Pictures

Fleabag, asylum hotel in Harar, Sophie's birthplace. We stayed here 2 nights, cockroaches and all...thanks for killing them Tammy.

With our Harar guide Abdul 

A typically marketplace in Harar.  A picture does not tell the story of the heat, noise, crowd and the aroma's of the food, spices and pollution.

Yes those are really wild hyenas that we feeding!

Our new friends from New York, he is originally from Ethiopia.

SOPHIE!

Mommy meets Sophie

What an incredible day, I was able to witness Tammy meet our daughter Sophie for the very first time.  That was awesome, amazing and humbling.  Uploading pictures on the blog is really difficult so I will try to Facebook them. If you are not a FB friend please request. Sophie has grown so much in the last six weeks and she is so cute. She really likes her mommy. Shortly after getting there Tammy was bottle feeding Sophie and then Sophie fell asleep in her arms, mommy has till got it. It was amazing how she recognized my voice and was always trying to see where it was coming from. She can also crawl a little bit now. Apparently in her crib she pulls herself up to stand as well. Before we went to the transition home Tammy and decided that we were not going to take her that day, rather we would wait until the next day. We felt that this way Sophie would recognize both of us when we take her away. Also it was pretty emotional for us as well and this way we could digest things as well. They had a coffee ceremony for us and Tammy even drank a cup, in 13 years I have never seen Tammy drink a coffee. She said she liked it too, I asked them not to make it so strong and put a bit of sugar in it too.

 

We arrived back at Afroland at noon. By about 1:00 we ventured out for lunch to a place that was recommended call the Limetree. It was further than we thought and took about 40 minutes to walk there. The sandwiches were worth the wait, yummy. On the main floor there was a western style spa where we thought we would get pampered. Tammy got a manicure and I got a massage. Twice during Tammy's manicure the power went out and they completed the work by candlelight. I got brought into the basement which they designed like caves, very cool. A woman came in to wash my feet then Davi came in. My first mansage. He was quite good. The bill for both of us was about $20.

 

After leaving there we went to the supermarket to purchase Sophie's food for while we are here. They transition home showed us exactly what she has been eating so we could buy the same brands and stuff. We bought a couple of bags of cereal, some pasta and formula for Sophie, chips and chocolate for Tammy and a bottle of Brandy for me.

 

When we went for dinner last night the power went out again but that's normal here. At the hotel the backup generator powers the lights but not the plugs. Went to bed and now here we are trying to wait for the internet again.

 

We did a little shopping at Inga Supermarket to buy diapers for the transition home and mineral oil for Sophie's hair. It looks like the net is back up so I will try to post this.

 

This morning, Tuesday we will pick up Sophie and she will be with us permanently. Yeah!

Last Night as a Family of Three

Just got back from Harar this evening.  We left on Friday and flew to Dire Dawa, a very hot city in the valley near Harar.  We took a shared cab, a minivan with about 15 passengers, to Harar. It took an hour but the driving is crazy, pass whenever and where ever you like, just watch out for goats and donkeys.  We were booked in the Ras Hotel, biggest dump I have ever been in.  Tammy killed a cockroach everyday.  We only had water from 6:00AM -8:00 AM and then from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM.   It was fairly dirty.  Yuch.  Lonely Planet described it as a cross between a dorm and an insane asylum, more towards the asylum in my opinion.  But we sucked it up and stayed for two nights.  The morning shower was just a trickle of water.  The only good thing was we discovered a new breakfast, a large fried pancake that is sorta like puffed pastry served with the best honey I have ever tasted.  Harar is an amazing place but very dirty.  The old walled city is one square km but has more than 80 mosques and a couple of churches.  We hired a guide for 300 birr for the day, his name is Abdul and his number is: 091-574-0864.  It was very hot so start early, then take the afternoon off before resuming.  The last place he took us was to the wild hyena feeding station.  Tammy and I both feed these hyenas.  It was pretty scary but we would have regretted not trying it.  Today our flight was cancelled from Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa  but they put us on a flight 3 hours later.  We had to hang out in an unairconditioned hotel lobby.  The cooler indoor temp was 34 Celsius.  Now we back in a nice clean hotel in Addis, Afroland.  I think we will be Sleepless in Ababa tonight.  Solomon will pick us up tomorrow at 10:00 local time (1:00 Mountain time) so Tammy can meet our daughter Sophie and then we will be able to take her for good!  Yeah......one of the last steps of many.  We can't wait.  Then we get about a week of solo bonding time with Sophie here in Addis before we bring her home for good.

