For those waiting to travel, I warn you that the schedule Gladney creates for you is hectic to say the least! I really would like to share it all with you, but unfortunately, it was so filled with activities than I cannot even remember it all.
Friday, January 2nd - we leave JFK in NYC on Emirates Airline. The aircraft was amazing. It was a double decker aircraft, with first and business classes being on top. We went economy, but even that provided you with tons of leg room and a healthy choice of movies and tv shows. They give you tons of food - I think about 5 meals - and the service was great.
We stayed overnight in Dubai given that our flight to Addis Ababa did not leave until Sunday morning. With the time changes, we were really only in Dubai Saturday evening and were too exhausted to do much of anything but look out the hotel window. But Emirates gives you a free hotel room (very very basic room), as well as dinner and breakfast, which, suprisingly, even though buffet style, were pretty darn good.
**One thing to remember if you are doing this travel - bring your sleepwear and a change of clothes in your carryon, as you will not have access to your luggage.
Sunday, January 4th - we took a morning flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa, which was only about 4 hours. We arrived in Addis Ababa and had no problems at the airport. It's a very small airport, as you might expect, and signs were in English. So, no worries about getting lost or being confused. After clearing through customs, we met our Gladney driver, Tefasee, who took us back to our guest house, the Bejoe House, which is only about 15 minutes from the airport.
The first thing we noticed was the weather. It was a perfect 70 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. We were coming from CT, where we have had way too much snow and ice, so we were really loving this weather.
Once we got on the road, we also noticed that they drive really fast, there are no seatbelts in this car and there are no traffic lights! But we figured, we made it this far, so what are the chances that we get into a car accident, right??
We also did notice that there were goats and cows walking with their owners on the sides of the roads. I just thought how my son, Luke, would have LOVED seeing this.
When we got to the guest house, Tefasee asked if we wanted to meet Noah today or tomorrow. Of course, we said ASAP! So, we arranged for him to come back in a few hours and take us to the Gladney Care Center.
As for the Bejoe House, we found it to be nice. The staff there is really wonderful and we became close to several of the women who worked there. At any given time, there is at least one person on call who speaks English well and they are very accomodating. Breakfast was included and always tasty and plentiful - and the coffee was strong and delicious. Laundry was also included and we had free use of the kitchen, living room and dining room. The staff can help you make phone calls to the US, to your driver or to Ryan and Belay, if you need them. They did extra things as well - like play with your child while you ate and walk you to the nearby grocery store. We also met some wonderful people - two other families who were adopting through Gladney - so it was nice to be able to get to know people going through your same experience.
I will be honest - a guest house is not going to provide you with the types of amenities you expect at a Hilton - like Internet and room service, a pool, restaurant choices, etc., but we expected that, so it really wasn't a big deal for us. Also, there was no place to really walk around and I did start to feel a bit stir crazy. But, we felt very comfortable and safe there and knew that we could always ask the staff for any assistance. It is also very close to the airport and to the supermarket and to several good restaurants where you can get take out. Also, your driver is on call and very knowledgable about Addis. So, if you do need to go somewhere, you can ask them to take you or to pick something up for you.
January 4th, 4pm - This is the moment we have been wating for, and waiting for, and waiting for. We go to the Gladney Care Center, which is about twenty minutes away, and we wait in the living room. Belay comes and brings us Noah Manisa - who looks like a little prince!
We take him back to our guest house and he is officially all ours now! It's definitely a strange experience - one minute you have not met your son and then you meet him and he stays with you forever. But, he was great and really after a day, it seemed he felt right at home.
Remaining Days: Many of the days were kind of a blur, but I will try to summarize, just to give future travelers a sense of what to expect.
Visa Day: Tuesday, we had our VISA appointment with the US Embassy. To us, this was the day we were really waiting for. The appointment was at 9am and we waited in the lobby of the US Embassy with Belay and the other Gladney families. You bring your child with you, but the wait was not long at all. Once your name is called, you go up to the window with your child and they ask you a few basic questions. My understanding is that they change the questions regularly, but that they are always pretty basic. I believe we were asked: Is this the child we intended to adopt? (easy answer -YES) and when was the first time we had met him? And that was it.
While everything went smoothly, the VISAS are not given out on the spot. Belay picked them up on that Friday. Once we had those in hand, you are ready to return home.
More later.................
Your pictures are great. I would have never thought that your luggage wouldn't be w/you so bring a change of clothes! I have made note of that! GREAT idea! I loved reading about your trip.
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