Our last day in Addis…a bittersweet day. I hated to say good-bye to Kabaina but I was anxious to get home to my other kids.
We started the day off with a visit to the Care Center to see Kabaina and tell her we were going home. Our last day happened to be the first day for Mike and Laura, another family from our agency. We waited for them to arrive and then went straight to the Care Center. The difference in Kabaina from day one to day five was amazing. She was smiling, interacting, talking a little louder (not much), and happy.
We took a few last pictures together, blew bubbles, and I handed over all my gum and snacks (I had planned to take them with me on the airplane ride home) over to Kabaina. Kabaina also took me to her room where she crawled up on her top bunk. She pulled out a small handmade doll from under her mattress. She handed it to me and said, “Bailey.” Oh. My. Goodness. It was a sweet moment. God is already preparing these girls to be sisters. She was all smiles as she handed over one of her very few possessions as a gift for her new sister.
Joel came to the Care Center and helped us explain to Kabaina we would be going home that night. She seems to understand the process and asked if we would come back soon. We promised we would be back just as soon as we could. I love knowing she wants to come home with us but hated having to leave her. I am thankful Joel made this conversation possible. It was fun to see Kabaina’s face light up when he walked over to her.
We wanted to get a few pictures before we left. Nick motioned for Kabaina to sit on his lap. She grinned, shook her head no and came and stood next to me. We all had to laugh at that, including Kabaina.
On her way to being a momma’s girl.
When we left the Care Center we went back to Lucy’s for another great lunch. Portion size in Ethiopia is extra-large. Several times I had a waiter or waitress ask if something was wrong with my food because I could not possibly eat the amount they served.
With full bellies, we drove up Mount Entoto and saw the women carrying large loads of wood on their backs. Earlier in the week we bought scarves from former wood carriers. It broke my heart to see women climbing a mountain only to return with so much weight on their backs. We were told some women make this exhausting trip two to three times a day!
At the top of the mountain we saw an amazing view of the city. We also were at the location of the first church in Ethiopia built by Emperor Minilik.
And a picture with the oldest Eucalyptus tree in Ethiopia.
We dropped Mike and Laura off at the hotel and Nick and I grabbed our luggage and hung out with Joel for a few more hours before we headed to the airport. We went back to Kaldi’s for one last caramel macchiato. There were several young boys selling books, CDs, and DVDs. I bought Kabaina a Children’s CD in Amharic but I declined the book on spoken English.
Joel took us to two local malls and a grocery store. It was interesting to see the prices of a variety of items. In the mall, clothes cost roughly the same as they do at home but a two dollar bottle of lotion was seven dollars in Addis. It was also my first time to walk through metal detectors before entering a grocery store. I guess I did not look as suspicious as the people who were patted down before buying fruits and vegetables.
My craziest and oddest experience happened just before we boarded the airplane (and I am wondering why I have not heard of this before so I would be better prepared!). We were waiting at the gate to board the plane and I decided to be brave and use the restroom before boarding. We had been warned about the bathroom in the airport so I was leery but had no choice. When I got to the bathroom a women sitting on the floor jumped up to escort me into the bathroom. So far, strange but okay.
Once inside the bathroom, I saw three stalls. The first one appeared to be occupied so I headed towards the second stall wondering how I was going to get rid of the women holding my arm. My bathroom guide immediately said, “No, no!’ and started directing me towards the first stall. To my shock, she opens the door (I have no idea why it was not locked) and ushers the lady using the bathroom out of the stall! The whole time I am saying, “No, it’s okay…I can wait. Please, go ahead!”
The lady in the bathroom did not seem as shocked by this whole crazy experience as I still am. She left and my guide proceeded to clean the toilet, put fresh toilet paper on the seat, kiss my cheek and tell me thank you before she left me alone. Believe me, I made sure I locked the door!
Overall, we had a great trip and made so many memories in the country where our daughter was born. I can’t wait to get the green light to bring this beautiful girl home.
