Wednesday, May 15 & Thursday, May 16

On Wednesday, we spent the day mostly inside.  Sheldon was not feeling very good, and we were worried that he could be coming down with what it seems everyone comes down with here, where they spend lots of time in the bathroom.  As a result, we felt that we should go and explore just a little bit.  We explored down Bole Road, which is the main road closest to us.  There are a number of restaurants on the street, as well as many shops, and a shopping mall.  We spent about an hour to an hour and a half walking up and down the street, and scouting out where we would purchase items such as children's clothing, toys, and if we really are in the mood, more electronics :)  It was good to get some fresh air, and Sheldon began to feel a bit better by the end of it.  We went back to the hotel, had some lunch, played some games (we've been playing monopoly deal quite a bit), and watched a few TV shows.  We settled in for bed around 10 PM, with the hope that we would be able to sleep through the night, something that has not happened for both of us yet this trip.

We both slept well, and basically slept right through the night, which gave us a bit more of a positive outlook on things to start off the morning.  We went down to the lobby for breakfast, and ran into a family that is here to pick up their daughter.  And lo and behold, they are also from Winnipeg.  It was great to touch base with them, even though our scenarios are a bit different, it was cool to make a connection like this right in our hotel.  At 10:00 AM or so, other friends of ours whom we met on this trip, came to pick us up.  We had decided that we would attempt to venture out to the Merkato.  For those of you who do not know what this is, here is the wikipedia entry:

Addis Mercato (Amharic for "New Market", popularly just Mercato, from the Italian for "market") is the name for the large open-air marketplace in the Addis Ketema district of Addis Ababa,Ethiopia, and for the neighborhood in which it is located.
Mercato is the largest open air market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities. The primary merchandise passing through the Mercato is locally-grown agricultural products — most notably coffee.
The Addis Mercato was instituted by segregationist policies of the Italian occupational government. They restricted the historic St. George Mercato to Europeans, causing the mostly Arab tradesmen to relocate a half mile to the west. Over time, local shopkeepers displaced the Arab merchants and, since the 1960s, the Addis Mercato has had a mostly local flavor.
The Addis Mercato has over 120 stores and one massive shopping center with 75 stores.

It was a crazy experience, even though we were going on a slow day, Thursday.  Apparently it is much busier on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays...  The sheer number of people in this market is nuts.  And the size of the stores would rival most American bathroom stalls, the number of goods crammed into this space was crazy.  We were lucky to have a very trusted driver, and a very competent barterer in our group, which allowed us to walk through and figure out things that we might want, and negotiate a better deal for it.  We basically purchased a few souvenirs, as we would not dare venturing into this space with our son once he is here...

By noon, we were all ready to call it a day for the market, and headed back to the hotel.  We made the decision that we would join this family for a swim at the Sheraton.  Again for those who do not know, the Sheraton has a big swimming pool, and allows people to come in and use the pool for a reasonable price.  The five of us swam and chatted for the entire afternoon, and it was a blessing to hang out with a family that has very similar values as we do.  We are blessed to have this family here while we are, and we look forward to spending more time with them as we each continue to wait for our paperwork to be completed.  We left the Sheraton, a lot more refreshed, and a bit redder.

By the time we got home around 6 PM, we were about ready to zonk out.  We spent some time watching TV, and preparing for bed.  Tomorrow is the big day.  Tomorrow is court, and is the day that our son could legally be declared as being our son.  How will we sleep?  We sure hope we will be able to sleep :)

Thank you again everyone for your prayers and support.  Even though this week was a difficult week for us, it is getting better, and we are starting to settle in a bit more.