Part 3 of Aaron's travel journal...
December 23, 9:00pm, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The big day!
We got in late last night. Our luggage is still out there somewhere, but that's no surprise since we switched airlines. It was good to sleep in a bed.
Our big day started with a bang. That bang was made by me falling backwards over the edge of the tub, trying to regain my balance by grabbing the shower curtain, and taking the whole thing down with me. I'm still a little sore.
We joined two other couples on the ground floor of our guest house, and headed for the orphanage around 7:00am. It was not the typical way they operate around here--earlier than usual--but we all arrived too late to meet our kids last night. Meeting Misikir and Hawi was a requirement before our appearance in court, which was scheduled for 9:15am.
It's a good thing we went to Universal Studios two weeks ago. The crazy rides prepared me for riding on Ethiopian roads. You would not believe the bumps and divots--more like moguls and pits--on city streets here. And the traffic. Imagine a city with a population around the same as Chicago. Now imagine that population moving in cars and on foot. Now take away all traffic lights, street signs, lane designations and crosswalks. Add sheep, goats, cows and stray dogs. Mix in a generous helping of diesel fumes. Shake and enjoy. Again, you won't believe it until you experience it.
We pulled up to the orphanage, and there were Misikir and Hawi, standing at the gate in real life! They looked exactly like their pictures. Michelle and I stepped out while everyone else stayed behind. (Their children are younger, so they were waiting to go on to the next facility.)
When we stepped through the gate there were about 15 kids standing around, many of them in school uniforms. Since this visit was not within their regular protocol, the orphanage had no one there to guide the introduction process. We said hello to Misikir and Hawi and stood rather awkwardly, trying to figure out what we should do. Hawi's friend asked, "Are you family?" Michelle said, "Yes, for Hawi and Misikir." Misikir lit up and threw his hands in the air. Then he gave Michelle a big hug. I had stepped outside the gate for a moment, so my account of the first hug comes from Michelle's recollection. When I came back through the gate, Hawi was hugging Michelle and Misikir came to me, initiating a long hug. Then I hugged Hawi. It was a great couple of minutes, but we had to go. We told them we would be back later, and they seemed to understand.
Both of the couples we were with also planned to adopt two children each, and they were anxious to meet their kid for the first time. Apparently there is a cold going around the orphanage they are adopting from, and our surprise visit came before the staff could remove the geological layers of snot from some of the faces. But even behind a snot-mask, the kids were beautiful. About 25 of them came and greeted us. While the other couples met their kids, Michelle and I took photos and videos for them.
Back to the guest house to pick up more adoptive couples then on to court.
We took the wild ride further into Addis Ababa with about eight couples in two vans. One of the couples was staying at the very comfortable Hilton, one on a short list of places in Ethiopia that meets Western standards of sanitation. You can even flush your toilet paper rather than placing it in a basket next to the toilet.
As we waited with dozens of people in the court house, we ran into Karl and Heather K., friends from Oshkosh. Karl is a pastor at Oshkosh Community Church and Heather is a friend of mine from Bible camp way back when. They are also adopting two kids. Small world, huh?
After waiting in a hallway, we were moved with the eight couples from our group into a waiting room. This room had about the strangest dynamic I can think of. Structurally, like most of Ethiopia, it was not stunning. The room was a white box with one wall being largely composed of a window to the outside. The walls were dirty, and the tile floor had a thick layer of dust. Along the three non-windowed walls were chairs. Michelle and I sat against a feature-less wall, with the door we entered on the wall to our left, the window wall to our right, and the wall with the door to the judge's "chamber" straight in front of us. What made such a strange dynamic in this dirty white box was the mix of people. Randomly seated around the room were two distinct groups. We belonged to the group of white Americans eager with the anticipation of finally completing the long adoption process and bringing our new children home. The other distinct group was the collected birth family representatives. These were the closest living relatives to the children we Americans are so excited to adopt. For these African parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, this is the last step in a heart-wrenching process. This is a day of finality, and a reminder that they are somehow unable to provide for a child. And there we sat. Together. Staring across the dirty box of a room at each other, quietly waiting to be called in to the judge. Many relinquishing family members left that meeting with tears in their eyes.
Somewhere in that room were Misikir's and Hawi's family.
Our agency's social worker called Michelle and I and one other couple to see the judge. It was a very plain office space. The judge, a woman in her early forties asked us:
- Do you have any children currently?
- Have you told them about your plans to adopt?
- Do they agree with your plans?
- Since your decision to adopt from Ethiopia, have you learned more about Ethiopian culture? (She added here, "It is important that they know about their Ethiopian heritage.")
- Do you know other families who have adopted from Ethiopia?
- Do you spend time with them?
- Have you met the children you are planning to adopt?
- Do you understand that this adoption is permanent?
More happened today, much more, but it is late, and I need some sleep. So that it doesn't leave my mind completely, I'll summarize the other events of the day.
- Return to orphanage
- Meeting Misikir & Hawi's family
- shopping
- food for $20, dessert first
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