St George

St. George is the patron saint of Ethiopia, as well as England. Vivi's grandma, who was born in England, used to talk about the story of St. George and somehow over the years our family has grown an attachment to this Saint.



So when Mawerdi's grandma came to visit we decided that we must visit the St. George Cathedral. The cathedral was commissioned by Emperor Menelik to celebrate his defeat of the Italians in 1896, with the St. George icon being carried into this battle in Adwa. The cathedral was completed in 1911. Both Emperor Selassie and Empress Zewditu were crowned here. The octagonal cathedral is neoclassical in style with an interior containing murals and a stunning blue ceiling with gold stars. The priest demonstrated various chants and prayers, which Mawerdi loved!

Mural of St. George defeating the dragon

Candles used for night services

Another wonderful family outing together in Ethiopia, although we will eventually leave this amazing place the culture, history and people will always remain in our hearts and home!

Vivi's great grandfather's statue of St. George

“The price of Liberty is eternal vigilance and the price of wisdom is eternal thought”

 ~ Frank Birch

Grandma comes to Ethiopia

Grandma has been waiting to see Mawerdi since the first time she laid eyes on her, when we first got our referral. When we started looking at travel dates she was overjoyed at the thought of visiting Mawerdi's birth country. It was a long flight all by herself, but the reward was priceless. From the first time their eyes met they became not only family, but friends! Grandma is loving every minute with her precious granddaughter and Mawerdi is loving all the attention and love that a grandma gives! It is a wonderful gift to Mawerdi to know when she is older that her grandma not only saw the country she was born in, but also the orphanage she lived in for the first few months of her life! Grandma has enjoyed not only seeing the sights in the city but also enjoying the rural areas around Addis. We are all grateful for this time together!

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. -- Author Unknown

“We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world - 

or to make it the last.”

 ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy 

Portuguese Bridge and Debre Libanos Monastery

We had another wonderful day trip outside of Addis, we went about two hours north. The countryside was breathtaking and it was interesting to see different types of Tukuls. Each small town we passed through was unique, and we enjoyed just watching the people and landscape as we drove by.

We stopped at a "overlook" site and met many beautiful children selling amazing hand crafted baskets. We wish that we could have bought them all, but we enjoyed the interaction and repeated "Betam Konjo, Betam Gobeze" which means, "very beautiful, very talented."

We visited Debre Libanos, which is one of Ethiopia's holiest sites for the Orthodox church. This 13th century monastery is tucked away beneath the cliff located above the impressive Blue Nile gorge. The monastery was founded by the priest, Tekla Haimanot, one of Ethiopia's most revered saints today. Unfortunately the original monastery was destroyed as a result of the Christian and Muslim wars, but a new monastery was built in 1961 during the era of Selassie. The monastery has amazing and large stain glass windows and stunning mural paintings. Minutes up the hill is the Tekla Haimanot's cave, where it is said that the saint prayed for so many years standing on one leg, that the other leg fell off.

The nearby Portuguese bridge overlooks the Blue Nile Gorge. The walk to the bridge provided sweeping views of the gorge, and was lined with huge cacti. The bridge is believed to have been built in the 16th century by the Portuguese, although some say that it was built in the 19th century by Menelik's uncle. Either way, it was a wonderful stop and we enjoyed the peaceful rest and stunning views.

It was a beautiful day outside the city, Ethiopia is such a beautiful country and we just wish we had more time to explore this incredible place! Mawerdi loves riding in the car and taking day trips, she is already a traveler!

Holy Trinity Cathedral

We have been looking forward seeing this beautiful cathedral for years. This cathedral is the second holiest site in Ethiopia, second only to the St Mary of Zion church in Axum. The architecture is incredible with spindly pinnacles, numerous statues of saints and angles, and the large copper dome. This is also the final resting place of Emperor Haile Selassie and his wife Empress Menen Asfaw. Their thrown, made of white ebony, ivory and marble, remain inside the church where they originally resided. Also inside there are large murals and stain glass windows depicting stories from the Bible. The priest who walked us through the cathedral had a wonderful sense of humor and was very kind. He said that their sermon sometimes includes 3,000 people and they have three services a day!

Behind the cathedral is the Selassie museum which holds several crowns of various Emperors and Empresses, along with old bibles, Orthodox crosses, other relics and gifts from various countries. These items had such historic value and were truly beautiful and breathtaking!

Just south of the cathedral is a memorial and the graves of the ministers killed by the Derg. The churchyard also holds the final resting places for several patriots and priests. This was a very touching and memorable visit. We feel to lucky to be able to experience a place we have known about for over 15 years!

“I believe deeply that we must find, all of us together, a new spirituality.”

~ Dalai Lama

Introducing Mawerdi

Since we just received our court decree we are finally able to post pictures of our daughter! From the moment we saw her face we knew she was meant to be our daughter, anyone who has adopted knows that feeling.

This was her referral picture (Dec)...her smile melted our hearts! We decided to keep her birth name Mawerdi, meaning "my flower", which couldn't have been more prefect for her and our family. Her birthday is the day our dossier ARRIVED in Ethiopia, it is kismet.

We received this updated picture in January. We couldn't help but notice how much she has grown and our arms continued to ache to hold her. Although we knew the orphanage is doing their best to care for this precious child, we were eager to bring our daughter into the family where she will be wrapped in endless love!



We received this picture of Mawerdi in February. We could be wrong but we think she might have put up a fist pump knowing that we would be soon arriving in Ethiopia. We couldn't help but again notice that she is getting older without us, but we are so thankful to know that we don't have to wait another day to be with our daughter.


