Finally. What follows are all the updates I made to Facebook during our time in Ethiopia. The updates were made to Facebook out of necessity. It was pretty much the only site I could connect to consistently while there. The posts are short (they were limited back then to the number of characters, I don't think that's the case anymore with Facebook). I tried to keep the narrative flow intact when the posts were broken up for size. Enjoy!
March 27, 2010
We made it. Safe and
sound in Addis Ababa. Exhaused, excited, overwhelmed, exhausted. But, we're
finally here!
Been wanting to update
the blog, the internet here is horribly slow and for some reason Blogger isn't
allowing me to update it. We picked up Chloë. It was an adventure. She had
become severely attached to all the other babies and all the caretakers. She bawled
and bawled. We're back at the guest house and she's still bawling. She's afraid
of me, but that just shows she has good taste. More later.
March 28, 2010
Chloë is asleep in a
small crib next to me right now. Julee is down stairs going over paperwork for
tomorrow's US Embassy appointment. Last night, we bathed Chloë (an
adventure...apparently water temp is important), then I held her for the first
time without her going apeshit. She was sleepy and fell asleep in my arms.
Everytime I tried to move
her, she woke with a startle and cried. So, I slept for 4 hours last night on a
not-so-comfortable armchair, Chloë asleep on my chest. Around 2 I was able to
get her in her crib and went into bed. I slept more last night than I had the
previous 3 nights combined (and I only slept 6 hours last night). She is
attached to Julee. Very. She's still afraid of me, despite last night.
Ethiopia is a crowded,
yet beautiful country. The people are insanely nice. Always smiling. I'm
convinced we're in on one big joke. It's wonderful. The driving is unlike
anything. No lanes, any part of the street is game. The horn is more used than
any part of the car save the accelerator.
Chloë is teething, too,
and that might also lend to her grumpiness (with the fear). She looks so
peaceful sleeping right now. So beautiful. I think I'll go take a nap.
I tried to upload
pictures, but this 14.4 baud internet connection takes too long for even one.
Sorry. I promise to when we return. Now, off to lunch at a place called Red
Beans. Better than the place called Bean Coli right next door.
Chloë just finished
eating. She allowed me to change her after her nap and to feed her a bottle,
but she quickly tired of that. Jules is now finishing the feeding. It'll take
some time. I just have to remember she rarely saw men in her life, and never
one so tall, so pale, and so devastatingly handsome. :)
We went out for lunch
today at a place called "Rodeo". So awesome. It had western American themed
decor, even a picture of Will Smith from "Wild Wild West". Food was
good, Chloë not so great. She was hungry since she wouldn't eat at all the last
day. She finally broke down. Now, she's sleeping. Peace for an hour, perhaps?
Tomorrow: the Embassy!
The people in Ethiopia
are wonderful; kind, generous, quick with a smile. Our "chauffeur"
for lack of a better word, gave me a cellphone to use during our stay here, and
refuses to allow me to carry my shopping bags. The gate guards are always
smiling. People all over here are smiling. It's amazing. And yet, there is so
much filth and poverty and sadness. I've never seen anything like this. It can
shake one's ideas.
And how, when you're out
with your new baby, in western clothes, obviously "well off", do you
say no to a cute little boy who comes up to you with the saddest puppy dog eyes,
his hand moving towards his mouth, begging for food? He literally could be
starving. It's not easy. The Ethiopians are a beautiful people, and their
children are as adorable as any in the world, which makes the whole thing just
that much harder.
A breakthrough? During
dinner, served here in the guest house (and quite good), one of the guest house
workers asked to hold Chloë. She held her as she slept for a good 30 minutes.
When we went to get her, she smiled. The smallest smile a child has ever given,
but it was a smile. She went straight into mommy's arms. Then, I reached my
arms out and she went for me as well, and without a grimace. Little victories.
