My Ideal Vacation Day

1) Slept six straight hours before waking up to the loud speakers of daily chanting from the mosque a few blocks away.
2) Made coffee and peanut butter and crackers, then had breakfast with God for company.
3) Internet at guest house hooked up first try! Then checked email. You guys can write me…I love it. May not return emails (maybe?) till home.
4) Did a backpacking bath in bathroom sink (wiped down dirty parts) and wet down hair to get the dust out. Refreshed!. Dug through clothes to find the least dirty to wear for today.
5) on walk to AHOPE passed out bread and crackers to beggar mommies and their children. ***Yes, It is SOOO much better to give than receive. To be here surrounded by need and feel so powerless is hard for me. Making a child smile with food because they are hungry makes ME so happy and helps ME feel better. Pray
6) At AHOPE in time to greet Assefa waking up. So sweet. Hugged a bunch of kids and passed out dabo kolo (tiny fried bread pieces) Pray
7) Get picked up by Mesfin (Muffin) who is Selamne’s brother driving for Ketema. Go to Kidane Mehret (orphanage called KM) to visit a ton of kids. Visit children I already know and love and meet a ton more kids home from school. Hold babies, toddlers and big kids. Talk to teens begging me to find them a family. Sit in the sun for an hour holding a little boy I fell in love with the other day. His name is Fitsum and he is four years old. He was born with a major spinal deformity and some skull deformity. He is smart and sweet and will not live more than a few more years without surgery in U.S. Said “Choa” to all the kids promising to be back before I leave for America. Pray
8) Went to supermarket to buy food stuffs to take home (berebere, green coffee beans, Shiro etc….) Found Diet Coke at this new supermarket! Oh happy day! Thank you Lord.
9) Rest and drink two cold Diet Cokes at my guest house. Ahhhh. Bread and cheese for lunch.
10) Visit Layla, hold babies, and walk around Layla carrying my baby Gezehegn. Check on some big Layla kids for their new parents in U.S. Gezehegn and I watch kids playing soccer till he falls asleep. Hold more babies, babies, and babies. Pray
11) Visit little AHOPE and Assefa again. Play with kids, hold babies, play with kids, hold babies…Say good night to 28 of the world’s sweetest kids. Pray
12) walk back to guest house again visiting with my new friends on way (beggars) feel safe as I have anywhere in the world at night on streets of Addis. Pray
13) Ran three inches of cool warm water in tub and stripped off my clothes covered with every form of bodily fluid, then basked in that water and really washed hair for the first time in a week. Thank you God again…enough water and water pressure! Put on last clean clothes, it felt good.
14) Talked to my darling husband who called me to say good night. I love him. Miss the kids, counting the days till I go home to them, counting the days till I have to leave here. Pray
15) Listen to Third day songs as I go to sleep. End of my perfect vacation day…could only be better if Mike and other kids were here.
Julee
P.S. The comment regarding bodily fluids didn't paint a nice picture of me. I will change it "that my clothes were covered with ALMOST every sort of bodily fluid."

Urine
poop
vomit
spit-up
snot
and several different kinds of pus and drainage

that is enough said about that.

P.S.S. Kidist and her sister wash clothes for guests and getting your clothes cleaned at Addis Kidan guest house is no problem. I just hate to make more work for them than I have too. They are so wonderful here at the guest house. I only wished they lived next door to me always. Nice, nice, nice