9th February 2012

Happy Birthday Mum!

After an uneventful journey from Awassa, we arrived in Addis, where we stayed in our usual hotel, the Lion’s Den, for the night. We packed the car up that evening as we were heading off at 6.30 the next morning. We had an enormous amount of luggage, plus Camilla’s bags (which were even bigger than ours) and so piled them all on top of the previously mended roof rack and tied them on with every strap that we had. The road back to Gimbie has become even more bumpier than it was last time but we managed the journey in about 11 hours.

It was strange to be back here, but it was really quite pleasant as everyone was so welcoming and pleased to see us. Makabe had put some flowers in water on the table and roasted us some fresh coffee and the orphan boys all arrived to help us with our cases. Many of the hospital staff also came to help us carry things into the house. Word gets around quickly and so we also had a few phone calls from people welcoming us back. So it really did feel like coming ‘home’, even if home is just a temporary place.  After we unpacked, Makabe brought Jaba over to say hello. He has certainly grown in the few weeks we have been away and his facial features have changed a bit.