International travel is very stressful the first time.  Is there an international travel for dummies book?   I sure needed one!  I was so nervous on the way to the airport that I chewed my thumb nails off!  We started the morning with Torrey waking the boys to tell them goodbye before he headed off to take his final.   Noah was particularly sad and said that he would miss us.  Carter was excited he said "Today you go to get KEZIAH!"   However, by the time Uncle Brian got there to watch the boys, they were trying to push us out the door!  Having Uncle Brian over is a special treat!   It definitely made leaving much easier.

Torrey's dad drove us the airport!!!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  He helped to keep us occupied through our first set of travel delays!  We were scheduled for a 2:30 departure from Indy and leaving at 8:30 for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.   We went to check in through security and realized that the ticket counter forgot to print our boarding passes but we had plenty of time to go back.  The security system at the Indy airport is so much fun (easily amused I know).   You put all of your stuff in the bin including your shoes to go through the x ray machine and then you stand in your stocking feet in this chamber.  It shoots air at you and sucks it back up to check for traces of explosives on your skin and clothes…sweet!
Our flight was being continually delayed.  The desk by the gate was saying that our 2:30 flight might not leave until 6 or later!!!!   We contacted the travel agency to see if there was a flight out later that evening or in the morning from Washington DC but were told that there were no flights for 2 days!!!   This started my first of many travel crying spells.  I said a quick prayer as I let the tears flow and 2 minutes later they started to board the flight!!!   Hallelujah!  There was major turbulence on the flight that made me very nauseous plus I was tired and irritable so I started to cry again.   We made it to DC at 6:45!  This left 45 minutes to check in and get something to eat.  There are no signs telling you where Ethiopian Airlines are in DC.   Luckily the shuttle bus attendant knew which gate it was (D23 for anyone traveling in the future).  It was all the way at the end of the terminal but we made it in time!   We grabbed a salad and met our friends Tom & Nikki who are also adopting from CHSFS and boarded our flight.    

If you are flying Ethiopian Airlines board the plane as soon as you can.  Find your correct seat and keep your boarding pass out to prove you are in the right spot.   When we boarded our seats were taken so the flight attendant moved us up to the front but then the passengers who were assigned those seat came.  Next was a 55 minute debacle over seating.  Everyone thought it was us causing the problem because the passengers of the seats we were sitting in were very vocal.   We calmly told 4 different flight attendants the situation and said we are willing to sit anywhere just to point us in the right direction.  So there ended up being a massive seat shuffling as most of the people were in the wrong seats!!!   The finally cleared two seats for us (not our assigned ones) and we were off.  We watched 4 movies in flight.   We were really excited because the movie menu listed Oceans 13, Nancy Drew, the Waitress and several other movies I have been  dying to see but for some reason these movies were not actually available.   Instead we got to watch The Holiday, Gracie, and some Katherine Zita Zones flick.  I didn't sleep much because my body favors the horizontal position.    Torrey didn't have too much trouble since he stayed up all night studying for his final.  We had 4 meals (all free…we thought that a lot of airlines were going ala cart so were happy to still receive these)   We also received free Ethiopian airlines blankets, socks, eye mask, toothpaste and toothbrush!!!  I love free!  

We refueled in Rome during daylight hours and got a glimpse of the beautiful coastline, hills, and trees but were very sad not to get to explore.   It was also very interesting to fly over the deserts of Northern Africa.  The clouds cast perfect shadows on the flat sand…beautiful.     We made it to the airport in Addis at 8 oclock and again had no clue what to do next.  I am very happy that a lot signs are in English since it is taught in the Ethiopian schools.   So for future travelers.  Get off of the plane, go down stairs.  Look for the sign that says Visa at arrival or something like it.   You do not need anything but your passport (I printed an application off the internet for obtaining a visa before you fly but it was not needed) and $20. One person fills out your visa info then you move down and pay.    Next they direct you out of the office and a man signs your visa then sends you to the fast lane to get it stamped.  It was much quicker to get the visa at the airport than waiting in the line with people who already had visas.   Next we collected our bags and kept walking to the end of the long foyer area to the bank to exchange dollars for birr.  Then backtrack to the security scan and show them your luggage claim tickets that you received on your first leg of flight.   Send your luggage through the scanner and look for your driver. 

Since we arrived 2 days early we are staying at the New Flower guest house.  We arranged for the owner of the guest house, Helen, to pick us up at the airport.   She arrived with a van for Torrey & I, Tom & Nikki and paid luggage porters to put our 8- 50lb pieces of luggage on top of the van!  I was so glad to have Helen there to pick us up because we had just been through such a new strange process at the airport that a friendly face to care for you was very welcome.  We have a wonderful room with a view of the garden here.   It will be fun to explore Addis in the daytime.  There is another couple from Denmark staying here at the guesthouse who are in the process of trying to bring home 2 children.   They have been here since November 15^th and have run into many bumps in the road.  Please pray for them that they will finally be able to leave this week with their new children.   It is a lot of fun meeting new people so far!  Oh yeah it is 65 degrees here at night (Helen thinks that that is very cold!!!)

My last travel crying spell came at hour 12 of our flight.  I went to put my seat back and the woman behind me started to bang on my chair.   This opened the flood gates of pent up anxiety and frustration from being cramped on a plane when you are tired, hungry, have to potty, and have trouble communicating with those around you since almost everyone on the plane is from Ethiopia and normally speak Amharic.   I was so glad to have those feelings though.   It was a tiny glimpse of what our little girl will be experiencing over the next year as she learns to adapt to her new home.   She is going to have needs that she can't express to us easily because of language and won't know the basic rules of our lifestyles, she is basically being pulled from what she knows and being thrust into a totally new environment where she doesn't know what is going to happen next, what she can expect from us, and what we expect of her and there isn't anyone to explain it all to her in her own language.   I feel like I am a little better prepared at least to understand the tantrums and tears.  When I, as an adult, feel overwhelmed and burst into tears by taking an airplane to a new country, basically on my own terms, how   much more emotional will it be for little Webitu who has little control over the situation in which she is removed from EVERYTHING she knows!  Please pray for our little girl.