Where The Stews Are Spicy and The Coffee Is Strong

This morning, as all the kids snoozed and the muslim call to prayer floated into our apartment at SIM Headquarters, for the first time, as I watched the sun come over the smoggy mountains and high rises, I was flooded with something that felt like home and subsequently,  thankfulness.

We are back in the land where the coffee is strong and the stews are spicy, the place where when there is water, shower, when there is power, charge it and if there is internet, connect with someone. We’ve been here for six nights now and I think we are through the worst of the jet lag (please). Four children are a lot more than two when applied to jet-lagged kids, especially babies. We are still having periods of wakefulness each night from the babies but they are shorter with longer sleep increments between them. YAY. We are acclimating, celebrating, meeting, grieving, running errands introducing and organizing (all with a bit of sleep deprivation). 

An overseas worker who has lived in Ethiopia six years longer than I have gave me some important advice. “Don’t trust anything you feel until you have been in country for two weeks.” This is freeing for me and something I think about a lot through my days. I still have a week. :) 

Raquel and the girls dove right into school, which I think has been incredibly healthy to have a routine of sorts.

Jet lag is no joke. This was what we all looked like at least three hours every night for the first three nights. 

We are relearning our way around and we notice a shift in the country. It’s a different place than when we left and I feel like the “rules” have changed yet again but we are finding things that are consistent, like $0.50 amazing macchiatos. 

Homeschooling in a tree. 

We are in rainy season but the mornings start out sunny, such a beautiful time.

And today, after church while we were all warm and dry, hail like I have never seen in Ethiopia began to fall and covered the ground like snow. Tiger didn’t know what to think.

 

Which of course led to Jon starting a “snowball” fight. One of the girls was hiding behind Raquel.

A bit after it was done hailing, Miss T woke up and I decided we had to get her picture in it as this might be the closest thing to snow she sees for years. She didn’t seem to notice but she’ll be glad for the picture.

Grr. Half of my pictures aren’t loading, but look at this little jet-lagged face. 3:00 am and adorable.

And Tiger has started cruising, finding ways to get across rooms, crawling anywhere we are and carefully watching the world from behind his deep, wise eyes.

Yes, Jon and I kiss both of our babies A LOT because, I mean, look at their squishy cheeks!

To our dear readers, we can’t thank you enough for journeying along with us in prayer, thoughts and encouragement.