Aaron's travel journal--part 1

To get an idea of what our trip to Ethiopia was like here is Aaron's travel journal (I, of course, have his permission to share this)...

Dec. 21, 5:46pm, Munich, Germany


Yesterday at 8:00am we checked into Central Wisconsin Airport (the self-proclaimed "friendliest airport in Mosinee") with a party of six and about 300 pounds of orphanage donations.

The plan was to be in Ethiopia in about a day.  The best laid plans of mice & men often go awry.

There was a remarkable storm in Frankfurt, Germany where we were supposed to land.  Eleven hours, four airlines, two unplanned trips through German security, one bus ride, and a partridge in a pear tree later, here we are--waiting just four more hours from now to board a plane to Dubai.  By the time we reach Ethiopia tomorrow night (God willing) we will have touched down on four continents before getting the chance to once again sleep in a bed.

Incidentally, that's more touchdowns than the Vikings got last night against the Bears (14-40, respectively).  They played at the University of Minnesota stadium, because the roof of the Metrodome collapsed under record snow the night before we were scheduled to fly into Minneapolis two weeks ago (a different trip).  Our kids are going to think delays and cancellations are the rule, not the exception of flying.


In both adventures, the kids have done very well.  Sophie and Isaiah slept during the last few hours on the plane from Chicago to Germany, so they are awake now.  They're working on their own journals and mostly getting along pretty well.  Preston and Michelle are sleeping.  I'll take my turn on the plane in a few hours.

Lufthansa Airlines did a great job rebooking us a timely flight to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia's capital city), even though you can't get there from here.  All six of us (Michelle and I, the kids, and my mom) didn't fit on any one flight.  Instead, Mom flew to Athens first.  She's going to get to Dubai before us although we get to experience Emirates Airlines--a real treat as I understand it.  Honestly.  Then from Dubai we'll fly Ethiopian Airlines, "The New Spirit of Africa."


Of course, all of this travel has a purpose.  We're supposed to meet Misikir and Hawi tomorrow morning (Wednesday, December 22) and legally adopt them in Ethiopian court on December 23.  The court date is firmly set, and we're required by Ethiopian adoption law to meet Misikir and Hawi before being approved in court.  This Munich detour is adding stress to that well-laid plan.  We don't even have any way to alert those involved in this plan--the guest house, the orphanage, our agency--that we're going to be late.


It is my hope that Emirates airlines will thrill us with in-flight wi-fi (even on-ground wi-fi would be exciting at this point).  Then Michelle would alert our agency and the guest house about the best laid plans of mice and men.


(A special thank-you to Carolina F. at Lufthansa, who went out of her way to get us all back on track.  It was no easy feat.)