Day 6

Today would be our last day in Ethiopia.  We woke up and enjoyed one more breakfast of scrambled eggs, rolls and coffee made by Zaresh.  After, Mark and I decided that we would hit the town with our driver/navigator/translator/source of information/ever so pleasant and accommodating person, Becky:

First, we went to a souvenir shop called Haile Selassie.  Our primary goal was to purchase some more items that we can give to Maya as she grows, which we did.  We also wanted to get a little something for the family members that supported us through this journey, which we did.  I'd be lying if I said we didn't want to buy some things for our home, so we did.  After we shopped, Becky took us to a coffee bar down the street.  It was like no coffee bar I've ever been in the United States.  Walking in, we could smell the strong scent of coffee, see a light smoke from roasting beans hanging in the air  and browse both the roasted and unroasted beans that were for sale.  It was a lively atmosphere and the customers were primarily men, with a few women sprinkled about.  Becky, Mark and I each ordered a macchiato.  The macchiatos in Ethiopia are like nothing I've ever had in the US, and I doubt that I will ever find a coffee drink this tasty.  Having finished one, we wished that we had come to this particular coffee bar earlier in our stay - the best!

Becky, Mark and I enjoying our macchiatos:

From here, we went to lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant/art museum in Addis Ababa, the name of which escapes me right now.  The homemade pasta was delicious and the art was pleasing to the eye.  We'd met Gary and Ellen for lunch and had a really nice time.  Then, it was back to the room to start packing up our things.  Our flight would be leaving at 7:30 p.m. for Dubai, with a 45 minute layover before boarding the final 11 hour flight back to the United States.  

As Mark and I packed up our room, we were a little sad.  Certainly, we were looking forward to returning home to friends and family with Maya, but we felt that there was so much more for us to see and experience in Ethiopia.  Things that we could one day share with Maya.  We decided we would return at some point, and I'm sure we will.

Once at the airport, we said a verge of tears goodbye to Becky.  He'd become our friend over the week and a friend to Maya.  We'd come to know him as a very quiet man with a very good sense of humor.  Having recently left the construction industry because the Italian company he was working for in Addis Ababa employed too many people "that yelled at each other", he talked about how much he loves his job with Gladney.  He loves the blues and jazz and is a huge fan of B.B. King.  He never misses the weekly live blues/jazz performance at a certain club in Addis Ababa.  He certainly seemed to like Maya, as well, and she him:

We boarded the plane in Ethiopia without issue and made the flight in Dubai, barely.  Among a few minor delays, we were held up by agreeing to assist a woman who spoke no English who was flying from Ethiopia to New York, just like we were.  Assisting her was not the issue and we were happy to do it.  The delay figured in when we discovered she'd never ridden an escalator and she was fearful to step on.  After some patient coaching through hand gestures by Mark (while I rode down carrying Maya), she stepped on to the escalator!  At the bottom, another woman who did speak Amharic and also on the same flight volunteered to take her under her wing.  We went on through the Dubai terminal in time for "last boarding call" for our flight and we made it.  

We settled in for what we anticipated would be a long flight with a new baby.  It was long and sleepless, but Maya handled it very well.  She made some use of the bassinet that was supplied by the airline but preferred sleeping in my lap.  

When we landed in New York it was about 7:30 am on the 17th.  We filed into line at immigration and handed them Maya's papers.  Stamp, stamp, stamp.  Then, we were directed down a hall where her visa and passport required more stamps, which were given without issue.  Then, we were directed to customs because we brought coffee into the country from out of the country and they let us keep it (thank God!).  Our final stop was baggage claim.  Gary and Mark waiting for our luggage:  

That was it.  We were in the United States with our new baby.  Realizing this was just as surreal as flying over to meet her.  Everything comes full circle, I guess.  We were so happy to have her with us! 

We left the airport parting ways with Gary and Ellen and their daughter.  We are sure we will see them again and will keep in touch.  We left the airport hardly looking forward to placing a baby in a car seat for the first time in her life and having to keep her there for a four hour car ride home.  It actually went much better than we anticipated:

If I were to utilize appropriate writing style, here is where I would type the "closer", the paragraph or two that brings it all back home and summarizes everything about our trip into a neat conclusion.  I can't.  There's too much.  And quite frankly, the story is far from over.  We reflect on the fact that if there had been one tiny change in our timeline, if we'd started this process a little sooner or a little later, if we hadn't had the timing of the niceties and the personal favors, if we hadn't experienced the delays that are so inherent in the international adoption process, we likely never would have met Maya and be the family we are today.  Right now, we can't imagine our family without her.

"The plain truth is that you'd have an easier time standing in the middle of the Mississippi River and requesting that it flow backward than to expect people of different races and backgrounds to stop loving each other, stop marrying each other, stop starting families, stop enjoying the dreams that love inspires. Love is unstoppable. It is our greatest weapon, a natural force, created by God." --James McBride.