It's not the rainy season here, that is in 6 months, but it's raining right now in a way I've never see before. Not sheets of rain, but full duvets, entire fabric stores of rain. Nearly the entire town is cover in tin roofing and the most beautiful white noise suffuses the room. It's surreal.
Tomorrow is the big US
Embassy day where we apply for Chloë's US Visa. We're gonna go over our paperwork,
make sure we know the answers to the questions they're gonna ask us, and then
get a good night's sleep if the rain will allow. It keeps coming. The ferocity
builds. Just when you thought it couldn't get any louder, it surprises you.
It's beyond white noise. It's a rainbow cacophony in the key of tin and cement.
March 29, 2010
Embassy was great. All
our documents were in order, a few trivial questions and Chloë's visa is
approved. She has a green card (we'll have to "re-adopt" her once
we're back in the states to make her an American citizen) and a passport and
everything that's needed. We celebrated by having a nice lunch at a restaurant
called Lime Tree. Very good.
There was a little
bookstore in the restaurant and we bought some Amharic/English kids books and
children's music CDs. Very happy find. Last night, we had a bit of a setback as
I was the one who got up to change Chloë in the middle of the night, but I
must've scared her and she screamed bloody murder. It was a sound I had never
heard before. Shook me something fierce. But today; today was the best day yet.
4 hour power outage later
and I'm back. The generator here at the guest house didn't kick on for some
reason so we were out of luck. Luckily, it was sunny today. And, today, I was
able to make Chloë smile. It was a glorious moment. A little smile mind you,
followed by a burp or a giggle. A burple. Made the day.
Julee went back to the
orphanage today, sans me and Chloë, to drop off "thank you" cards
with a monetary gift. Standard procedure. She found out the orphanage is
planning a big going away party for Chloë this Thursday. We are reluctant to
bring her back to the orphanage--that site of such trauma--but it's the right
thing to do. Hopefully, it turns out well.
Chloë must, at all times,
be held. You can't sit with her, you can't set her down, you must stand. And
move. She loves moving. She falls asleep in the van almost instantaneously. We
put her in the stroller, she's fine. On a chair or the floor and she bawls. When
Jules was gone, and after orajel for her teeth, food, a change of diaper,
everything I could think of I decided to take her for a walk.
I walked her up and the
down the 5 flights of stairs in the guest house. With Addis Ababa being so high
in altitude, it wore me out. Then, a stroke of genius. The terrace on the
topmost floor. I took her outside, saw a standing porch swing and sat down. I swung
her for a few minutes and she was out. Now, how to get that swing on the plane
for the trip back.
While up on the terrace
two jackdaws landed on the railing not too far from us. One sidled up to the
other and squawked, then beaked at the feathers of the first. They rested there
for quite some time, checking Chloë and I out, squawking, sidling along the
railing. Then, in synchrony, they flew away. It was quite a moment. Beautiful.
Tonight, a nice
traditional dinner at "Habesha Cultural Restaurant" where we will get to sample authentic Ethiopian food. We're looking forward to it. Tomorrow, perhaps the National
Museum and some shopping.
Physical updates: Chloë
is small for her age. The 6-12 month clothes fit easily, some are a little too
big. She sits up on her own, and can walk with assistance, though she doesn't
like to. I'm sure a first step isn't too far away. She has the most beautiful
mocha skin and the biggest brownest eyes you've ever seen. Her hair is sparse.
And her skin is so soft it's impossible to not touch her.
March 31, 2010
And down goes Frazier!
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I got hit with a mother of a case of
food poisoning. It knocked me out of commission for a night and a day, but
unlike Frazier, I've answered the bell for the 15th round. Lots of things
happening here. We're having a good time, made some good friends and aside from
the severe food poisoning things are going well.
The "Habesha Cultural
Restaurant" we went to 2 nights ago, where I was feeling the beginnings of the
pain that was to come, was amazing. Traditional Ethiopian food with a band
playing and traditional dancing. We tried Ethiopian honey wine (t'ej) and a lamb dish that was out of this world.
