(Written by my husband Nate)
Yesterday was an incredible day! It was a day that ran the whole gamut of feelings and emotions but it was an incredible day! It all started about 5pm on Monday night...
Kerri, Elsa and I had gone down for dinner in the hotel lobby. I had been feeling so/so all day and when we got downstairs the nausea hit me hard. I left my girls downstairs and went to the room to rest. All night long I felt terrible and when I woke up the next morning I was running a fever. I was really feeling down because it was my second to last day in Ethiopia and today was the day that we would visit Yonas’ house for a special coffee ceremony.
Yonas is one of the hotel staff who I connected with the first trip and someone who I now consider to be a friend. When I first met Yonas he was working in the hotel lobby. We started talking and about an hour later we were still talking. Yonas is one of those guys that just stands out, partially because he is a 6’6" Ethiopian who towers above everyone else, but mostly because of his story. During my time with him he shared a bit of his life and it was apparent to me that this was a guy working hard to care for his family and improve life for them.
Yonas was going to school for hotel management but was at a crossroads because he didn’t have the means to buy a computer so that he could continue his education online. He told me that he and his wife Esther had been married for 5 years and that they had a young boy (around 2 years old) called Kebrone. He also shared with me that his wife was pregnant and that another baby on the way. We shared stories back and forth during that first trip but mostly I just listened to his story.
When our first trip to Ethiopia was over, Yonas and I exchanged Facebook information. After we returned to the states I thought of Yonas and his story often and a couple of times he messaged me on Facebook to see when I would return.
After the first trip to Ethiopia I continually thought about the people and things that I saw. I thought about what a person would do to address the large scale challenges that exist in just the city of Addis. It was overwhelming to think about quite honestly. But somehow I always came back to the people that I met and I felt a sense of Hope. People like Yonas, Biniam (Ben the Barman) and Sisay (our taxi driver), and all of the workers at Hannah’s Hope (the orphanage where Elsa was). The generosity and kindness that people showed in spite of their circumstances revealed a different kind of joy that they carried in their hearts. These people are part of our story and a part that I will not forget.
When we were getting ready for our return back to Ethiopia, both Kerri and I had a lot on our minds. We were excited to get our girl and we were anxious for the plans to come together. We were continually thinking about all of the people that we had met. The plans quickly unraveled and we were getting our girl. The packing commenced! One bag for Elsa, one small bag for mommy, one small bag for daddy and... 2 big bags of stuff to take back to the people who were in our hearts.
Our friends in the states heard our stories and came through for us. One of the bags was entirely full of Nike gear (shoes, basketballs, hats) from one of my dear friends Jocelyn who works at Nike. Another bag was full of coloring books and crayons that my Mom’s high school students donated. We also took around 30 bottles of children’s Advil that Kerri’s coworker Kim and Jen had given us. And then there were shirts! It seemed like if we had a bag that wasn’t entirely full or to the weight limit, we took shirts. Out of the 4 checked bags we took, there was not one that was more than 6oz over or under the 50lb limit. We took so much stuff that the security at Bole Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia stopped and questioned us about what we were doing with all of this stuff. And so we were back in Addis Ababa for the second half of our story.
When we arrived on the second trip we were warmly greeted by all of the staff who we came to know from the first trip. Ben the Barman greeted me with a “we were waiting for you,” followed by a prompt “you are getting fatter” to me. And we were back! We broke out the shirts and a special bottle of Patron that I brought over from the states and we toasted to Elsa. It was good to be in Ethiopia again! After handing out shirts and hats, and exchanging stories we were done for the night. 24 hours of travel had done us in and it was time for bed. Despite being tired, I don’t think Kerri and I slept much that night. There was too much to think about and we were excited to be back with our Ethiopian friends.
The next morning Kerri and I headed down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. When we got there we were quickly greeted by our friend Yonas. When he saw me he got a big smile on his face and said, “Dawson, I’ve been waiting for you.” He gave me a quick bro hug (you know the part handshake part hug that guys do) and we started right where we left off. I told Yonas it was good to see him and that after we got back from getting Elsa that I had a surprise for him. With that we left him, ate our breakfast and went off to get our girl.
Later in that day after some good time with Elsa I asked Yonas to come up to the room to get his surprise. Of course he got his t-shirt which he proudly wore the next couple of days, but the real surprise was yet to come. I walked him in the room and showed him a used Dell laptop that my IT department at Avamere had put together for me. When I was back in the states I shared Yonas’ story about how he was working hard to provide a better life for him and his family. I told them how he wanted to continue school but wouldn’t be able to because he had to be able to do e-learning. A laptop in the states cost about as much as Yonas would make in a year. I told Yonas, “this is yours, I brought it for you.” Not sure that he understood me completely I picked up the laptop and put it in his hands, “this is for you,” I said. Yonas is a nice guy and in my dealings with him he always had a lot to share but at this moment he was almost speechless. “Thank you Dawson,” he said over and over “Thank you very much.”
That wasn’t the end of his thanks though. Every time Kerri and I saw him the next few days he would say “thank you Dawson, thank you.” I don’t think Kerri or I opened a door the rest of the week, Yonas was there. On Sunday morning Kerri and I took Elsa down to play in the Ballroom downstairs and once again Yonas was there to open the door. Yonas looked a little bit nervous like he needed to tell us something but he didn’t. Later when we were playing, Yonas came back into the ballroom, he had to get something off his chest.
He nervously approached us and with his eyes and head looking more at the ground then us he said “you know Dawson, this thing that you did for me is very nice, and I would like very much if you and your wife and Elsa would come to my home for a coffee ceremony. You tell me what day, and I will send a driver for you to bring you to my home.”
Kerri and I looked over at each other and smiled, “we would love to, thank you so much.” Then he went on to tell us the rest of his motive. “You see my wife she have a baby 1 month ago and in Ethiopia we name the baby on the one month birthday. When you come to my home we will announce the name.” I was completely floored. Not only was he going to honor us by welcoming us to his home, but he thought so much of us that he wanted us there when he named his second child?!? Wow! We were definitely in.
Monday night was a long night and Tuesday morning was not much better. I was running a fever and my stomach was in knots. During the night time I had taken every medicine we had including children's NyQuil just to give me some relief. Kerri and Elsa woke up on Tuesday morning and went to breakfast while I rested till about 9:30am. I really wanted to feel better because today was the day that we would go to Yonas’ house. I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen. I had been feeling so ill the previous 24 hours but after my morning rest the headache was gone. I ventured downstairs to find my girls. When I walked into the restaurant Ben the Barman saw me and smiled, "Dawson, how are you feeling?" I told him I was better but still had a nervous stomach to which he replied, “I have just the thing! It is very special medicine that I make for you.” Ben was another one of those guys who sticks out in my mind. Sure he was a bar tender so naturally he is good with people but he was truly one of nicest people I have ever met. I was feeling badly and he was making me special medicine, whatever that was. It wasn't too long until I learned that special medicine is not medicine rather, special medicine is a drink fashioned out of 2 squeezed limes, about a ¼ cup of honey (or as Ben would say “very special honey”) and soda water. “Here, stir very well,” he said as he gave me the 16oz pilsner glass full of his special elixir. I stirred..... and I drank.... Surprisingly it was not bad at all! And aside from tasting good within 30 minutes I was feeling better. I looked over at Kerri and gave her the nod, we were going to Yonas' house.
Read Part 2 Here....
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