This man was one of the guards at the villa. He was 65 years old and very spry. Anytime someone pulled up to the gate and beeped the horn he would run to let them in. He captured our attention as he was putting together this contraption below and we soon realized he was spinning cotton. Apparently he spins cotton most days to help his family. I really enjoyed this man. All the guards would greet you as you arrived or left the property but this man would always salute you. 
More children at the orphanage. I wish I would have had more time to spend playing with them.
This little boy did not want to share his picture with anyone. If I tried to get his picture and he noticed someone intruding into his space he would get a vicious scowl on his face and walk away. I had to really coax him to get this one shot of him. Had he known the little boy behind him was smiling for the picture I'm sure he would have had some choice words for him. Oh, he was spiteful!!
This little girl doesn't really need any explanation. Just super cute!!
And this guy was so patient. I just had to reward him with his very own picture. He was pretty pleased.Upon arriving at the orphanage on Sunday morning I realized we were once again going to witness families meeting and being united forever. Mark hadn't gotten to be a part of this yet so I was excited to see his reaction. I knew what mine would be - tears and a snotty mess. There were three couples from France and they were all waiting for their little boys to be brought to them. This was by far the most emotional meeting I had seen during my stay in Addis. All of the couples were probably mid 20's to early 30's. I'm not such a good judge anymore since I am grouped in with the 30's now. Everyone looks young to me. Two of the woman in particular already had very red eyes and had used numerous tissues. I would have loved to know what their stories entailed. Was this their first child? Had they waited a long time for their son? Eden actually was brought out first and they started crying again. I think it was just the anticipation and seeing us with our baby brought a fresh wave of emotions. Pretty soon a nanny rounded the corner with a handsome little man. Honestly, I am sitting here crying just remembering their reactions. This little boy was around 18 months old and he just sat on his new mommy's lap. She was a beautiful woman and her smile just beamed!! The other two women still waiting were buried in their husbands shoulders literally sobbing. I glanced over at Mark and saw the tears about to spill from his eyes. Now, there is something you need to know about my husband. He has an amazingly tender heart but is not one who cries very often. The last time I had seen him cry was watching a video showing work that is being done in Rwanda with boys who have lost families due to the genocide. Something about Africa stirs up a lot of emotion in him. So, I'm looking at Mark who is visibly having trouble keeping his tears at bay and see a second little boy come around the corner. I could go on and on about this experience. We got to watch these specific couples on Sunday and Monday playing with their boys and it was so clear that all three little boys had different personalities. Each one equally precious and each one finally in the arms of parents. Upon arriving back home I have thought much about the children who remain. They receive amazing care - both physical and emotional. But the fact remains that each one deserves a family. Mark has had a harder time with this than I have. Something happens within you after you have been where we walked. The week that I was at the orphanage I watched 15 children, including Eden, get to go through the blue gate and never have to go back. But I will get to the whole leaving experience on Day 7. Suffice it to say our Sunday morning at Toukoul orphanage was emotional but incredibly life giving. For us and three little boys.
Just a common sight on the city streets. We thought our boys would laugh hysterically if they had a chance to see this.
This is Gabriel, our driver, who showed us this neat trick. If you walk up behind a tortoise so they can't see you and you climb on their back they will still go on their merry way. They will just carry you with them. I still need to tell you about Gabriel - maybe tomorrow.
On Sunday afternoon Gabriel took us out of the city and to one of the surrounding mountaintops to get a panoramic view of Addis. There are seven mountains surrounding the city and of course I cannot remember the name of this particular mountain. The mountain had eucalyptus trees so the smell was amazing!! My sinuses felt clear!! We were a little over 10,000 feet on the top of this mountain. Of course some of my phobias crept in as we drove up to the top. You know-curvy slightly narrow road without any guardrails. I kept telling Gabriel that my life was in his hands. He thought my nervousness was a little bit humorous. At the top the young man in the pink soccer goalie getup gave us a lot of local history and was an extremely educated young man. His English was spectacular!! He told us he has a special English tutor and he aspires to go to the University in Addis. We tipped him a few Birr but he seemed offended at our tip. Gabriel assured us that no tip was necessary and that what we had given him was more than adequate. I am so, so glad we had a driver with us at all times.
This was a view of some of the countryside. Very, very beautiful!!
We visited an old church located at the top of the mountain. The church was in the shape of an octagon and the entire interior from floor to ceiling was covered in paintings. The artwork illustrated and depicted scenes from the Bible. This painting here was of the 12 disciples and how they all met their demise. Some of the paintings were quite graphic and gory.
This was a tomb outside the church. I cannot remember the significance of the person who had been laid to rest here.
This is a painting we bought at a small gallery at the top of the mountain. This man is a fairly well known artist - there were several newspaper articles on display about his painting ability and his style. Of course the painting depicts the traditional coffee ceremony as well as some well known historical buildings in Ethiopia. We can't wait to get it framed and hung in our home.
The view of Addis Ababa from the top of the mountain. The picture doesn't due the view justice at all!! It made me feel quite small seeing the large scale of the city and the surrounding mountains. Truly beautiful!!
These stone walls were everywhere on the way up the mountain. It was to control soil erosion. We just found them fascinating!
Just a common sight on the city streets. We thought our boys would laugh hysterically if they had a chance to see this.
This is Gabriel, our driver, who showed us this neat trick. If you walk up behind a tortoise so they can't see you and you climb on their back they will still go on their merry way. They will just carry you with them. I still need to tell you about Gabriel - maybe tomorrow. 
On Sunday afternoon Gabriel took us out of the city and to one of the surrounding mountaintops to get a panoramic view of Addis. There are seven mountains surrounding the city and of course I cannot remember the name of this particular mountain. The mountain had eucalyptus trees so the smell was amazing!! My sinuses felt clear!! We were a little over 10,000 feet on the top of this mountain. Of course some of my phobias crept in as we drove up to the top. You know-curvy slightly narrow road without any guardrails. I kept telling Gabriel that my life was in his hands. He thought my nervousness was a little bit humorous. At the top the young man in the pink soccer goalie getup gave us a lot of local history and was an extremely educated young man. His English was spectacular!! He told us he has a special English tutor and he aspires to go to the University in Addis. We tipped him a few Birr but he seemed offended at our tip. Gabriel assured us that no tip was necessary and that what we had given him was more than adequate. I am so, so glad we had a driver with us at all times.
This was a view of some of the countryside. Very, very beautiful!!
We visited an old church located at the top of the mountain. The church was in the shape of an octagon and the entire interior from floor to ceiling was covered in paintings. The artwork illustrated and depicted scenes from the Bible. This painting here was of the 12 disciples and how they all met their demise. Some of the paintings were quite graphic and gory.
This was a tomb outside the church. I cannot remember the significance of the person who had been laid to rest here.
This is a painting we bought at a small gallery at the top of the mountain. This man is a fairly well known artist - there were several newspaper articles on display about his painting ability and his style. Of course the painting depicts the traditional coffee ceremony as well as some well known historical buildings in Ethiopia. We can't wait to get it framed and hung in our home.
The view of Addis Ababa from the top of the mountain. The picture doesn't due the view justice at all!! It made me feel quite small seeing the large scale of the city and the surrounding mountains. Truly beautiful!!
These stone walls were everywhere on the way up the mountain. It was to control soil erosion. We just found them fascinating!The anticipation was starting to build for me knowing we were leaving Ethiopia the next night. I could hardly wait to see my boys at home but was already feeling like I wasn't ready to leave this country that I was falling in love with more every day. So, we just returned to the villa for the evening and relaxed in preparation for the long trip ahead.
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