Friday, February 25, 2011

He isn't, but I am.

Seth isn't smiling, but I did when I saw his update pictures this morning!!! Seth is 21 months old on Monday and looking more like a little man everyday. I miss him and love him so much.
We have come upon another bump along the way to bring Seth home. We thought we were "in the clear" and had hoped that Seth's paperwork would be on its way to Nairobi to begin the final countdown in this endless journey. But we learned last week that we have a few more obstacles to overcome - and yes, this has everything to do with our unique court experience. We have no idea how or when things will be back on track. We pray and hope for a quick resolution and will continue dreaming about the day Seth is safely home and in our arms forever.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Things I had only seen in pictures...

Where some call "home".

Getting from here to there.


Proud beautiful faces. Mother and child.
Making a living.

Around Addis

A few more shots I wanted to post...

The Moms (Alicia, me and Cathy) - Overlooking the city of Addis Ababa.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sabahar Silk Factory

One of my stops in Addis was the Sabahar Silk Factory. The fabrics are absolutely gorgeous, with so many colors and textures to choose from. By Ethiopian standards the items solid at the factory would likely be considered expensive, but a whopping $10 for a 100% silk scarf seemed pretty fair to me!

The silk is called "eri" silk and is hand spun from the cocoons from eri caterpillars. Eri silk worms are laid as tiny eggs. A few weeks after they are laid, they hatch into tiny worms. For three weeks they continue to grow into fat, two-inch worms. The grown eri silk caterpillars produce white cocoons. After about two weeks, the eri silk worm emerges from the cocoon as a butterfly. The butterflies mate and lay eggs and the cycle begins again.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Merkata Market

Of all the places I saw in Addis Ababa, the Merkata Market was, by far, the most fascinating for me. I could have spent hours there just people watching and taking in all the movement and goings-on. It is known to be the largest open market in Africa - it's HUGE - it doesn't seem to ever end. My best description of the Merkata would be "organized chaos" - at first glance it seems completely chaotic, but as you look more closely it reveals carefully organized sections with different areas for different products - clothes, produce, spices, plastics, hardware, metals, fabric, etc...

You know when people say "the pictures don't do it justice", well, that has never been more true than these pictures. This is the place I want Chad to see more than anything.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Adama

The drive to Adama was incredible. I took so many pictures along the way, it was difficult choosing which ones to post. The landscapes, the contrasts, the diversity, everything was so amazing to see.
Here are a few shots of the city of Adama. We did not spend a lot of time around Adama. And admittedly, site seeing was the furthest thing from my mind as we arrived. I can hardly remember much of that day - I saved all my memories of that day for my time with Seth, which of course are etched in my heart and mind forever...
These pictures are as close to Seth's orphanage as I could get. The sign, the road, and the entrance gates...We hope to go back on our return trip and take some of the inside, so we have something to show Seth about where he lived in his first 18 months of life.

More to come...