December 24, 2010, Christmas Eve in Addis Ababa
What a strange Christmas Eve. From what I understand, Santa's luggage got tangled up in Frankfurt, just like ours. Any deliveries he had planned for the Winowiski kids are delayed indefinitely.
But Christmas isn't about Santa Clause anyway, right? We did go with two other families to an international Christmas Eve service in downtown Addis. It was a lot like home. Christmas songs. Advent candles. Bible readings. The highlight was the candle-lighting at the end. As a reminder that Christ is the light of the world, they gave everyone a candle (about 500-700 people). They turned the lights out and started to pass the flame person to person from the back. When we raised our candles in the air and read Scripture together, it was dramatic.
Christmas in America is going to be a shock to Misikir and Hawi, I am sure.
We had another good visit with them today. Misikir is outgoing, and willing to play soccer, show us school work, and speak some English with us. Hawi is more reserved around us. Michelle is giving her plenty of space. It seems like Hawi is finding people to talk to--mostly the orphanage staff--as a safe way to avoid engaging with us too much. Michelle understands this safety mechanism and says she would do the same thing Hawi is doing. That being said, it was a surprise to me when Hawi got my attention and one point by calling me "Dad." It was a happy surprise.
Preston, Isaiah and Sophie are getting along great with Misikir and Hawi. Today they played some simple games together and had a lot of fun. Misikir keeps two baby pigeons in a drawer in his room. I think he and Isaiah are going to be quite a pair.
Yesterday our visit to the orphanage included face-to-face interaction with the family members who relinquished Misikir and Hawi. We asked them a few questions through an interpreter. Even then communication was difficult.
I'll write some of what I learned in that interview time, and in some time with Misikir's and Hawi's social workers. [Much of this is edited out of the blog for Misikir and Hawi's privacy] Misikir and Hawi came from a region of Ethiopia that primarily speaks one of the 80 languages, so even the national language, Amharic, is foreign to their families. I asked a question in English. Our interpreter repeated the question in Amharic, and a family member translated that into the language spoken by the rest of the family. The answers came to us along the reverse route. Yesterday was almost surely the last time Misikir and Hawi and their families would see each other. That is tragic.
Then we consider other tragedies, like kids begging for money on the streets where we shopped yesterday. Hawi and Misikir, even in the midst of tragedy, have families who gave them the chance to have regular, healthy meals, and education, and the chance to connect to a new family. That is an amazing blessing in the midst of tragedy. I hope they understand that--all of them. It seems like they do.
Michelle gave pictures albums to Misikir, Hawi and their families. They included prints of Misikir, Hawi, their new family and their pending home. They really appreciated the keepsakes.
Well, Christmas Eve ends with some delicious cake from a cafe down the street, Michelle going to bed early, and Isaiah's declaration that Sophie is ruining his life (and Sophie demonstrating that ruining Isaiah's life is indeed a regular item on her to-do list.) How will they dynamics change when Misikir's and Hawi's personalities are mixed in? God only knows.
P.S. A couple of the little boys at the orphanage giggle when they feel my beard. I let them do it, even though I'm not into people touching my face.
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