Our daughter is from the amazing area of Dire Dawa, it has a very long and interesting history. Unfortunately due to how close Dire Dawa is to Somalia we were told NOT to visit. If we didn't have to think about our baby we might take that chance. However when she is older, and the area is a bit more peaceful, we plan to return and visiting this beautiful area!

We can't believe that we are FINALLY and OFFICIALLY her parents, welcome to the family Mawerdi!

Here is a picture of when we first met our daugther....

Our first family photo

By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." 

~ Author unknown

Monkey Town/Sodere

We took a nice 1 1/2 hour drive outside of Addis to Sodere, also referred to as Monkey Town, where several monkeys live. The drive itself was incredible, observing the beautiful countryside, the everyday lifestyle, soaking up everything! There was so much to see in such a short amount of time.

 Here are some pictures that were taken during our drive.

Sodere was a wonderful place, it seems to be a local hangout. It was so fun to watch all the monkeys playing and chasing each other around! The best part was watching a dad groom the mom while she was holding her baby monkey.

After we left the monkeys, we decided to go to the local swimming pool! Since it was the weekend it was packed with locals. There was beautiful Ethiopian music playing and everyone was enjoying the refreshing pool. Pete decided to not only swim, but jump off the high diving board, doing a huge cannonball which the locals loved it. It was nice to experience what the locals enjoy. This beautiful place is in the middle of nowhere it seems, but the experience was unforgettable. After we took a refreshing swim we decided to play football with the guard there, the guard really enjoyed himself and so did we!

On the way back we stopped by a true Toukoul and met a lovely family. They were so proud and invited us into their home. They were a very beautiful family and we felt honored to have met them and to see their way of life.

On the way back to Addis we stopped by Debre Zeyit to see a beautiful lake. It was gorgeous, and again a local hangout, a holy place of the Oromo people. What a wonderful way to end the day!

"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man." ~ Edward Steichen

Mount Entoto

We took a nice 45 minute drive up to the Entoto Mountains, the highest mountains in Addis and site of Menelik's former capital, which provides amazing views of Addis. While we were driving up the mountain we noticed young and old women, as well as some children, bringing Eucalyptus branches down the mountain to their homes for firewood. Most of these wood bundles weigh around 50 pounds! Some people have donkeys that help them carry the wood, but the majority of the women have only their backs to carry this wood. It is truly an incredible site! As we drove up the mountain the smell of Eucalyptus was so sweet and refreshing. Some people refer to this area as the "lungs of Addis." It was a gorgeous drive!

Located on top of the Entoto Mountain was a beautiful museum which displayed artifacts of the history of Menelik the II and Selassie. At the end of the presentation the guide looked to us and said "this is not only our culture but now your culture too", Vivi couldn't help but get tears in her eyes. It was a very tender moment, we feel blessed to be here to experience everything in abundance. He bowed in respect and we did the same.

Next to the museum is the first church of Addis Ababa, Entoto Maryam Church, which hosted Menelik's coronation in 1882. Behind the church is the very historical place where Menelik II resided and built his palace, this is also where Menelik II and Queen Taitu founded Addis Ababa. It was wonderful to walk around the area, observing the intricate detail on the church, as well as enjoying the fresh air and unbelievably beautiful landscape and view of Addis.

Entoto Maryam Church

 

Menelik's Palace

       "Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is." ~Maxim Gorky

T.I.A.

T.I.A. This If Africa is a common phrase we hear. We had heard this phrase while we were the US however we regularly hear this phrase while being in Ethiopia and know we understand why. So here are some pictures of the common sites we see here, as well as some common "themes" here in Ethiopia, Africa.

~ As our driver, and good friend, says "Anything is possible in Africa."

~ In African time people start the clock according to the sun. So when we say it is 3pm in the afternoon, they consider it to be 9pm. Also, even though meetings might have a "start" time, it doesn't mean that is when the meeting actually starts.

~ Instead of a neighborhood dog there is a neighborhood donkey that roams around.

~ People are not required to have car insurance, if you get into an accident you try to work it out with the other driver. Or, like the other day, when someone hit a cow he had to pay the farmer for the cow.

~ The majority of the policeman stand on the streets and just whistle/wave down a car to give a ticket (we have only seen one motorcycle cop), and believe it or not the people actually pull over!

~ There are policeman with rifles everywhere, and you are not to take pictures of them or any government buildings, banks, or any embassy.

~ It is not uncommon to have a sugar or gas shortage. During the sugar shortage you will see a long line of people waiting for a ration, sometimes waiting hours. During the gas shortage you are rationed sometimes to only 200 birr gas.

~ The Christians and Muslims get along, in fact during the Christian holidays the Muslims will watch over the Christian neighbor's homes while they are gong, and visa versa.

~ It is not uncommon to see a goat strapped to the top of a truck or taxi, especially during Fasika!

~ Despite the struggles everyone is loving to each other and there is a very big "community" feeling which is displayed through their interactions.

~ As we found out, if the freeway is closed in a certain direction there aren't any warning signs or lights, instead just 6 huge boulders placed in the road right next to the exit. Good thing our driver was paying attention!

You will frequently see people selling vegetables and items off the side of the road

All the kids wear uniforms to school

The kids are so affectionate to each other. It is not uncommon to see boys holding hands even, all the kids love to laugh and play together.

The vendors/stores are spread throughout small and large neighborhoods.

There are churches throughout the city, often two different denominations across the street from each other.

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

Mosque

A view of Addis from Entoto Mountain

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed” ~Gandhi