That night, however, was
the worse night yet with Chloë. It seems the only way we can get her to sleep
is by holding her. And only in a specific way. Her caregivers doted on
her--which is better than ignoring her--but that night it culminated in a late
night session. She woke up twice (diapers and bottle) and it was nearly
impossible to get her back to sleep and in her crib.
Last night we let her
play herself into a stupor and she passed out. Then we gave her a bottle in the
crib. Seemed to work. We're slowly figuring this parenthood thing out. It's
certainly a challenge being given a 1yr old and told to run with it, but we're
doing our best.
Today we went shopping
for some knick-knacks and traditional clothes for Chloë. It was a trip watching
Julee haggle the sellers down. I'm sure we still got ripped off, but it was
nice. Picked up some great things for her room. Tonight we go back to her
orphanage for a farewell ceremony they always do. Julee's a little nervous, but
Chloë has bonded hard to her and there's nothing to worry about.
Yesterday we went to the
farewell ceremony at the orphanage where the other 3 babies in our
"party" came from. It was nice. A traditional Ethiopian coffee
ceremony. (I hate coffee and even I liked this. Phenomenal.) So, we kinda know
what to expect tonight, but we've heard it will be longer as our orphanage
likes to make them nearly 4 hours. Yikes.
The children we saw at
these orphanages, the older ones in particular, are heartbreaking. They are so
quick with a smile, so happy, yet are likely never to be adopted. One child, a
beautiful young boy of 10 with a smile unlike any I've ever seen, had polio. I mean Polio? My god! Almost too much to take. We'll see some of the same later tonight.
The bonding to us both,
particularly Julee, is amazing to have witnessed. From the traumatic exchange
at the orphanage to now, a short 4 days later, she is fully bonded to Jules.
And even me. She loves her "da" and loves to be thrown in the air and
caught, loves to put on his sunglasses, and loves to be tickled. Lucky for her,
I love to do all those things.
Tomorrow, a trip to
volcanic lakes with some swimming and kayaking. Friday, some more shopping to
pick up last minute gifts and mementos, then a long, long flight back home. The
volcanic lakes, though, are supposed to be absolutely gorgeous. Looking forward
to that excursion.
Gotta head off to the
orphanage farewell ceremony. Hope it's shorter than 4 hours and doesn't revert
Chloë back too far in her bonding with us. Plenty of tears to come, I'm sure.
More later.
Back from the farewell
ceremony. It's was beautiful. A little tense in the beginning as Chloë was
passed around to all the nannies, and didn't want to come back to us,
initially. But, it turned out well and the bonding we'd had with her had stuck.
4 days vs. 11 months, and we did right. Another coffee ceremony, some food
(popcorn is really popular in their ceremonies) and some singing. Quite
touching.
I should probably mention
how we are all getting from our guest house (which I'll talk about later) and
to our destinations. We have a dedicated driver, named Abraham, who takes us
wherever we need to be (or want to be). He's a wonderful man, kind and proud of
his country, and showing it off to us. He's the one who brought us to the
Habesha Cultural Restaurant.
Abraham plays his
Ethiopian jazz music in the van all the time, too, and it's quite good. Enjoyable.
And he's one helluva driver, which is definitely a requirement in a country
with poor roads (seriously, potholes the size of Volkswagens and no lanes) and
no traffic lights. It's a trip to move through the city, buffalo-ing everyone
and they doing the same to you.
The guesthouse we are
staying at is called Yebsabi. It's off of Djibouti St. down a dirt (neigh,
rock-strewn, littered) road. It's 5 stories with the 5th story being a patio
overlooking the city. We are on the 3rd floor. The altitude here is higher than
at Salt Lake, so it is getting difficult to us climbing those stairs all the time,
lugging a 20lb baby.
