A Week Back From Surreality

I had to make a conscious effort last night to figure out what day it was and then process the fact that a week ago (late!) last night, we were in court.

How is that?

How could a week have passed since we had for a moment, sat in that room. Just like that, in the blink of a eye, it's over. The whole experienced emanated surreality. Perhaps it's that we are not officially five yet. Or maybe because this journey was three and a half years in waiting. It could be that the intense and immense beauty, history, and culture is simply so rich that to take in even a fraction of it in a week's time isn't humanly possible. I deem part of the unbelievability of it all on the many incredible people (heroes and angels, really) we were privileged to meet and whom we are now blessed to call friends. The knowledge that a wee baby girl, so delicate and content is there, waiting as we are, on one small (crucial) piece of paper, holds some sort of inconceivable weight, too. I cannot get over her beauty. I cannot get past the elegance emanated from one small seven month old being. Mercy, shown on us in the form of this being is surreal. There's no two ways about it.

{a home...right across the street from affluent homes...again, the juxtaposition is great}

Our last full day there was mainly spent with our friend from Entoto Mountain. This friendship was such a gift. Linked up through a (new) friend here in Canada, we caught a better glimpse of daily Ethiopian family life than we could have otherwise. The afternoon of our last full day, he picked us up on his way home from church and took us to his home for our third traditional meal. And coffee ceremony. Yum. On both accounts. There's nothing like a home cooked meal. And there's nothing that could top a home cooked ethiopian meal in this friend's house, with his daughters.

We then had the privilege of walking around the land surrounding his property/house. It was beautiful. Near the airport, we watched as the planes took off. I could enjoy this for hours. There's something magnificent about watching such a giant, take off with such grace.

We overlooked hundreds of indigenous acacia trees (they are beautiful), watched as a river rushed through a valley below.

It was incredible - a part of Addis you simply cannot explore or even realize exists if not in the company of locals.