We had some other wonderful adventures today. Court was held in a newer part of town so there was a lot of construction around us. This is a building being built. They use wooden pole scaffolding when they build.
This is one of the largest homes I've seen in Addis.
There are small stores all over the city. Most sell a variety of everyday items.
This particular store is selling mattresses and furniture.
There is a lot of other construction around the city. They are in the process of putting in a rail system.
In many of the round-a-bouts there are memorials or statues.
This street is getting a cobblestone sidewalk. The street is very long and people are putting them in one by one.
Here is a view of the southwest side of the city.
There is a lot of machinery that goes with all of this construction!
After court we headed out of Addis Ababa to go pick up Miss "M^" from the orphanage in Woliso. It's about a 3 hour drive from our guest house.
We were able to see the country side abuzz with activity. Since it's the rainy season farmers are preparing their fields to plant. There were countless men in the fields with their team of animals pulling a plow. There were women in the fields wedding other crops. Children were tending to herds of animals. There was much activity.
There was a lot of construction of housing in the country as well. Here's a house in the process of being built.
Here's some existing homes in the same style. There are many family plots that include multiple buildings surrounded by a fence.
Some of the homes were also rectangular. Many yards had stacks of hay for the animals. There were also stacks of flattened and dried animal dung. They are used for fuel for the fire.
Some of the homes had tin roofs with mud walls.
We finally arrived at the orphanage. My heart thudded with excitement. We entered and the orphanage director met us. We were invited to sit in the office and wait for "M^" to come in. We finally had to go and find her and when I saw her I couldn't stop hugging her. I was shaking and I'm sure squeezed her way too tight! I finally let her go so Kevin could hug her too :)
We walked around the orphanage. We brought a bag of candy for "M^" to pass out to the others. There were smiles with their treats but behind their eyes there was a underlying sadness. It is a difficult place to visit.
After some goodbyes we took "M^" for lunch at the Negash Lodge. It's a cultural resort nearby. There are huts from various tribes in Ethiopia rented out for visitors. It also has a swimming pool and a group of monkeys that roam the resort.
We had a marvelous lunch and then we were headed back for Addis Ababa. It's so intriguing to watch what we pass by throughout the trip. The one thing that amazes me is the prevalent presence of so many American brands. This area was definitely Pepsi country.
The highway going through Woliso.
Outside of Addis there are greenhouses after greenhouses. Here is a small sampling of what lined the road for a least a mile.
Some beautiful views!
My amazing daughter!
We had no sooner returned to Addis as it started to rain! Rainy Season!!!
We arrived back at the guest house. We had dinner, watched movies and put some puzzles together. A beautiful day with our oldest daughter!
And now for some Amharic words that my oldest daughter taught me today!
white - nut
red and pink - guy
yellow and orange - beecha
brown - buni
There were more . . . but they were hard! I have more homework to do :)
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