A View From Ethiopia...Finally, Some Pictures!!!

Finally able to post pics from Ethiopia. Keith crashed the laptop on day 2, so posting even what I did was a challenge.

Coming out of the airport with 4 tubs...18 gallons each...of donations for the orphanage. A big thanks to The Campus and Four Corners Church for helping us with them!

This is just a little shop in a string of shops on the road back from the airport.

Just another little shop along the road. Kinda made me sad.

Ethiopian scaffolding: eucalyptus trees. Stacked and held together with nails. Wanna be the worker to climb that?

A school in town. Not sure if it was independent or run by the government. We heard that most kids had to pay to go to school. And even then, they often lived too far away to walk there. Makes me appreciate my own education. Free.

When I said on Day 1 that I thought our driver was taking us to be killed on the way home from the airport, I was serious. I snapped one last shot as we turned down a gravel alley way. All I saw ahead of us was a giant pile of rocks. Great for hiding dead bodies under. Not sure why I took the picture. I was thinking if I somehow escaped, or someone at least found my camera, it would be evidence to lead them to my killer. I really should have taken a picture of my almost-killer. Needless to say, I was terrified.

The view from our balcony. Surprised we have a balcony from our stay in Ethiopia? So was I. When questioned about his method of selecting a place to stay, Keith said he just picked the most expensive place. Assuming my "needs" would be unmet elsewhere. Wait. I have needs? What needs? I'm not high maintenance.

However, this is the backyard to our left...

And this was the view to our right. Plus, they had a dog that only barked at night. Incessantly. Sweet.

Starbucks, Anyone?

Random animals on the side of the highway. The ones marked with an X have been examined by the government. So, what's stopping an animal owner from just buying a can of spray paint to approve his own animals?

Blue and white vehicles: public transportation. Pictured above, a van.

Ethiopian entertainment? Camel racing. Keith loved it!

A site of construction. More eucalyptus trees. What else should you use?

The orphanage, a view from the street. It really was a great place. Glad to have the boys there if they can't come home yet.

The first lady who performed the coffee ceremony for us. And Keith graciously accepting a cup.

The kids are "trained" to take their shoes off before entering any room where they will be sitting...classroom, bedroom, playroom. This is just outside the "Learning Room" as the sign on the door reads and also serves as their lunchroom.

Typical lunch at the orphanage. Yumm.

A poster in their classroom. I think it has Amharic and English. So, I don't have start at square 1 teaching them English. They've covered some of the basics for me. Thanks!

The fresh water tank outside. They used large cans to haul water inside. But not everyone had these tanks. Many people walked miles with yellow 3-gallon jugs...even little kids...to fetch some water. You'll see in a pic further down.

The boys' room. Probably 12 kids to a room. No clue how the nannies get them to sleep at the same time. I need to learn some tricks from them.

The site of our first meeting. The living room of the orphanage. They just celebrated Christmas. In January for Ethiopia.

The other side of the living room. The play area for the four of us. But no toys.

The front of the Tikuret Orphanage. That's the actual name. Nice place. But...

This is a glance down the street from the it.

A volcano. You probably could guess that. I was a little surprised to see it. Luckily it is dormant.

And this is where we spent a bright shiny Saturday. Those little sprigs are the trees Keith planted. And, that top right-hand window is the room where I slaved away. Acacia Village. The foster home run by our agency. It serves as a home for many kids between their court date and embassy appointment to travel home.

One of those yellow 3-gallon jugs used for carrying water home. We saw lots of little kids toting the water. Always alone.

A village of mud houses. We saw many of these.

The amazing Ethiopian church. We politely waited until after the service to snap away. The choir gathered on stage when we were dismissed.

The people in line on the right are waiting to purchase sermon or worship CDs. We joined them.

A random donkey. I swear Keith took this picture. But he is cute. I kinda wanna bring him home as my pet. Simon would be jealous. Maybe no.

A butcher shop. All you need is a slab o' beef, a knife and a place to hang the slab.

The food at the fancy restaurant. This is what the girl next to me ordered. Do you understand why I chose not to eat?

And, here is Keith's plate. Once the waitress stopped laughing at my reaction to what she brought out, she poured it into the same mix. You can see my boiled egg in the middle. And, I think the chicken leg is somewhere on the right, unless someone snagged it up. Wouldn't want that to go to waste.

Some of the entertainment from the evening. Guys and gals paraded on and off the stage in an assortment of matching costumes. This one was accompanied by the women wearing bee-keeper outfits. And, Keith's favorite were the shorts and midriff tops with fringe and beads.

Keith and Tikabe, the night-time receptionist at our guest house and Keith's best friend for the week. How long can a guy last in a room with no TV? Apparently, not long.

The station for the coffee ceremony, which was performed for us on the final day, a tradition there. The huge bowl of popcorn? Made just for me.

In the middle is Bisrat, the interpreter sent from God. The little blond is Eve, who is adopting a precious little girl. And on the end is Marty, her friend traveling with her in lieu of Eve's husband. These were the crazy gals next door that we spent the week with. I never imagined how much fun I could have in Ethiopia.

I cannot wait to go back. I will not be coming home alone.