Last January my husband and I traveled to Ethiopia’s capital to shepherd home our three youngest children. 

To me, Addis Ababa is everything people claim New York to be, but better—all the vibrancy without the surliness and crime.  It is a teeming metropolis absolutely hypnotizing in its contrasts; men dressed impeccably in pressed trousers and leather jackets walk the sidewalks with those in all manner of traditional garb; boys fearlessly lead herds of goats across six lanes of unmetered traffic; corrugated tin shanty towns buttress luxury hotels.  And everywhere the air is thick with the smell of diesel fumes and berebere spice.

My husband and I chose to stay in the guesthouse next to the care center with the children.  I am so thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to share the sights and sounds of their daily life there.  I keep thinking that this, at least, is something I will be able to offer our children about their lives in Ethiopia; how in the mornings we awoke to chanting from the Orthodox Church down the street.  How the congregants in their white clothing were the first folks to appear on the streets and then, as the sun quickly rose over the mountains behind the center, blue and white taxis and the occasional bus would begin to rumble down the street.  Meanwhile, in the closed-in courtyard behind the building, the children would emerge into the chilly morning air to wash themselves from a faucet in the backyard.  We know what they ate, who their friends and most favorite care givers were. We sat in on their afternoon classes and were given a folder of all their lessons, worksheets and drawings.  As much as possible, our stay at the care center gave us a little bit of history and childhood memories, a service no hotel could have matched. 

Since we’ve been back, Ethiopia continues to loom large in our thoughts and in our hearts.  It helps that we live in a diverse community; not a week goes by without our meeting someone from Ethiopia, or Eritrea, or Somalia.  What an unexpected blessing!  We never could have anticipated any of it—which makes each new interaction a delightful surprise.  We are truly blest.

Learn more about adopting from Ethiopia