Day 3 - 9/21/2007

Sophie slept all the way through the night last night and it was great! We’re finding out that when she wakes up, she isn’t very happy. I thought it was because she wanted food IMMEDIATELY, but I think it’s more of a scared, where am I? and where are all the people? cry. This morning we met Tafesse after breakfast He took us to Entoto, which is the highest mountain in Addis and was supposed to be where the Emperor was to build his palace way back when. But his wife discovered hot springs in the lower area of Addis, so she insisted that the palace be built right by the hot springs. Now Entoto is simply a beautiful mountain with amazing views of the city and fresh air (a rarity in the lower parts of the city where we’ve mostly been breathing diesel fuel). We saw another traditional Orthodox church and paid a man with a big gun $1 so that I could take his picture. We watched tens (hundreds?) of donkeys and women load their backs with dung patties, eucalyptus leaves and wood to bring down from the mountain to sell. Yes, the donkeys and women have the same job, but I think it’s a little easier for the donkeys because they were mostly running and the women were doubled over to carry the goods!

Sophie's favorite Hilton employee :) The donkeys at work The man with the gunThe view from Entoto The daily task of hauling eucalyptus branches to sellAfter walking around the top of Entoto breathing the air for as long as possible, we met Ryan for lunch at a delicious Chinese restaurant. He had spent the morning at the Embassy for us and we now have Sophie’s Ethiopian passport, US visa and all of her paperwork to bring her back home. After lunch we went to the Alert Hospital, which is a whole compound for the treatment of Leprosy, and is the only such hospital in all of Africa. The main reason for visiting there is because the people that have been treated there spin cotton and weave all of these beautiful cloths and clothing. We were able to see the whole process (all hand done) from pulling the raw cotton into yarn to the looms to the final embroidery. John even got to spin some cotton himself! We bought quite a few souvenirs for the kids and our home there and felt like we paid way to little for such beautiful handiwork.

John spinning cotton at the Leprosy Alert HospitalOur last stop before naptime was the Lion Zoo. For $1 a person (+ $2 for your camera), you can see the black maned lions in these horrible, cement cages. Although being that close up to the lions was absolutely amazing (and I think the kids will love the pictures), PETA would not be very happy. It was a little depressing and the raw slabs of meat in the cages leftover from lunch was not all that appetizing!

Close up at the lion zoo
A lot of people have asked whether Sophie is Ethiopian or foreign (and many people thinks she looks like John except for her button nose!) Ryan said it’s mostly a function of her lighter skin and slightly straight hair. It’s funny b/c I can almost see the people discussing and guessing before they ask. The people have been so great. It’s going to be hard to come home and not be able to have someone else hold her all the time while I get things done. Everyone here (stranger or not) wants to hold and kiss her!Well after lots of rest yesterday afternoon, we had a quiet dinner with Belay at a restaurant called Serenade. It felt very familiar – small, quaint and the food was delicious. John and I felt kind of guilty as we scarfed down our delicious meat dishes while Belay had to have a medley of vegetables served in halves of eggplant – Orthodox Ethiopians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, which means no meat or any animal products on these days. After dinner Sophie and I passed out at about 9. For some reason, John and I have been on opposite nap schedules, so since he wasn’t tired, he hung out in the hotel lobby for a little while watching Rugby. We’re so conflicted because we want to spend every minute soaking in the city and the culture, but we are truly exhausted. Luckily, neither of us has gotten sick, but that being said, neither of us has felt “normal” since we arrived. I really don’t know if it’s jet lag, the altitude (~8,000 ft about sea level), the intense diesel fuel we’re breathing in, or just the fear of getting sick. I have been either freezing or really hot the entire time we’ve been here. I also have felt a little light-headed and my stomach sort of feels like the days after you’ve had a bad stomach bug and haven’t eaten for awhile. Although we are certainly ready to get home to the other kids and to resume a normal life, I’m afraid of all that we’ll miss. My body is definitely ready to come home though!!