Words cannot amply describe what we saw, experiences we had, things we touched, 'stuff' we smelled....and the food we ate! But I will make every effort to give you a glimpse into our repertoire of amazing memories!!!
We entered Bole International Airport, after nearly 2 days of flying around the world, to be greeted by stone-faced customs officers. We were given no problems, no slack...just very firm. I do though remember that my officer gave me a welcoming smile and said, "Enjoy!" as I walked into the wide open spaces of this airport.
We were greeted by the friendliest man from the Sadula Lodge, our hotel. He had the most wonderful smile, and he was so warm and welcoming! I instantly felt at ease! I never felt uncomfortable, scared, nervous...I was very 'at home' there. We walked out to the van into a cold, rainy dark night. What else could we have expected...it's the rainy season! Our driver loaded the luggage and we were set. I quickly took initiative and asked the driver, "Can I sit in front?" His reply, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" I don't think many requested that! But I wasn't going to miss ONE OPPORTUNITY in this trip...I was taking full advantage of being in this country. We played shy in Guatemala because we had to because of safety concerns, but here...not an issue! So I plopped my big, white American self up front to see all that I could see!!!!
(Yes, that's a Sweetie-Pie Pantry pie box!!!! Haha!!!)
We arrived to the hotel just in time for the 9:00 pm hour. We were exhausted...but not too exhausted to go out to dinner with our contact in-country!! Haha! So, not too long after arrival, we were in an Americanized pizza house!!! Anything other than airline food was great!!! And Josh experienced his first Ethiopia beer!!! Our contact was sure to encourage the beers!!!
Arrival, July 23, 2010
That night was also the night that we provided all of the donations to our contact. It is suggested that we provide them to him, he will divide them between the orphanages, and then give to the items based on who-needs-what. I am confident that all of the kiddos will benefit from all of your donations! Thank you again!
We then packed it up at the restaurant, then packed it up at the hotel so we could wake early to travel South to Awassa. Let the sleep deprivation prevail, and let the experiences of amazing proportion begin!
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