Christmas in Addis!

When you are this far away from home, nothing is the same - not even Christmas. In fact, the day itself is celebrated on January 7th here in Ethiopia. The focus of the celebration is socializing with friends/family and eating. Butchering a goat is common practice for those who can afford it. There are no decorations, no presents and no hype. As refreshing as this may sound, it was not going to cut it for my five year old. So in typical North American fashion, we wrote a letter to Santa. Sure enough, he was able to find us on the 25th and fill the stockings with lots of fun stuff (that surely boosted the local economy)! It was pure joy for me to sit back and watch my boys, finally TOGETHER, experience the magic of the morning....



Thankfully there are a couple of spots in Addis that regularly swarm with international guests - guests who celebrate Christmas on the 25th! And, when you are staying at the Hilton, there is really only one place to go if you want to "raise it up a notch" for such a special occasion.......the Sheraton. It did not disappoint. The decorations, music and atmosphere quickly injected much needed Christmas spirit into us all.







We spent most of the day at the pool, but also slowly wandered though the hotel marveling at the scenery. Although I would have loved to have been with the rest of my family (sipping umbrella drinks on a tropical island in the Pacific.....damn visa), it was indeed a unique experience to be in Addis. My last trip to Addis fell over Easter, so I seem to have the religious holidays covered here!

Blessings and peace to you all.

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."
- Roy L. Smith

Return to HOPE Enterprises

The much anticipated event - our return to Hope Enterprises to spend the money YOU so generously donated!



The purpose of this trip was two-fold. Firstly, and most importantly, to formally donate more than $2000US (almost 40,000 Ethiopian Birr) to HOPE's program that provides meals for the street kids in Addis.



Secondly, to take part in serving breakfast to literally hundreds of these hungry kids.





This may not look like YOUR typical breakfast, but for these kids it is huge...two white buns, one banana and a cup of warm, powdered milk. The kids entered in small groups - mostly boys from 8 - 15 years old. After washing their hands (and in some cases their faces too), they approached our table and politely reached for their breakfast. We handed them their plates and shared a smile. They ate quickly and were off in a flash - many to a special educational program emphasizing basic life skills. It was a bit like a revolving door; kids coming and kids leaving. It was a well oiled and pretty much flawless system. Impressive.

Here are a couple of shots of the kids....








We ran out of plates a few times, so there was always someone washing dishes (usually Nancy).



Not wanting to feel left out, my boys helped wash the cups....



Taking photos at this event was a bit awkward. I wanted to snap more shots, but found myself feeling the same way I do whenever I take a picture of someone less fortunate. They are not some tourist attraction or novelty act. They are people, just like you and me. They deserve some dignity and respect.

Thank you all again for making this possible. Thanks to YOU, 800 street kids in Addis will eat breakfast for almost a month straight. HOPE is funded entirely by private donations, so they rely heavily on outside contributions such as ours! I believe this to be an honest and transparent organization that will carefully put our cash to good use! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

P.S. Just a reminder to those who have emailed me with your amount but not yet mailed me your cheque. Please do so as soon as possible as I will (hopefully) be returning soon to deposit them all!

Guest Blogger....

Jan:

The last 11 days have just flown by! It has been absolutely awesome (and kind of surreal) having my best friend and her daughter here visiting us! Just before they departed for the airport last night, Nancy offered to be a “guest blogger” in an attempt to capture her experiences with us here in Addis. Enjoy!

Nancy:

Besides meeting the newest Achtem....




....and reuniting with our good buddy Luke....



....here are our TOP TEN experiences in Addis - in no particular order!!



1. Peace, tranquility and rural way of life on the Entoto Mountains....









2. Pool time at the Hilton....



3. Visiting Abebeh Gobena - a huge orphanage (for kids who will never be adopted) started by a woman years ago - this woman has had an incredible impact on literally thousands of lives....








4. Lunch at the Koriftu Resort overlooking a crater lake in Debre Zeit....








5. Desserts at the Sheraton Brunch – Luke managed 12 chocolate dipped strawberries.....the rest of us ate at least a baker's dozen of fruit tarts (sorry, too full to take photos)....

6. Being a passenger in any type of vehicle in Addis....








7. Shopping on Churchill Road (no photo - but picture this: a local man asks you if you want to buy his goat - he then carefully lifts up the front legs of the animal so you can get a nice look at its underside)....

8. Helping to feed breakfast to hundreds of street kids (white buns, bananas and powdered milk) - (more details on this adventure in a future blog entry)....






9. Running with the locals on Saturday morning at Meskel Square (photo without runners - but at least you can see the beautiful square)....





10. An evening of traditional Ethiopian food, singing and dancing....






Of course there are way more than 10 highlights from our trip to visit Jan and the boys in Addis but we thought you would at least get an idea of some of the great things we did and enjoyed. Simply spending time with Jan, Luke and Levi was wonderful and I am constantly amazed what a terrific job she does raising these awesome young boys. Luke is such a kind, loving and fun big brother. I can imagine that it has been a tough transition for him here in Addis too, away from his friends at Willows School, his family and buddies (both big and small) on Hamiota Street.




Levi is just a terrific little boy – full of boundless energy and wonderment at all that surrounds him. Every day is a new adventure for him and Arden and I have both felt so fortunate to have met him and spent time with him. Victoria will not know what hits it once he arrives so prepare yourselves!!!




Our time here is Addis has been very special and the memories we have created here will stick with us for years to come. Many of the things we have seen haven’t been very pretty but despite all of the hardships people here seem generally happy and hardworking. Likewise, it is not all doom and gloom - this city is alive with industrious people working hard to make a good life for themselves and I was amazed at the perseverance and determination of so many.


