Day #2 in Addis

Today was day #2 here in Ethiopia….it was another great day! It’s nice and warm here. I’m guessing maybe 80 degrees, slight sun-burn weather. This afternoon at the TH (transition home) when we were visiting our kids, a thunder shower passed through. You should have seen all the kids scrambling. Tadele kept trying to get Ted to go under the roof for cover up on the porch. It actually felt nice! Emi went around gathering up everyone’s belongings and blankets that we all had out on the grass to help everyone. At another time one of the couples’ babies was having a crying moment and Emi went over, held the baby, talked sweet to him, and kissed him on the cheek. Very sweet. Oh my gosh…the cheetos. I got a can of cheetos to let the kids munch on as we sat and played on the blanket. Tadele dove in, orange everywhere! Neither one had ever had them before.


This morning we went to the same great church we went to last year – IEC, which stands for International Evangelical Church. The service is in English, although they have an earlier morning one in Amharic. There are people from all walks of life. Men and women in traditional, beautiful, colorful Ethioipian clothing, people from the USA, and people from many other countries – all worshiping together. The pastor is from the US and he taught on mercy today. What an awesome message it was!

The craziest thing today was lunch. It was at a restaurant called Island Breeze. I had the best quesadilla and refried beans I had ever had! Is that wild or what – I’m in Ethiopia eating one of my favorite foods. I wonder if I was just super hungry, or if it was as delicious as I thought? Some of the other travelers are starting to get sick, but we are both fine so far. :)

Tonight was the traditional Ethiopian dinner that AWAA takes us to. Dinner, dancing (not us, dancers in authentic Ethiopian clothing) and lots of fun. It reminded us of what a great dancer Abrham is, and how he can do those shoulder movements that they guys were doing up there on stage. We also have Ethiopian music at home…we need to pull that out!

Ted has been spending a few minutes every day talking to the guest house’s cook – David. He is getting all kinds of tips so that he can make some great Ethiopian food when we get home. David is so kind…we want to bring him some diapers for his baby when we return for embassy and to bring our kids home.

We really miss Abrham and Hannah. We spend a lot of time figuring out what time it is in Colorado and guessing what they are probably doing. Emi talks about Hannah a lot. She hasn’t figured out the pronunciation though….she calls her “Hanana”. She seems to know a lot of English….well, maybe not a lot, but enough to have fun with. She can also read and write in Amharic and reads a little in English. Tadele….well, so far what we have seen is that he likes to run around, and laugh a lot. They both came running and hugging again today when we arrived. It’s been a lot of fun so far!

Can’t wait til tomorrow to see what it brings.