Eithopia Update: Trip 1 Day 2 - Kolfe Boys' Orphanage

We have pretty limited internet access--many times the internet at the guest house isn't working and we're moving from place to place. Having a great time, though, and experiencing many moments that are extremely thought provoking.

We had a whirlwind day yesterday. I was up at 2am, worked out, got on the computer, read a little, and went back to bed. We had breakfast at the guest house, then left to go meet Justice. We stayed in his room about one and a half hours. He's definitely the cutest one in his room, but they are all really adorable. The caregiver handed him right to me and he was fine for awhile, but when he saw his special caregiver he cried for her. They are extremely attached to one another--he climbs into her lap and hangs onto her tightly--more than anyone in his room. This is a good sign and something that we have prayed for, as this facilitates future attachment. It will be a hard beginning adjustment for him but in the long run should be positive.

We went to lunch with four families from Gladney at a nice Italian food place. After, we drove up Entoto Mountain--great scenery. There were ladies and donkeys carrying 150 pound bundles of wood down the mountain. The ladies do this once a day, every day, in order to sell the wood for a living. They are amazingly strong! They looked only slightly irritated when I kept snapping their photo. :)

We headed over to the Ethiopian supermarket to pick up some water and a few other things, then went over to the Abyssinian Lion zoo. Our driver grew up around the zoo and knew all the animals and had a special relationship with them. People were crowding around him to see how he interacted with the animals. He had the lion cub pouncing at the bars at him and the orangutan going bezerk at his antics. Hilarious! After this, the driver treated us to some machiatos (sp?), which are espresso, sugar, and milk.

The ox slaughtering at Kolfe boys' orphanage was last night. We all pitched in to feed all the boys at the orphanage a meal. We bought an ox (Gregg said it was a Brahma bull) and a goat. Someone had to ride the ox to the orphanage and they put the goat in the back seat of the car. They brought tehy ox over and, amid much hooping and hollering (lots of testosterone there and boys running around with giant knives), slit it's neck in the grass and dirt. Several of the boys took a bite of teh raw meat. Christian and the other boys from America (and some of the dads) had a chance to play a soccer game and other traditional games with the boys. One of the teenagers took me on a tour of the entire orphanage--he has been learning english and was excited that I thought he spoke so well. Met one non-verbal, autistic boy whose father had kicked him in the side of the head so hard that it left about 1/4 of his face disfigured. All the other boys gathered around him and cared greatly for him.

Went to traditional Ethiopian food and show for dinner (the feast at the orphange was tonight, after cooking the meat all night--will write about today later). The show lasted about 2 1/2 hours and was full of music, drums, and dancing. Christian got up on the stage at the end and danced with one of the male dancers--he was great!

Just a note about today's visit with Justice: he let me hold him the whole time I was there and even cried a little when I put him down. We saw him take several steps. I got to feed him a banana and Christian fed him his bottle. I think he's already getting more used to me. The only time he has a hard time is when he sees his caregiver (I think it's probably hard for her, too, but she's encouraging him and telling him I'm his mama). We have enjoyed holding and playing with each of the babies in the room and are getting attached to all of them. It's going to be hard to leave here without Justice with us! I'm probably getting a touch emotional about that, but God will sustain us. It was easier with Hannah because we could take her right away and bring her home with us and start loving on her.