Journey to Ethiopia - Day Five

One year ago today: 

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Sunday in Ethiopia was truly a day of rest for our family. Although it was very, very hard to be away from baby S the whole day, we knew that the Care Center closes on Sundays for good reason. And we hoped that the nannies and babies all had a peaceful, restful day with no visitors traipsing through.

In the lobby of the Union Hotel, ready to go to the resort

Mike, HA, Brenna, HW, and R

Dawit and Tamrat took our travel group on a wonderful day trip to a resort in the lovely countryside a few hours outside Addis Ababa. The drive was interesting, and was our only chance to see anything outside the city. We passed through many small towns and rural communities. We saw farmers working their fields, teff being threshed on hard-packed ground, and children working and playing near huts, shacks, and buildings. We saw many women and children carrying heavy packs, jugs, and loads. We went over small rivers and streams, and saw the mountains around us more clearly. It was nice to drive further away from the severe smog and pollution of Addis, but even so, the fumes from our our own van  kept our eyes stinging for most of the ride.

There were also hundreds of people walking along the road as we drove. We learned that Timkat was upon us, and rural Ethiopians were making the pilgrimage to the city for the celebration. It was astonishing to see how many people were walking miles through the dust and heat, just to gather for this celebration. Many carried small children, some were dressed in their best clothes, and some even wore ornate traditional religious garments. We had to stop often to allow for the foot traffic around us, and we all held our breath numerous times when the people sharing the streets seemed like they might be run over by our van as we inched through. The children were absolutely beautiful to watch outside our windows, and it made us miss our little S all the more.

The resort was a lovely place. Flowers bloomed along the paths, and the views across the lake were beautiful. The weather was absolutely perfect, and it was a restful and wonderful day. We also were treated to a great meal at the resort. We tried all kinds of dishes, including Nile River Perch!

The Nile Perch was perfectly cooked and delicious

At this point I just couldn't help but motion for them to come back. 

That was far enough!

HA and R in the blue, HW and Mike in the yellow

Juxtaposition

The beautiful resort shared the lake with Ethiopian villagers,

 so in the background of this photo

 you can see the women washing clothes, 

and cattle at their watering hole

(Click on any photo to enlarge it)

The kids enjoyed playing with Tamrat and Dawit. 

At one point HA pulled out his kid camera and snapped

 a picture of Mike, then added a silly pig nose to the digital display. 

When Dawit saw that picture he couldn't stop laughing. 

He called us, "Crazy Americans!"

 Then both boys got in on the action and put pirate hats

 and eye patches and clown noses 

on pictures of all us until we were exhausted from laughing. 

Mike, HA, HW, Brenna, Gram, DaddyDon, and R

Our full day of relaxation included a quick swim in the chilly pool, the delicious meal, a little kayaking, birdwatching, and visiting under the trees. Then we loaded back in the van to return to the Union. We really enjoyed visiting with Tamrat and Dawit on that ride, as we discussed Ethiopian and American politics, culture, history, and their families. They also shared their passion for the work that Holt does in Ethiopia, and we were so thankful at that moment that we are part of the Holt family and that we were able to see first hand the work there, and visit with the dedicated people who work for Holt Ethiopia.

We had another sobering moment on that ride. Tamrat obviously began to suffer terribly with a headache. We offered him some Advil and he asked, "What is it?" We explained, and he was eager to try it. We had him eat some crackers from our backpack first, then he took the pills. Within 30 minutes he was jubilant with the relief from those 2 little pills. And we had to thank the Lord for the many comforts we enjoy everyday~ even pain relievers are a blessing that many in the world never experience. It was our privilege to leave all of our over-the-counter medications with the Holt staff when we returned home. We wished we'd had even more to share, and I think of that experience often.

The ride back also brought even more pedestrians along the roads, and we truly began to appreciate that Timkat is a really big deal in Ethiopia. Little did we know, but tomorrow would bring an experience in Ethiopian culture that we would never, ever forget.