We haven't really shared a lot about our 2nd trip to Ethiopia - a lot of the reason being that we didn't have internet access at our hotel for the 2nd trip. It was very disappointing to us, as being out of contact with the rest of our family made us feel even farther away. But, we still want to share about the adventures, as much for you, the Blog reader, as for ourselves - so we can chronicle our adventures......
We left Columbus very early the morning of May 28th (Memorial Day) and flew to Dulles Airport (Wash. D.C.) to catch our non-stop flight to Addis Ababa. While we were at Dulles, we caught up with another couple, from Columbus, who were heading back to Addis to attend Embassy the same day we were scheduled to and bring home their daughter also. We had all been in Addis at almost the same time on our first trips, but we didn't know each other until someone connected us after we had all returned home. Here is the "before" picture for the 2nd trip.
The flight was looooong. Neither of us slept more than 3 hours and we were uncomfortable, eager to get there, etc. We were so thrilled to finally land! As we got out of the airplane shortly after 7:00 a.m. and into the open air, we could smell the spices and incense and all the wonderful scents that confirmed our arrival back to this wonderful place!
We got to our hotel and quickly got a taxi. We had a tour scheduled at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital http://www.hamlinfistula.org/ If you are not familiar with obstetric fistula, we'd really encourage you to visit the website and learn more. It is a devastating condition that can leave women hopeless and alone. But, the Hamlin Fistula Hospital is doing amazing work to restore life and hope to these women. The hospital is a gorgeous place of gardens and peacefulness. We were able to see some of the patients and learn about the work being done to help so many. It was an amazing visit - just one more thing that we can hardly put into words. If you'd like to learn more and still need a book to read this summer, we highly reccommend http://www.hamlinfistula.org/our-hospital/autobiography.html This is the book that Vicki read which led us to visit this place and see it first hand.
After the hospital and lunch, we went out to do some shopping. At that point, we were starting to get very tired, as essentially, we had been up for more than 24 hours. We finished up our shopping, went to get some dinner and went to bed. We slept from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next morning. We needed our rest, as the next day we were going to pick up Martha........
We left Columbus very early the morning of May 28th (Memorial Day) and flew to Dulles Airport (Wash. D.C.) to catch our non-stop flight to Addis Ababa. While we were at Dulles, we caught up with another couple, from Columbus, who were heading back to Addis to attend Embassy the same day we were scheduled to and bring home their daughter also. We had all been in Addis at almost the same time on our first trips, but we didn't know each other until someone connected us after we had all returned home. Here is the "before" picture for the 2nd trip.
We got to our hotel and quickly got a taxi. We had a tour scheduled at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital http://www.hamlinfistula.org/ If you are not familiar with obstetric fistula, we'd really encourage you to visit the website and learn more. It is a devastating condition that can leave women hopeless and alone. But, the Hamlin Fistula Hospital is doing amazing work to restore life and hope to these women. The hospital is a gorgeous place of gardens and peacefulness. We were able to see some of the patients and learn about the work being done to help so many. It was an amazing visit - just one more thing that we can hardly put into words. If you'd like to learn more and still need a book to read this summer, we highly reccommend http://www.hamlinfistula.org/our-hospital/autobiography.html This is the book that Vicki read which led us to visit this place and see it first hand.
After the hospital and lunch, we went out to do some shopping. At that point, we were starting to get very tired, as essentially, we had been up for more than 24 hours. We finished up our shopping, went to get some dinner and went to bed. We slept from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next morning. We needed our rest, as the next day we were going to pick up Martha........
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