over, we went outside with the person we met with to have a photo taken together. After all the meetings were finished, there was an entrustment ceremony. The entire ceremony was moving and unique. The birth parents and those who had found abandoned children stood in a line across from us, and they all said a prayer in Amharic. Next they lit candles one by one and walked over and handed them to the respective adoptive parents. Then all of us adoptive parents said a prayer together. I won’t go into too much detail here, except to say that every single one of us was crying, women and men, Americans and Ethiopians. You cannot imagine what it’s like to see a birth parent hand a candle over to an adoptive mother, with tears streaming down both of their faces. It’s clear that these children would never be relinquished or abandoned if not for the abject poverty.
I will share more about our meeting with Tekle with family when we get home.
We were all completely drained after the entrustment ceremony. Before we left Hosanna we enjoyed a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. In one corner was a woman in traditional dress roasting beans for coffee, next to a smoking bowl of incense that filled the window-lit room with aromatic smoke. The coffee was excellent. Then we visited the orphanage. There were a lot of cheerful, begging children flocking around us. They enjoyed showing off for the video camera. We had brought a bag of suckers, which they all enjoyed.
On the way back from Hosanna we had the opportunity to stop at one of the thatched huts and go inside it. Wow. You can’t believe how small, dark and earthen they are. The entire house was smaller than our living room. The people who live there keep their cattle inside because there are hyenas in the area, so two or three cattle share that space with the entire family. It’s really dark because there is only one small window. The floor is smooth, swept dirt and a fire inside fills the hut with smoke which slowly seeps out the thatched roof (driving by, they look like they are on fire.) Outside the house that we visited they were growing collard greens and false banana plants, which are common to the area. This is almost certainly the kind of house Mirabelle would have grown up in.
Tonight I had a bout of homesickness. I miss the kids terribly, miss being able to eat anything without taking Pepto first or having a “funky tummy” afterward, miss being able to wash my hands with soap and non-contaminated water! I feel guilty or wimpy complaining, because let me tell you, looking in any direction in Ethiopia quickly reminds one of how minor those little inconveniences are. Indoor plumbing is a luxury most don’t have, and I’m griping about having to use hand sanitizer! I’m sure the emotion of the day, poor sleep last night, early morning schedule and massive head cold are all conspiring to make me miss home and the kids.
Tomorrow we go to the care center and bring the babies back to the guesthouse for the morning and lunch. Finally we can take some pictures of M! They don’t allow photography at the care center to protect the privacy of all the children. I guess we’ll see tomorrow what we remember about baby care!
I have to say again… the poverty everywhere is mind-boggling. When you are out in public in Addis there is literally no escaping it, nowhere you could look to avoid it, unless you were at one of the few very wealthy hotels on the other side of town. In the rural areas it is as bad or worse.
Four more days. I hope they fly by.
There were people outside everywhere. We saw children herding goats and cattle, carrying water, straw or other children, peeing and playing. The scenery was beautiful. There are rolling hills and low mountains, flowering and acacia trees everywhere. Randy took about 300 pictures – seriously.
We arrived at the orphanage office in Hosanna late morning to meet with birth parents if possible, or with the people who found children abandoned. Most of those people traveled a long way to get to Hosanna to share their stories of our kids’ beginnings, and to meet the people who would parent these children. Almost as soon as we stepped off the bus the meetings began, which caught us a little off guard. Each group (the adoptive parents and the Ethiopian person) met privately in a small room with a social worker and translator. We were able to ask questions and share a little about ourselves, our families, what it’s like where we live, etc. When our meeting was over, we went outside with the person we met with to have a photo taken together. After all the meetings were finished, there was an entrustment ceremony. The entire ceremony was moving and unique. The birth parents and those who had found abandoned children stood in a line across from us, and they all said a prayer in Amharic. Next they lit candles one by one and walked over and handed them to the respective adoptive parents. Then all of us adoptive parents said a prayer together. I won’t go into too much detail here, except to say that every single one of us was crying, women and men, Americans and Ethiopians. You cannot imagine what it’s like to see a birth parent hand a candle over to an adoptive mother, with tears streaming down both of their faces. It’s clear that these children would never be relinquished or abandoned if not for the abject poverty.
I will share more about our meeting with Tekle with family when we get home.
We were all completely drained after the entrustment ceremony. Before we left Hosanna we enjoyed a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. In one corner was a woman in traditional dress roasting beans for coffee, next to a smoking bowl of incense that filled the window-lit room with aromatic smoke. The coffee was excellent. Then we visited the orphanage. There were a lot of cheerful, begging children flocking around us. They enjoyed showing off for the video camera. We had brought a bag of suckers, which they all enjoyed.
On the way back from Hosanna we had the opportunity to stop at one of the thatched huts and go inside it. Wow. You can’t believe how small, dark and earthen they are. The entire house was smaller than our living room. The people who live there keep their cattle inside because there are hyenas in the area, so two or three cattle share that space with the entire family. It’s really dark because there is only one small window. The floor is smooth, swept dirt and a fire inside fills the hut with smoke which slowly seeps out the thatched roof (driving by, they look like they are on fire.) Outside the house that we visited they were growing collard greens and false banana plants, which are common to the area. This is almost certainly the kind of house Mirabelle would have grown up in.
Tonight I had a bout of homesickness. I miss the kids terribly, miss being able to eat anything without taking Pepto first or having a “funky tummy” afterward, miss being able to wash my hands with soap and non-contaminated water! I feel guilty or wimpy complaining, because let me tell you, looking in any direction in Ethiopia quickly reminds one of how minor those little inconveniences are. Indoor plumbing is a luxury most don’t have, and I’m griping about having to use hand sanitizer! I’m sure the emotion of the day, poor sleep last night, early morning schedule and massive head cold are all conspiring to make me miss home and the kids.
Tomorrow we go to the care center and bring the babies back to the guesthouse for the morning and lunch. Finally we can take some pictures of M! They don’t allow photography at the care center to protect the privacy of all the children. I guess we’ll see tomorrow what we remember about baby care!
I have to say again… the poverty everywhere is mind-boggling. When you are out in public in Addis there is literally no escaping it, nowhere you could look to avoid it, unless you were at one of the few very wealthy hotels on the other side of town. In the rural areas it is as bad or worse.
Four more days. I hope they fly by.
1 comment:
I wanted to thank you for this post. We are waiting and there is so much anxiousness about the Hosanna trip! Thank you!!
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