First day back in ADD

After a long day and a half of travel, we arrived last night at the hotel Weygoss at 11:30.  It wasn't quite what we were expecting.  I am sure it is fine but the room was much smaller than advertised, had to pay for wireless and they sent a cab to pick us up from the airport and that cost a lot.  Afroland does pickup and drop off at no charge.  This morning at 7:00 AM we walked to Afroland and negotiated a room here.  It does feel like home. Smiles and hugs from many of the staff.  I even saw my driver and friend Marcos washing his car this morning.  Now I have to buy some airtime for my cell, and then go to the travel agent to buy tickets to Harar, Sophie's hometown, where we want to go to tomorrow. I also have to buy a jacket as I think I left mine on the plane when we got to Frankfurt yesterday.

I apologize to those friends that I should have called to tell that we were going to Addis but we simply did not have the time.  I will have a coffee ceremony with traditionally brewed Ethiopian coffee for you when we return.

This afternoon Tammy napped for about three hours and I went with Marcos to the shops at the stadium and got a replacement jacket.  Then we bought a baby bathtub for when Sophie comes to live with us at the hotel. I could sue a nap too but I want to sleep well tonight.

Beginning of the Final leg of an Extremely Long Journey

It's 5:30 in the morning, and I guess 4 hours of sleep is enough.  Yesterday at about 9:00 AM we found out that Sophie now has her travel visa.  This means that we can bring her home at last.  By 11:00 AM yesterday I had booked our flights to go to Ethiopia today at 1:00 PM.  I am so glad that Tammy is so organized that she made sure that almost everything was packed and ready to go, with the exception of our clothing.  A huge thanks goes out to our family who have really stepped up.  Josina's Opa, Oma and Tante for agreeing to drive to Calgary today to take care of her on short notice for a couple of days.  Also to my sister and parents who will drive in from the coast to take Josina for the balance of the trip.  Also to Tammy's Mom who behind, and not so behind the scenes, has been tirelessly working on Sophie's behalf.

The list:
Tickets: check
Medications: check-legal medications that we need for Africa silly
Passports: Check...got them last week
Childcare for Josina: check
Hotel reservation: check..I think...the language barrier can be tough over the phone.  I think we have a room and someone to pick us up at Bole airport?
Cat care: check...big thanks Karen..I hear you are even going to clean the litter!
Lawn care:  check.....the neighbor Winston, his owner will do this, thanks Adrian.  Winston is the neighbors boxer...they're great.

All I have to remember now is to take the suitcase and may sure that i have pants on.  Oh come on we all forget to wear pants once in awhile!

Tomorrow night we will be in Addis Abeba.  I can't wait to see Tammy's expression when she first sets foot on African soil and then when she first lays her eyes on little Sophie.  Yesterday was completely crazy trying to get everything together but the late evening was relaxing.  My good friend Marv called and came over for a glass of wine.  About an hour after he came, his wife, who was out and did not know he was over, just popped in too.  That was great, they have been a great support to us through our entire journey in building our family, it was so fitting that Lee and Marv sent us off with a prayer.

