Soddo

When we were in Ethiopia, we took a trip down south. Down to Soddo. 7 hours away. This is a post from Sophie who we went to visit and she did a good job so I won't need to take the time to tell you what we did, she did a great job!

MaryKay and I have been corresponding for a few months now. We read each others’ blogs and facebook status updates. We email every now and then. It’s been a fun way for me to keep in touch with life in America. This week, MaryKay, her daughter, and her husband are in Ethiopia picking up the newest addition to their family. And they came all the way down to Soddo to visit me! How cool is that? We had a fun 20 or so hours together. They arrived yesterday afternoon at the hospital. I met them there, and was very pleased with their wonderful midwestern accents At the hospital, Ruth gave them a tour and gratefully accepted the huge quantities of baby blankets and stuffed animals that they brought as donations. From there, we headed into town to eat at the rooftop restaurant that has the most forenge-like food. They got to experience the meatloaf-like cheeseburgers, and were interested in the surroundings. I was happy that they got out of the polluted air of the city (Addis) and could experience the beauty of the countryside. After the very long dinner (that involved lots of clarification of orders and requests for the bill), MaryKay jumped on the back of my bike and everyone else piled into their rented van for the trip up to my house. They brought out the wonderful things that they had brought for me and for clinic–chocolate chips, cheese, prenatal vitamins, and clothes! They brought 6 bags full of donations, and carried their personal things in their carry-on bags. Amazing. They managed to stay awake and chat for awhile before succumbing to sleep. My bed, the guest bed, the couch, and some couch cushions in the other bedroom were all full! It’s so fun to have company!

This morning, we rolled out of bed and trekked through the rain to the church just across the road from my compound. Unfortunately for the 2 Ethiopians in our midst (Obsi, their son; and Alazar, their driver), the service was pretty much all in Wolaitta. I understood more than they did! I didn’t understand a whole lot, but it was still kinda fun to have a very basic idea of what was going on, when some Ethiopians were clueless. After church, we had soup and garlic bread before they went on their way back to Addis.

Have I told you lately that I love company? So when are you coming?

ps–and now I think I’ll go make some chocolate chip cookies with one of the 3 HUGE bags of chocolate chips that they so sweetly brought for me!

Thank you Sophie!