Ethiopia: Day Five (homecoming)

This was the longest day of my life. No, really. We stretched 24 hours into about 30 hours. 20 of which were spent on one airplane. But, I am getting ahead of myself here...

We woke up with the sun (as usual) and had a quiet and slow morning around the guest house just hanging out with the other adoptive families. It was nice to have all the big things over with...visa appointment and birth family meeting...and just enjoy the morning. The weather in Ethiopia was absolutely incredible. Mid 70's and sunny every day. No humidity. Oh, it was just lovely.

About mid morning I ventured out with one of the other adoptive moms to do a little bit of shopping at Churchill Street. We were feeling brave and called a taxi and went by ourselves. As two white american women...we stuck out like sore thumbs. Our driver was kind enough to let us in on the secret of how to bargain shop in Ethiopia: always offer half of whatever the stated price is on an item. I was hesitant to do it at first and pretty much failed at my first attempt at haggling. However, I went for it at the second shop and sure enough, the driver was right. Well the bargain shopper in me got into the swing of things and I was able to purchase some lovely keepsakes to give to Eli at future birthdays and significant events for very (very) reasonable prices.

We made it back home after lunch time and Eli was down for his nap. Once he woke up we began to pack up and get everything ready for the big trek home. At 3pm we headed back to Layla house (Eli's orphanage). There were eight other children adopted and headed home the week we were there...and the orphanage threw a party to say goodbye. I will never forget the feeling of knowing that this was the LAST time that Eli would be there. The last time as an orphan in an orphanage. It was a wonderful feeling. Eli chowed down on some cake and tea. I teared up as all his little friends in his class came and gave him hugs and told him "chow chow."

















































Our driver came to pick us up (along with two other families traveling home on the same flight with us) around 6pm and we made it to the airport by 6:30pm. Once we had made it through security and checked our bags we all ate dinner together at the airport and basically just killed some time until we could board the plane...at 9:30pm. I changed Eli into pajamas and we just walked and walked around. There were a lot of other adoptive families traveling home with their children on the same flight, so there was a fun sense of exhausted camaraderie floating around the terminal.

































We boarded the plane. And sat. And sat. And sat. For about 2 hours. Nary a word about why we were delayed (although Jeremiah and I still think it was because Ghana was playing a game in the world cup at just that time). Eli was curious about all the buttons and new things on the airplane. He finally fell asleep around 11pm...and stayed asleep all throughout the takeoff and the first few hours of the flight. His sleep was very fitful though and every couple of minutes he would stir and cry. It was very frustrating not to be able to comfort him or at least make him comfortable. We finally moved him to the floor in front of us so he could at least stretch out. I am pretty sure that was against all aviation rules (and disqualified me from adoptive mother of the year award)...but the flight staff never said a word to us. And, not like this makes it any better, but I actually got the idea from seeing another family do it on one of my many treks to the bathroom.






















The next hours and hours and hours on the plane all kind of blur together after that. We touched down in Rome in order to refuel and ended up sitting (again) delayed an extra hour before we could take off again.

Eli did awesome. Just awesome. Really awesome. Especially compared to another three year old that cried (literally...no exaggeration) for about 70% of the entire 20 hour flight. 3 rows behind us. I am not writing that because I was upset at him...no, I felt so sorry for the fear he was experiencing and for his parents who were doing everything they could think of to calm him down. I didn't know a child could cry for so long without stopping.

Needless to say, there was NO sleeping going on for me. Instead I just watched a cheesy Miley Cyrus movie about sea turtles and cried my eyes out. And then cried some more even after the movie was over because I was just so tired and so exhausted and so completely overwhelmed. There was one moment that I really thought I was never going to get off the plane. I was doing all I could to pray and stifle the beginnings of what felt like a panic attack.

We finally touched down in DC and I cried some more. Made it through customs and immigration with no issues and had to run to catch our connecting flight to Raleigh. We were able to see my mom and dad and my sister (and her husband and two little girls) for a very quick hello on our way to catch our flight. Oh, I just wanted to sit and talk...but there was NO way I was going to miss that flight home.
No way.

We boarded our plane for our very quick flight into Raleigh. I will never forget sitting next to Eli on the plane watching him chow down on pizza...knowing I was less than a few minutes from introducing him to his brother and sister.

















We stepped off the plane and walked towards the baggage claim, turned the corner, and there they were.

Again, I cried.
All of us together.
Home.
Finally.

p.s. airport pictures to come in a later post.

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