We are off!

Tomorrow is the big day and we have everything we need. We ran out earlier for a present for our niece which is very important and I asked my uncle to hold our car which he was very happy to do. I have to remember to give my mother the telephone number to where we will be staying; don't want to forget that. We have been calling to see if flights were canceled as you know, a storm is coming or has arrived. They say it is too early to tell for tomorrow afternoon. The boys wanted to go out during bedtime to play in the snow. They were too through that I said "tomorrow". Yet they went to bed pretty quickly in anticipation.

Our Department had their Christmas party and my supervisor made good on his promise. There was a collection for our trip to help the three organizations we wanted to contribute to. We got a hefty penny I must say. On top of everything, we ate at Cafe Orlin and the food was great. The ice cream was fabulous. See the website for menu www.cafeorlin.com

I finished my Internship, that was great and all exams are finished for graduation.I will be keeping up with the blog and your comments. There are a few internet cafe's in the City area, where we are staying. we will be flighing on Turkish airlines, stopping in Istanbul for 9 hours where we will site see a little. Then we will head off to Addis. We will be back on the 8th which means in our house on Saturday. Happy New Year everyone. See you 2010!

First Things First

O.k., we have to buy most of the things we need next week on pay day and I will continue packing. I have two papers to hand in for school. Thank God this is my last semester. The boys both received their shots. I have written letters to their school and after school. I'm actually in the middle of decorating the lobby of my co-op building with Christmas decorations. Michael just text me saying, "Let's take the boys to see the tree". My mother has been calling me to make sure she sees us before leaving. It's always great hearing from my dad. I'm setting up things at work while I am away and my sweet Boss is having donations for our cause during the holiday Christmas party. What's more is the email I told you about earlier in this blog, well people have been donating and very excited about giving. Someone suggested we do this every year, which is the direction I wanted to take this venue. But first thing first.

Our List

Well, we have been reviewing our to do list. Finally my oldest son's renewed passport came in. That takes a load off for me. My next concern is what my oldest son will eat. My youngest son loves Ethiopian food. I love it as well. If you have never had it, the closest cultural food would be Indian food. Yet they are pretty different. You have to try it. There are a few in the city. Awash Restaurant has two locations and Ghenet Restaurant is very good but they moved out of Manhattan. There is also Queen of Sheba Restaurant in downtown Manhattan. (Be prepared that when you go, you will use delicious Injera bread to eat your meal).

So my oldest son, let's say can eat Ethiopian food for a day or two but not for three weeks. I will have to have something for him to eat. This is where my list comes in. I have the staple peanut butter and jelly. He hates caned food like Chef Boyardee. So I have pasta and can sauce. Oatmeal and cereal; their absolute favorite. They will eat any type of cereal all day if I gave it to them. I am also bringing crackers, box juices, carnation milk and what my husband and I can't seem to see eye to eye on; packets of noodle soup. (Between you and me I am packing the soup). I can't think right now what other non-perishable items I could pack. I decided to have them get the H1N1 shot. I decide when my co-worker said his niece came back from a trip to Europe last month and came home with the H1N1 virus. My husband and I need to get the vaccination as well. My oldest received the nasal spray as it does not have the Mercury preservative found in vaccinations. My youngest has an appointment with his doctor tomorrow but they only have the vaccination. I'll send more updates later.

Carrie Underwood-Change

I was so impressed with CNN Heroes this year. This is the third season and all nominees had a great cause in their humanitarian efforts in touching the lives of those less fortunate.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving means a lot of things to many people. A time of giving and receiving, a time of sharing and reflecting. In the "Spirit of Sharing", tomorrow we will be visiting family and enjoying our time of old stories, being surprised by family members you haven't seen in quite some time and poking fun at my stepfather who every year has not mastered cooking for under 15 people. As a chef for large organizations and the military he cooks for at least 40 people. So we have days of a seven course meal and large portions to share with others. (Honestly, he's come a long way from a convention luncheon at a posh hotel. O.k I am over exaggerating but you get the point).

I sort of miss Thanksgiving with my in-laws as they have moved out of New York, except one who we see throughout the year. And really, it is like Thanksgiving every time we go to visit. Plus we will be seeing them for Christmas in Addis, so I am very happy.

Lastly, In the "Spirit of Refection" I wanted to mention how grateful I am for Hope worldwide
who gave us the opportunity to know the value and joys of helping others. I have included pictures that I have been meaning to post as well as encouraged through comments about aid work done in peace keeping Somaliland and HIV/Aids Awareness in Kenya. I will be posting two at a time. Please check out my favorites at the bottom of the blog page.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."-Mahatma Gandhi

Instructions for Donations

There are 29 days left and this is the crucial weekend. This weekend I will be sending out all emails and contacts for anyone who would like to donate. I always think that people are generous and would like to give but do not have a respected source for contributing financially. Please view our profile as it will give you a little history of our volunteer work.

