Happy Mother's Day!!!
10 years ago
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
We're Home!!!
Aliya is finally home. We flew in June 6th and are slowly adjusting. We had a wonderful time in Ethiopia. The program has changed so much since we last went two years ago. It ran much smoother and they included a lot more.
Day 1
Arrived at airport around 9 pm. Stood FOREVER in line to get our visas and then had to stand in another line to get through immigration. We found all of our luggage and made it through "security" (just a mad dash to get through 1 scanner). After waiting for three more groups to join us we finally made it to the guest house around 12:30 in the morning.
OUR GUESTHOUSE
LILY THE GUESTHOUSE DOG
THE MAIN GUESTHOUSE
Day 2
Woke up and had breakfast at the main guest house. We stayed in the extra guest house with another couple. We went to the office for an introduction and we found out that our daughter along with two other children were at the embassy getting their final check-up for their visa so we would not be meeting them that morning. So we went back to the guest house pretty bummed and waiting anxiously for the afternoon so we could meet her. We were finally able to meet her and words cannot express how it felt to hold her for the first time. The video crew took video footage and took a still picture of our meeting. We stayed with Aliya for about an hour and we then had to go back to the office for the orientation. At the orientation we handed over our paperwork and registered for the trip south. Our orientation person, Jo, went through what would be happening the rest of the week, what to expect at the embassy and anything else.
Day 3
We spent the morning with Aliya. We had lunch at the guest house and then went for an afternoon of shopping. That evening we went to the Crown Hotel for authentic Ethiopian food (although the guest house made much better food) and traditional dancing. We were able to do this last time, but the dancing is still pretty amazing.
Day 4
We woke up at 4:30 to take the trip south to Hossana. Both Aliya and Owen are from this region so it was nice to see their birthplace. It was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive. Our driver was very friendly and very interested in the politics of America especially the race between Clinton and Obama. Dave filled him in and then our driver basically gave us a tour of the country. Ethiopia is so beautiful and it so sad that so many people are living in poverty. We were able to see teff (the main ingredient in their "bread" injera) fields, enset (false banana) fields and the hut housing of the Ethiopians. In Ethiopian society, families will live with their extended relatives and just build another hut on the land. A man builds his own hut when he marries. The drive from Addis Ababa to Hossana was met with small towns very far apart and people walking on the road to and from them. Our driver was very fast and a few times we almost hit dogs, mules, and goats.
IN FRONT OF A TRADITIONAL HUT
Day 5
We spent the morning with Aliya and were able to take her back to the guesthouse. Time for pictures!! After lunch we had to bring the children back to the care center. We then went to AHOPE and the facilities that CHSFS is supporting. This included the hospital that is open to the public and the school for the local children. Then half of the group went to the museum while the other half went to the Entoto market and for coffee. We were in the latter group since we went to the museum two years ago.
Day 6
We toured the care center which was pretty interesting. The morning entailed the going away celebration which was very emotional. They dressed up all of the kids in traditional dress and presented them to the parents. They took a handprint from each child to keep at the care center. They filmed and took pictures of this. The nannies love all of the children and were going to miss them. She was finally in our care!! In the afternoon we made the embassy trip. Two years ago this took forever and we had to wait in an extremely hot room. This time it went much better. The entire group waited downstairs until they called a family. When it was our turn, we went upstairs to the window. The lady asked us a few questions, we signed a paper and we were done!
Day 7
All day with Aliya. We watched a person braid a woman's hair. She went very fast, so I'm not sure I learned anything.
Day 8
There was a cooking class in the morning. I stayed at the other guest house with Aliya because she was taking a nap. Dave went and made some injera. They also did a coffee ceremony which was very neat. We packed and Dave went to the office to get all of her paperwork in the secret envelope. We took some last minute photos and headed off to the airport. Dave and I had a difficult time getting our tickets at the airport because for some reason Aliya's address didn't match our home address? I don't know why this had anything to do with flying home, but it did. We finally got it resolved and headed through. Our entire group flew KLM to Amsterdam. We didn't get a bassinet, but the flight was pretty empty so a stewardess moved us up several rows to a row of four seats and we got all four. Therefore Aliya was able to lay on a seat and sleep. We landed in Amsterdam and said our goodbyes to Savannah, Seattle, Texas, and New York. Three groups plus us were flying to Detroit. Again Dave and I did not get a bassinet, but they moved us to a row of three and we got the extra seat to lay Aliya down.
DAVE MAKING INJERA
COFFEE CEREMONY
Day 9
We made it through immigration rather painlessly. I have to say and we did tell our immigrant guy, that Detroit immigration was very easy and nice. We then said goodbye to the other three groups and headed for our last leg. This time Dave and I didn't have seats together so they moved us and we got almost a bulkhead seat that had three seats and we were again able to lay Aliya down. The entire time neither Dave or I were sick and then we landed in Denver and I vomited several times in the airport. My parents and nephews were there to pick up Tim and Karleen. Diane and Owen were there to pick us up. Finally home!
Day 10
Dave got sick.