Jan:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Nancy! It was such a special treat having you and Arden here! We miss you guys already and can't wait to get home. Thank you for EVERYTHING! :)

$$$$ WOW $$$$

It is time to send out a HUGE thank you to all those who sent donations my way to help feed the street kids in Addis. My original goal of $450 has been shattered! It was only one short week, but the momentum was astonishing! Grand total: $2340! You guys rock and I am so proud to know you all.

The official donation to HOPE will be made later this week. On the same day, we will participate in the serving of breakfast to all these hungry kids. I will be sure to document our experience on the blog so you may all share in this special event.

Thank you again for getting on board and making my vision a reality! Thanks to your efforts, the street kids in Addis will not be hungry on Christmas day :)

Revolving door

When I left home more than 8 weeks ago, I never dreamt any of my friends would actually venture to the other side of the globe just to hang out with us in Ethiopia. Thankfully, I was wrong! My friend Nathalie (from Switzerland - ok, that’s not exactly the other side of the globe) just spent a week here in Addis. We did our best to show her the city and she did her best to adjust to living with our crazy little family. Some of our highlights over the past week were:

Walking through a 700 year old limestone church atop the Entoto Mountains….



Then posing for a shot inside a cave-like section of the church....



Taking a day trip out to Debre Zeit to see beautiful crater lakes….



Reading stories with the boys….



Paying for (thanks Nat!) then helping to serve 700 meals at HOPE Enterprises….





Although we were sad to see Nathalie leave, we were already preparing for our next house guest! As I write this, a jet is landing here in Addis with my best friend and her 16 year old daughter on board! The next 11 days are sure to be special. I am crossing my fingers that she “bubble wrapped” some Okanagan White Grape Cider for me!

In a perfect world the five of us would all fly home together on the 20th. This, however, would require a Christmas Miracle. If we all ask for one at the same time, do you think it might happen?

Light at the end of the tunnel

As you all know, the process to adopt Levi has been long and complicated. There have been literally hundreds of steps involved. In fact, I have been told that the paperwork for a successful international adoption passes through no less than 200 sets of hands. I am happy to report that we have completed our final adoption-related task here in Addis. This morning, Levi had a complete medical (performed by a Canadian Immigration approved doctor). After the results are reviewed in London England, officials in Nairobi will be notified to issue the permanent resident visa into Levi's passport and it will be returned to Addis - where we will be waiting to board a plane for home!!!

There is really no way to tell for sure how long the medical analysis will take in order for the visa to be issued, as every case is so different. Although the doctor assured me he was a healthy little guy, I suspect the report will sit on a desk in London for at least a week before anyone looks at it. Fingers crossed that we will be home before the end of this month!

For those interested, here is the general shake down of this epic journey. Of course there were multiple steps involved BETWEEN the ones listed below, but it gives you a general time line. As you can see, the full process will take almost four years. My patience has never been tested so fiercely, and on so many levels.

March 1, 2008: Began the process to adopt a sibling for Luke
August 6, 2008: Dossier sent to Addis Ababa
May 3, 2011: Matched with our sweet little boy
October 18, 2011: Court appearance to make Levi OURS
November 3, 2011: Official documents sent to Nairobi
December 8, 2011: Medical tests completed
______________: VISA ISSUED!!!!!!!!!!

“He that can have patience, can have what he will.” -- Benjamin Franklin

$$$$ Thank YOU $$$$

Wow! The outpour of generosity has totally blown me away. We are just half way through our little ten day campaign and YOUR donations have breezed past my original goal of $450. To date, the current donations total $1140!! Right now we have enough funds to feed the street kids for more than two weeks. With just $210 more we could feed all 600 kids for THREE entire weeks. If you are still considering donating to this worthy cause, I will happily accept emails (followed by cheques sent to my house) up until midnight (pacific time) on Sunday, December 11.

The kids in Addis THANK YOU!!!!!

What did YOU eat today?

Every year around this time I get together with friends and family to sew fleece hats and scarves for the homeless folks in Victoria. It is a “feel good” event and attendance is always through the roof. People want to help. It feels good. Period. Because of the obvious logistical challenges, I will not be able to host this year’s gathering. So for this year, I present you with a unique one-time offer. It’s guaranteed to give you that same “feel good” glow. Want in on it? Keep reading….

A few weeks back, a friend of mine asked how she could contribute to HOPE Enterprises (see November 4th blog entry). Shortly after that, another friend wrote to inform me that her six year old daughter had just announced her intention to donate her allowance to HOPE. A few days ago, a family member sent me a message saying that he wanted to donate his Christmas gift money to HOPE to help the kids of Addis.

Through HOPE, and with your help, we could provide 600 street children with food for one entire week. Total cost $450. I realize that December is a very busy time, but if any one of you (or your friends!) would like to make a small donation, it would really go a long way to help these needy kids. I have witnessed these kids with my own eyes - walking barefoot as they scavenge through garbage and beg on the street. Rest assured that 100% of your donations will go directly to feeding these kids. No donation is too small. Thank you in advance for your help!

So, here’s how it works....

STEP 1: Make the commitment to help the street kids in Addis (see video link below).

STEP 2: Write me a cheque (“check” for all my Yankee friends) and mail it to the address below BEFORE Sunday, December 11.

STEP 3: Email me at jachtem@hotmail.com BEFORE Sunday, December 11 to inform me of your donation so I know how many meals to provide.

STEP 4: Feel good.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERUI0oaoi5g

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." -- Mother Teresa



Janice Achtem
2405 Hamiota Street
Victoria, BC
V8R 2N1