A) These are the websites to the three organizations, who will receive your donations.

www.wesmco.org.et

www.ethiopiareads.org

www.fistulafoundation.org

B) Whatever you send will be greatly appreciated. Please send checks and money orders to the UPS mail box on the top right of this blog. Please do not forget to put in memo which organization your donation is going towards.

C) The Organization you choose will be notified of your contribution. A confirmation from them will be sent and your name as a contributor will be placed on this blog unless you state otherwise.

We will place all the footage and pictures on the site. You will be very excited that you participated in this cause to help someone a lot less fortunate then you. Please join our 29 day cause.

Encouraging Emails

Thank you for all your support! I want to personally thank Troy, Maria, Auntie Yerland, Tawalde, Berhanu, Judith, Professor Kristin, Dr. Yinka, Dr. Kibour and Dr. Chacko for their encouraging emails. Thank you so much for your input on the blog and well wishes for our upcoming trip.

As a result of a few requests in helping the charities abroad, I will be posting them this week with a new P.O. box where people can contribute. Requests can be made for the organizations you would like to help and a confirmation from that organization will be provided for you. I will give more details when everything is set up. Thanks again for visiting our blog.

Going home...

I'm really excited about our trip back home. It has been two years since my last visit. This time it will be different because the whole family is coming with me. I'm most excited about the kids seeing the place "where Daddy was born". I want them to see where I lived, played, went to school, etc. I want them to meet the monkeys that chased me and my brothers and sister at Sondere. I want them to experience as much as possible. I'm also very excited about the prospect of visiting Axum and Lalibela. It has been a dream for a long time. It's one thing to read about it but it's a whole other thing to see it with your own eyes. It's like living in NYC and never having been at the top of the Empire State Building. I'm glad that my kids will have the opportunity to do so. I know my parents would have taken us there, as they have taken us to many other places, if it wasn't for the fateful year of '74.

-Mike

Helpful Websites

I wrote a research paper on Ethiopia in the Spring of 2009. These are some helpful websites about the history and culture:

www.selamta.net
www.wikipedia.org
www.ethio.com
www.ethiopianhistory.com
www.ethioworld.com
www.mapsofworld.com
www.nytimes.com
Just found this one:
www.ethiopianembassy.org

The Impossible

I went to service today and the story of Noah flashed in my mind. You know, he gets a bad rap as he's only known for bringing two sets of animals in the ark. But stay with me here. When you read the story of Noah, he was intense. He had a vision from God and ran with it. He was organized, tend to the details, almost compulsively, and he had passion. He had a mission and regardless of what anyone said he was going to work the plan. The ark was not built overnight. He put quality into his work. Yet he was good at following instructions. He included those who were close to him, so that they would share in the success. He went against the odds when others told him it could not be done, what's more, that it was impossible and that he was out of his mind. Yet Noah was unwavering.

What do you believe in? What is your vision? What motivates you to keep going through the obstacles? This trip is just one stop on my journey, one chapter in my book of life. What great things do you want to do? I am inspired by Noah, as he set a great example; that the impossible can be done. What's your next impossible?

Brave Vision

When you go on a trip to a place like Ethiopia it is difficult to go as a leisure vacation. It is not like going to a tropical island like my beloved country Montserrat. Ethiopia is probably the size of Texas times two. Montserrat is a little bigger than the island of Manhattan. The needs in Ethiopia is so huge. Although it is rich in culture and one of the oldest civilizations, it also has many poor people. So this is the dilemma. How can I go there and have a great time when I know my heart will be pulled and my eyes absorb their experiences? As the motivated person that I am, which comes from my family before me who knew the struggle of survival, I have a vision for this trip. Yet to execute it I am afraid.

The vision gets more intense with each passing day. I realized that I have resources at my fingertips but I will have to suffer uncomfortably to watch it crystallize. Where I work, there are some "big wigs" & "Elite of the Organization". I will be sending out, in a few days, a special email to them requesting donations for specific organizations who work with fistula patients and teach children to read. I will find a way for other donations in a later post. Until then, this forum will serve as a vice for updates on the projects before, during and after. Those abroad will know the contributors and connections will be made to see the contributions from the philanthropic work organized. Stay tuned and "send out good wishes".

We are finally going.

Hi everyone. I am psyched about going to Addis once again. We didn't make it last year as we couldn't raise the funds for 4 tickets! We did everything we could as this year we were more determined. What's even better is our relatives will be flying to Addis around the same time for American Christmas and Ethiopian Christmas (1/7/2010). That is so wild that we will be back 2010. -Petrina