"The First Meeting"

Recieved 9-26-08 at 9:38 am
Kamille Writes:

We work up early this morning... I did sleep fairly well. There are dogs that bark all day and night, as well as a church with some sort of singing or chanting that also goes on all day and most of the night. There is a holiday here call Meskal going on (Google it for more info). Anyway I think that might be why we can hear sounds coming from the church/temple all day.

So, as I said, we woke up early today and ate pancakes for breakfast, with syrup. Here at the guest house they do cook us more "American" type Food. After we were done eating we all loaded into a bus I think there are 9 families here, we fill up the bus. We traveled over to the Care Center where the children are.

First let me tell you what I can't tell or don't know. I have no idea how long it is from the guest house where we are staying to the center where the children are. I was there on the bus I recall us swerving to avoid a bunch of donkeys and later a group of goats. I remember see children heading off to school in their uniforms. I remember getting off the bus to enter a building and there was a little (maybe 5 or 6 year old) holding out her hand begging for money from us. HEART BREAKING! I can't tell you much about the first stop at the office, just that we did stop at an office before we went to the care center. I don't know what they told us at the office and again, I don't recall the trip from the office to the care center. I just can't keep any of it straight in my head.

Finally we did arrive at the care center, we got off the bus and there was a line of children sitting near the bus in a line - older kids (4 years old and older), they were getting on the bus to go to school. Just behind them there was another group of children playing in a secured area. My eyes scanned the area looking for our little boy. The key indicators of his uniqueness to me - black curly hair, and short little guy - was not nearly as unique in this particular setting. Jamie spotted him first, "There he is". OOOOh yes, there he was, we think he may have recognized us, but I suppose the possibility of that is the same a 12 hour old infant smiling at his mother. Let the proud momma believe he recognized us. Looking exactly like the pictures. The biggest smile you have ever seen. He ran to a young man who was helping with the children. The young man picked him up and swung him around and held him upside-down. He was loving it. Then he and the young man walked towards us (we were supposed to be signing in or something, but I didn't care... I was looking at my little boy and if someone really needed me, they could drag me away). So as they walked towards us Tamene stops to give a greeting of familiarity between him self and Ato Girma (the man who guides us through the process). Tamene proceeds to play with him by "hitting" him in the stomach - no injury or aggression, just seemed like a game they played.

I called his name, I did not approach assuming that actually would be against the rules. He did turn towards us ran a few steps picked up a rock and threw it in our direction. Again, more of a playful attempt to get our attention than anything else. Jamie, Trent and I laughed and exclaimed that he is definitely Naven's little brother!!

So I had to go, we had to sign in. Next they packed all of our families into a tiny room where they called us one at a time to meet our children so that they could video tape the experience. We were one of the last families to be called to meet our child. I can't tell you much about being in that room, other than we told the other families, we saw our little boy and "he threw a rock at us", we all laughed. Then it was finally our turn. We were escorted down the stairs to an area where all the children were playing. Tamene was playing with a small alligator-type toy and we got him to play with us with the toy, passing it back and forth. Jamie was in charge of all of our belongings, so I told her to give me something else to get his attention, match box cars... he loved them. We continued to play and he took turns interacting with Trent and then with me. Jamie started blowing up a beach ball and then he went to sit on her lap. He came back to Trent and I and let each of us hold him.

I held him, I kissed him and I felt his hair, I smelled him, and I was already so completely in love with him. He even snuggled in for a brief moment before deciding that he wanted to play again. He also snuggled in with Trent and of course loved when Trent tickled him, turned him upside-down and threw him in the air.

We took him outside to play for a bit. He had fun and is a great aim for kicking any ball you throw at him. Trent threw a blow up beach ball, it hit him in the head (very light, no injury, nothing....) he proceeded to lay down on the ground and act as though he has been bowled over. So cute, I went to help him up, but he popped back up and went after the ball again.

All in all, our time to meet him today was brief, maybe and hour - but it went so fast. As we were leaving he was looking through a glass door at us. He was still holding tight to the matchbox cars and now banging them against the window. Trust me it was cute, not naughty. Then he pressed his face against the window, stuck out his tongue and drug his pressed face down the window. All the parents were standing there and we all laughed as it was quite a sight.

We left, I was in shock. I don't recall much of what happened after we left either. Some more swerving to avoid animals in the road (keep in mind this is a populated area we are in, "city" does describe it well, just that animals are wondering about).

We will not get to see Tamene until tomorrow. But tomorrow we will spend the morning with him there are the child care center and then bring him back here to the guest house so spend the afternoon with us.

We did receive a menu today of foods that they feed the kids, the food on Tamene's list reminds me a lot of what my dad eats or talks about eating when he was a kid.

Hugs and Kisses from Ethiopia!!

We are all doing well, hope everyone is well there too.
(p.s. we have not been able to access a phone/phone line, etc. - and computer access is intermittent.)