Enjoying time with Meti!

Finally I am back on the blog site! We have been trying for two days to get on and have not been successful. Being over here really makes you realize all the things we take for granted back home.

Yesterday, Leigh went to the Alert Hospital while I stayed at the hotel with Meti. Leigh's experience was quite moving. The Alert Hospital is the only hospital in all of Africa that specializes and treats people with leprosy. Doctors come from all over the world to study this tragic disease. It is a disease of the nerve endings and is very painful and leads to awful disfigurements in many cases. At the hospital, the patients do a lot of craft work to raise money for the care they receive. They specialize in cotton items as they receive raw cotton and hand spin it and then weave it all by hand.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or in this case, the hotel), Meti and I were just hanging out. We went down to the pool and sat and ate a nice healthy breakfast of strained sweet potatoes and croissants with a little pineapple juice to wash it down.

After walking around the hotel grounds, we adjourned back to teh room where we were able to watch a bit of the Federer vs Roddick match at the U.S. Open. Meti really seems to enjoy watching sports (at least I am really hoping she does - I need some reason to tell Leigh why I am in the den with the TV on and telling her that Meti insisted, seems like it might work). Of course, I still do not know who won, but ...

When Leigh returned, she was with Ryan and his new daughter Marta.

Marta is eleven and is the second child that Ryan and Abby have adopted. They adopted her in May. They also adopted a little boy who is 15 months old now. His name is Eli and was taken to the States shortly after he was borm pre-maturely. (We are not sure who took him or why) He was only 5 pounds at 2 months old. While Ryan and Abby were living in Texas before they came to serve here in Ethiopia, they adopted Eli. Marta is a beautiful young girl with a mischievious spirit and and enjoyable laugh.

We all went to lunch to get the ol' standby - pizza. It was very good and then we went and did some shopping which Leigh enjoyed very much and me not so much.

As you drive around Addis, there are blue and white mini vans everywhere. Our drivers call them "Blue Donkeys" because they weave in and out of traffic without any care of where they are or what is around them. Apparently anyone can get a license to operate these privately operated bussing service. The cost is only about $12 for the license but of course you have to buy the minivan and cars over here are very expensive. One of our drivers is so excited because he is getting a new Maxima. Well, new to him is 2001 version and there probably are not many cars newer than that on the road. Anyhow, the "Blue Donkeys" operate on a set path and charge about $.20 to $.60 to ride on them and they are just packed full with people. There is a driver and an assistant that sits in the front passenger seat and leans all the way out the window and yells what route they are on so people can stop them as they approach.

Also, as we drove around the city, we saw many signs of the preparations for the Millenium celebrations that will take place next Wednesday evening.

For those of us that do not understand the Ethiopian calendar, it is quite simple. They have 13 months - 12 months of 30 days and 1 month of 5 days or 6 days on leap year. So, if you ever take a job in Ethiopia and they offer you a month's vacation time, better check what month. The new year starts on September 11th or 12th this year because it is a leap year.

All continues to go well as Meti seems to be accepting of us both. Occasionally she lets out a scream as one of us approaches - usually me - but when I pick her up and hold her she calms down and has even laughed a few times. She continues to sleep well through the night with only the 2:00 a.m. feeding of a nice warm bottle of milk interrupting her rest until about 8. We are blessed and very thankful.