Ethiopia part #2 & Baby Sweetness

Play yard at Hannahs Hope

Daddy and baby girl -love at first sight

Mama & baby girl Pure love :)

The second we met Baby girl we couldn't

believe how small & perfect she was!

Baby girl instantly connected with us. She never showed

fear, just a slow interest...she would feel our faces, and lean

her little forehead on mine while I talked to her.She loved daddys chain and bracelet. Within seconds of meeting she was cooing and baby talking with us. The special mothers were laughing with us :)

She was looking at me at me like

"Are you who I think you are?"(we had no electricity the morning of our first meeting with baby girl!)

(the guy in the back is Hiyem? sp? ..he is the

nicest man. We spent alot of time with him and he is awesome and very

funny. He made us feel so comfortable, and he LOVED baby girl)




The lobby of the UNION , very pretty.

If you go to the 2nd floor and look out the back window, you will see this families backyard. Each day this women would be outside doing her wash. She owns the chickens and rooster :) she has some brick on her house which means her family did well at one time.

View out our window to the right a bit..yellow tin building is a store front, owned by a well dressed lady, and the tin panel just to the left is a gate for a family home. You gotta love the small pole scaffolding. Looks ricky but it works !

View out the window to the left..this building has been under construction since we started our ethiopian journey i think! Ethiopia is such a contrast of wealthy and poor right next to each other..the yellow home looks very fancy, and it is right next to the very meager tin homes. Everyone co-exits which I found awesome.

This street is HOPPING first thing in the morning and again when folks are coming home for the day. You have to just sit at the window, with it open and see and hear the sounds of Ethiopia. We spent hours enjoying it with Baby girl on our laps..she found it fascinating just like us :)

Union bath room :) not bad

room 103, open the curtains wide and open the large

windows! We slept with them open each night. The breeze

was amazing:)

The bed is very pretty and comfy, we brought our

own sheets and pillows cases. (Ethiopians use

the fancy pillow shams as the case.) Room service

washed our sheets for us too :)



The gentleman at the gate, and his friends all hang out during the day, just waiting to be helpful. The are super friendly and would give us the biggest smiles :) somehow i didnt get a picture of them....
We arrived in Ethiopia late..and the streets were FULL of people all dressed up going out on the town.

The traffic is amazing! Insane and loud and tons of near misses! It really is exciting and funny. We were ready for it, since we traveled in Guatemala too...I wouldnt say it is dangerous, they have a system and it works for them :) ~One horn honk means "dont cut me off, Dont walk in front of me" ~2 horn honks , means I am letting you go" Seriously no road rage :)

At first we thought the city wasnt too poor. Daytime was a rude awakening. It is very poor...but the people are living their lives and are happy. They all seem to be kind to each other. In the mornings a very old , poor gentleman would sit across the street by the telephone pole, begging. Many well dressed ladies on their way to work, would stop and give him money.

When children do come up to you and ask for birr, they are always polite. Never did we have a pushy or uncomfortable situation. EXCEPT for the belt guy while shopping...he was a pain :)

More baby girl sweetness to follow :) Boo is struggling a bit, mostly with attitude. She seems to really enjoy her baby sister but is acting out while adjusting :)