Infertility and adoption have consumed our lives for almost 9 years and finally it will come to an end when Sophie comes home.  I can't wait to have a boring, uneventful life with two girls under the age of three.  Let the drama end....yeah right...a guy can dream.  No seriously no more deadlines, no more forms to fill out that other parents don't have to get completed, no more required physicals, no more waiting for emails or phone calls, no more questions about when she will come home.

Now come all the inappropriate questions because unlike Josina, Sophie looks a little different and is quite obviously adopted.  I hope I can tactfully answer...

• Why did her mother give her up for adoption?  Only one answer: Because she loves Sophie.
• Why did you choose to adopt internationally/from Ethiopia? Look at Sophie, she is who God intended to be our daughter
• Are you going to adopt again?  This is like asking anyone else are you going to have more kids..why or why not?
• Comment or stares of people who disapprove of adoption or international adoption or mixed race families.  May God give us the wisdom to respond tactfully, gracefully and not to lower our selves to get angry.

Tammy is up now, maybe I should shower, won't get to do that for a few days.  I will try to blog regularly over the next two weeks, provided we have power and Internet.  Thanks to everyone who has supported us prayerfully, emotionally and financially and also with your time!

New Video and Pictures of Sophie

My wife's friend Laura was just in Addis to bring her son home and she took the time to take a few pictures and videos of Selam.  Enjoy.

Tammy got her passport today and I found out that mine was sent by Purolator today.  Now all we need is the call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rmOuFIHg6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK0I--uc64E

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

Waiting.......(and some pictures)

It has been a couple of weeks and a couple of thousand miles sionce I last blogged.  I amde it home okay but the jet alg was horrible for about 4 days.  As soon as I had recovered we went to edmonton for a couple of days to see U2.  fantastic show.  Worek has been very bust since returning and that has helped keep me from obsessing about the next trip to Ethiopia to bring Sophie home.  Does anyone know about the potential for an Air Canada strike...this might impact travel options.  Also if anyone knows about visa implications about changing planes in Brussels, Paris or Rome please contact me.  It looks like we can get to Addis using Luftansa or KLM from Calgary but price might be a real factor.  Again if anyone has any suggestions for getting good prices for airline tickets when purchasing at the last minute again please let us know. 

For those of you who have not been to Addis before here are some family pictures and some general Addis pics. By the way I found Addis to be safer at night than Calgary during the day. I also did not find a dirty restaraunt, the were very clean. As far a public washrooms go...I don`t know because I don`t think I used one the entire time in Addis.

Entertainment in an Ethiopian restaraunt.

 Theview from my room at Afroland

 On the front step of Afroland looking down one block towards the main road of Meskel Flower.  The road might be made of dirt or clay but it is probably cleaner than a comprable street in Canada

 The hotle guards.  If you go out for a meal and you have leftovers, these guys really like the food.

Looking up the alley road from Meskel Flower to Afroland.

  The front gate of Abanezer orphange. It`s in a ggood neighborhood and quite secure.

Shopping with Elizabeth for food for the orphange.  This is where your donations were spent.  We did not spend it all and when we return we will buy more supplies.

The store room before we went shopping. Some supplies were just about finished.

Your clothing and shoe donations.  When I returned the next day almost all of the clothing was already being used.  And the kids loved it!  I miss those kids.....They are so happy and fun.  It makes me smile just picturing their faces!

Stacking up the supplies outside that we bought with your donations.

The store room after we restocked the shelves.  Your small or large donations really make a difference. We will be asking everyone again who is able to, make a donation when we retrun to Addis to pick up Sophie.

 My driver and now my friend Marcos at To.Mo.Ca cafe, where you can buy the best coffee in the for about $1.45 per kilo.

 Marcos classic car...1978 Datsun 1210

 Handmade coffee ceremny pots and cups and roasters

Lunch with Marcos.

 Going to court the first time...the judges baby was sick so we had to return the next day.

10 minutes after Sophie became a legal memeber of our family.  The first complete Vlieg family picture.

I will post more pictures of Abanezer and Sophie in the next couple of days.