Day 11
We are still adjusting.
Day 12
Finally feel like we don't need to take a nap upon waking up.
Day 1
Arrived at airport around 9 pm. Stood FOREVER in line to get our visas and then had to stand in another line to get through immigration. We found all of our luggage and made it through "security" (just a mad dash to get through 1 scanner). After waiting for three more groups to join us we finally made it to the guest house around 12:30 in the morning.
OUR GUESTHOUSE
LILY THE GUESTHOUSE DOG
THE MAIN GUESTHOUSE
Day 2
Woke up and had breakfast at the main guest house. We stayed in the extra guest house with another couple. We went to the office for an introduction and we found out that our daughter along with two other children were at the embassy getting their final check-up for their visa so we would not be meeting them that morning. So we went back to the guest house pretty bummed and waiting anxiously for the afternoon so we could meet her. We were finally able to meet her and words cannot express how it felt to hold her for the first time. The video crew took video footage and took a still picture of our meeting. We stayed with Aliya for about an hour and we then had to go back to the office for the orientation. At the orientation we handed over our paperwork and registered for the trip south. Our orientation person, Jo, went through what would be happening the rest of the week, what to expect at the embassy and anything else.
Day 3
We spent the morning with Aliya. We had lunch at the guest house and then went for an afternoon of shopping. That evening we went to the Crown Hotel for authentic Ethiopian food (although the guest house made much better food) and traditional dancing. We were able to do this last time, but the dancing is still pretty amazing.
Day 4
We woke up at 4:30 to take the trip south to Hossana. Both Aliya and Owen are from this region so it was nice to see their birthplace. It was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive. Our driver was very friendly and very interested in the politics of America especially the race between Clinton and Obama. Dave filled him in and then our driver basically gave us a tour of the country. Ethiopia is so beautiful and it so sad that so many people are living in poverty. We were able to see teff (the main ingredient in their "bread" injera) fields, enset (false banana) fields and the hut housing of the Ethiopians. In Ethiopian society, families will live with their extended relatives and just build another hut on the land. A man builds his own hut when he marries. The drive from Addis Ababa to Hossana was met with small towns very far apart and people walking on the road to and from them. Our driver was very fast and a few times we almost hit dogs, mules, and goats.
IN FRONT OF A TRADITIONAL HUT
Day 5
We spent the morning with Aliya and were able to take her back to the guesthouse. Time for pictures!! After lunch we had to bring the children back to the care center. We then went to AHOPE and the facilities that CHSFS is supporting. This included the hospital that is open to the public and the school for the local children. Then half of the group went to the museum while the other half went to the Entoto market and for coffee. We were in the latter group since we went to the museum two years ago.
Day 6
We toured the care center which was pretty interesting. The morning entailed the going away celebration which was very emotional. They dressed up all of the kids in traditional dress and presented them to the parents. They took a handprint from each child to keep at the care center. They filmed and took pictures of this. The nannies love all of the children and were going to miss them. She was finally in our care!! In the afternoon we made the embassy trip. Two years ago this took forever and we had to wait in an extremely hot room. This time it went much better. The entire group waited downstairs until they called a family. When it was our turn, we went upstairs to the window. The lady asked us a few questions, we signed a paper and we were done!
Day 7
All day with Aliya. We watched a person braid a woman's hair. She went very fast, so I'm not sure I learned anything.
Day 8
There was a cooking class in the morning. I stayed at the other guest house with Aliya because she was taking a nap. Dave went and made some injera. They also did a coffee ceremony which was very neat. We packed and Dave went to the office to get all of her paperwork in the secret envelope. We took some last minute photos and headed off to the airport. Dave and I had a difficult time getting our tickets at the airport because for some reason Aliya's address didn't match our home address? I don't know why this had anything to do with flying home, but it did. We finally got it resolved and headed through. Our entire group flew KLM to Amsterdam. We didn't get a bassinet, but the flight was pretty empty so a stewardess moved us up several rows to a row of four seats and we got all four. Therefore Aliya was able to lay on a seat and sleep. We landed in Amsterdam and said our goodbyes to Savannah, Seattle, Texas, and New York. Three groups plus us were flying to Detroit. Again Dave and I did not get a bassinet, but they moved us to a row of three and we got the extra seat to lay Aliya down.
DAVE MAKING INJERA
COFFEE CEREMONY
Day 9
We made it through immigration rather painlessly. I have to say and we did tell our immigrant guy, that Detroit immigration was very easy and nice. We then said goodbye to the other three groups and headed for our last leg. This time Dave and I didn't have seats together so they moved us and we got almost a bulkhead seat that had three seats and we were again able to lay Aliya down. The entire time neither Dave or I were sick and then we landed in Denver and I vomited several times in the airport. My parents and nephews were there to pick up Tim and Karleen. Diane and Owen were there to pick us up. Finally home!
Day 10
Dave got sick.
Day 11
We are still adjusting.
Day 12
Finally feel like we don't need to take a nap upon waking up.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We're leaving!!!!!!!!