Amid the squalor and
heart-wrenching suffering we see along the streets of Addis Ababa, there are
moments of equally heart-wrenching beauty: a little girl, who we can see from
the guesthouse stairwell window, doing her math homework with chalk on the side
of a rusted piece of tin roofing in her backyard; a single flower growing in
the foot-trampled mud on the shoulder of the road.
But, the squalor is plenty.
Refuse litter the side of roads everywhere, cover just about every inch not
driven on or walked upon. A tent city exists in the parking strip between two
streets. Homeless sleep anywhere, urinate wherever. We see children walking
alone along the sides of highways, crawling along the sidewalks. It's so
different than anything we've ever experienced or expected.
Chloë just now took a big
juicy dump on the changing pad while Julee was changing her. Then peed on
herself. Hilarious. Gross, obviously, but hilarious. Her turds had been nothing
but liquid since we got her until recently. They've begun to firm up, to our
delight. This one was soft serve at its finest. What a mess.
Every other car (and I'm
not exaggerating) is a blue and white taxi car or van. They are everywhere.
Small and old and certainly not fuel efficient. The noxious exhaust fumes from
the traffic are ubiquitous. And the horn is the most used part of the car, not
in anger, but in warning: I'm here, or I see you, or I'm coming get out of my
way.
April 1, 2010
Another long night with
Chloë. These nights of no sleep are starting to take their toll. The only issue
we have with her right now is her sleeping. She eats well, has even begun to
eat wet and dry cereals (although reluctantly), she plays, she's bonding with
us both quite nicely. The sleep issue is the biggie. She fights it every step
of the way, and it's nearly impossible to move her once she falls asleep.
Last night, she fell
asleep on the floor. We tried to move her, she woke. She fell asleep again. So,
Jules took her pillow and a blanket and slept on the floor in the living room.
Not ideal. Chloë slept 6 hours before waking up for a bottle; a record. She
woke up again for a second bottle. Julee slept very little. I watched Chloë
this morning as Jules slept 4 hours. Now, Chloë is fighting sleep again.
We have to be careful of
not only what we eat, but also drink. No water, unless it's bottled and sealed
(sealed cap and shrink wrapped). We have to brush our teeth with bottled water,
be careful during showers to not get any water in our mouths. I was lucky I
only had severe food poisoning. It could've been a parasite, or a bacterial
infection or dysentery.
Though the Yebsabi House
is nice, probably lavish compared to what most in Addis Ababa have for
living quarters, there are still some annoyances. It is near an all night bar
or club of some sort. Dance music plays all night long. Literally, all night.
It is also right next to, like 10 feet, a bunch of tin-roof houses and
there are feral dogs and cats who bark and fight and meow all night long as
well.
April 2, 2010
Been having internet
issues since yesterday afternoon. Updates: we got to record Chloë's second
successful attempt at walking. 3 steps! She's eating wet and dry cereals like a
champ, and last night was still pretty bad sleeping-wise, but not a total
nightmare. Our flight leaves in 8 hours. We'll see what awaits.
Went to a few more
markets today to pick up last minute dresses and gifts. Picked up 10 Kilos of
Ethiopian coffee...only 720 birr (55 dollars)! Bought some nice wall hangings
for Chloë's room and some traditional outfits for her. The markets are amazing.
It's still wild to be able to haggle a price, then walk out and almost get
trampled by a herd of goats being shepherded through the market.
We're a little sad to see
our adventure here in Ethiopia come to a close. But, we're eager to get the
rest of our life started again back in Utah. Our lives the last year have been on perpetual PAUSE. It'll be nice to get back, and press that PLAY
button again. And to take a shower, and sleep in our bed, of course.
We found out that not
only does Chloë love to be thrown into the air, and to be swung backwards until
upside down, but she loves to put things on her head. She finds it hilarious.
The best, to her, is when I put my hat on her head. She loves that. Pictures to
come later.
April 3, 2010
1 comment:
Beautiful and honest post. I love this! Seems like it was an eternity ago.
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