After lunch we were picked up by Solomon, the driver for the adoption agency to do some sight seeing and shop at some local markets. We went up Entoto mountain and stopped at a church for a tour of the museum. We went to 2 markets on the way back to the hotel. Isaac enjoyed just looking out the window and taking everything in. He was so good the whole afternoon and he had a bit of a nap in the van.
We went back to the hotel for a couple hours to get ready for dinner. Solomon was taking us to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant called Hebir for dinner. The agency takes all families for a celebration dinner once the visa is in. Since we were the only family there with our visa we went on our own with Solomon. It was a good night, the food was excellent and the live Ethiopian dancers were great. Isaac was so pooped after his long and busy day, he just slept on the bench next to us. So cute!
Day 7: Saturday May 14: We are leaving today! We spent the morning packing while Isaac was napping. Marcos (our cab driver) invited us to his family's home for coffee. We were excited to experience a real coffee ceremony in his home. We headed over for about 2:00 and there were a couple other families that were also staying at our hotel. Marcos' family was very welcoming and even served us a meal that we weren't expecting at all. We found out that it is common etiquette in Ethiopia that you always serve a meal to any visitors that come into your home. Isaac had a great time with all these Ethiopian ladies doting all over him.
That evening we met our friends, Aila and Barry from BC, for dinner at the pizzeria. Their flight had just gotten in the night before and they are picking up their 2 year old son. We met them the last time in Ethiopia and we are so happy we get the chance to see them again! It was great catching up with them and it was nice that they got to see Isaac again. After dinner, we went back to the hotel for some last minute packing and then it was off to the airport.
The manager of the hotel, Assefa, drove us to the airport. As we were driving, Isaac was waving to all the cars as if he was saying good bye. It felt sad in a way, he is leaving the home and people he has ever known. It felt surreal that in a couple hours we would be on a plane with our son heading to Canada, after all this time waiting for this. People at the airport were saying goodbye to him obviously knowing that he was leaving their country for good with the opportunity for a better life. We say goodbye to Ethiopia for now, but we will be back many times! Our plan is to bring Isaac back every 4-5 years. It is very important to us that he knows where he comes from and that he learns as much as he can about the culture. The Ethiopian people are wonderful and we are going to miss them a lot.
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