I know it has been forever since I last posted, but things have been crazy around here. We got the news Monday that we will be traveling to Ethiopia in one week!!! We have so much to do. I can't believe we are finally going to meet our daughter. Dave and I will be going and leaving Owen with his Grandma. I know he'll be fine, but it is going to be so hard to leave him for ten days. My sister and her husband are traveling with us. All of us will be staying at the care center which works out so nice. Got to go and start getting things ready!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
We got our referral!!
Finally, after 8 and a half months we received our referral. Here's the story:
Last Thursday I came home to a message from our local agency requesting translated paperwork for the child. I called them back stating that we didn't use them for Owen and that we had not yet received a referral, so I didn't know what they were needing. The woman put me on hold and then came back stating that someone would call me back to talk about it. About ten minutes later, she called back apologizing that she was new and that she meant to call our agency. I called Dave immediately and related the story. We both came to the conclusion that they must have a referral, but were missing some sort of document. So, the rest of the day and into the evening we anxiously waited for our call. By 9:00 pm we hadn't heard anything, so we went to bed sad and confused.
Dave decided to call our local agency the next morning to find out what was going on. He didn't get much information so he emailed our agency that deals with Ethiopia stating what had happened the day before and asked if we had a referral. The woman at that agency emailed us back saying how sorry she was that we went through that, that they did hand out a lot of referrals that week but we didn't have one. She also stated that we were number one on the list and that she hoped that she would receive more referrals by the end of the month.
Dave emailed me saying that he was taking a half day. So, Owen and I came home at our usual time and had lunch. Owen laid down for his nap while Dave watched TV and I worked on a blanket. We sat there very bitterly. At 2:15 the phone rang and I expected it to be our realtor to set up a showing for our house. To my surprise the caller ID said it was our agency in Minnesota. I answered it quickly and our representative said "You're not going to believe it, but we received a handful of referrals today". I quickly got Dave on the phone and we listened while she told us about her.
We are naming her Aliya Agegnehush Zitek and she was born February 5, 2008 in Morsito, Ethiopia.
When Owen woke up, we showed him her picture and the first thing he said was "She needs socks" and then he said "She needs a hat".
We are so thrilled and we hope to travel late May/early June.
Last Thursday I came home to a message from our local agency requesting translated paperwork for the child. I called them back stating that we didn't use them for Owen and that we had not yet received a referral, so I didn't know what they were needing. The woman put me on hold and then came back stating that someone would call me back to talk about it. About ten minutes later, she called back apologizing that she was new and that she meant to call our agency. I called Dave immediately and related the story. We both came to the conclusion that they must have a referral, but were missing some sort of document. So, the rest of the day and into the evening we anxiously waited for our call. By 9:00 pm we hadn't heard anything, so we went to bed sad and confused.
Dave decided to call our local agency the next morning to find out what was going on. He didn't get much information so he emailed our agency that deals with Ethiopia stating what had happened the day before and asked if we had a referral. The woman at that agency emailed us back saying how sorry she was that we went through that, that they did hand out a lot of referrals that week but we didn't have one. She also stated that we were number one on the list and that she hoped that she would receive more referrals by the end of the month.
Dave emailed me saying that he was taking a half day. So, Owen and I came home at our usual time and had lunch. Owen laid down for his nap while Dave watched TV and I worked on a blanket. We sat there very bitterly. At 2:15 the phone rang and I expected it to be our realtor to set up a showing for our house. To my surprise the caller ID said it was our agency in Minnesota. I answered it quickly and our representative said "You're not going to believe it, but we received a handful of referrals today". I quickly got Dave on the phone and we listened while she told us about her.
We are naming her Aliya Agegnehush Zitek and she was born February 5, 2008 in Morsito, Ethiopia.
When Owen woke up, we showed him her picture and the first thing he said was "She needs socks" and then he said "She needs a hat".
We are so thrilled and we hope to travel late May/early June.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Still waiting . . .
So, I thought for sure that we would have a referral by today. I even thought that it would be exactly today since two years ago today is when we received our referral for Owen. We have actually waited 7 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days longer than we had to wait for Owen's referral. It has been a really long week and now that today is half-way over, I have given up hope for a referral this week. And as the wait for referral gets longer, so does our travel date and now I don't think I will miss any part of work. I sure hope next week brings news.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
We are done with all of Owen's "official" paperwork!
We received Owen's Certificate of Citizenship today in the mail. This was the very last document that required "official" put together and involved our government. It only took 7 months to get. By having this certificate, the US government can never say that he is not a citizen. He will have this the rest of his life with a picture of him at 18 months (a very cute picture though).
Although we are done with all of the "official" paperwork, we will still have to submit a written update of Owen with four pictures every year until he turns 18. These will be sent to the government in Ethiopia. A small price to pay to have such a wonderful person in our lives.
Although we are done with all of the "official" paperwork, we will still have to submit a written update of Owen with four pictures every year until he turns 18. These will be sent to the government in Ethiopia. A small price to pay to have such a wonderful person in our lives.
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