Day 4 - Canadians in Ethiopia

Can't sleep. It's 5 AM and our entire family is up. If you're ever awake in the middle of the night in Ethiopia, you can always blog about Canadians.

Incidentally, in Ethiopia, white people stand out. Especially if they're giants (as I seem to be). Several hotel workers have told me I look like Steven Gerrard, a soccer player from Liverpool. I've never even heard of the guy before. Any resemblance?

Maybe if I lost the smile...

Anyway...Canadians.

We met a white couple and their adopted Ethiopian daughter at the coffee ceremony in the authentic hut yesterday (Monday). I knew they were Canadian the first time the woman opened her mouth by the "eh?" she put on the end of the sentence. They knew we were American by the way we said "roof".

Anyway, this couple from Vancouver, British Columbia, adopted this now 18-year-old girl when she was 8. They were (and remain) involved in a Reformed church where they had a support group who adopted 13 orphans from around the world. It was the first time since the adoption that any of them had been in Ethiopia. They were searching for relatives. Her parents are dead but they had some pretty substantial leads in finding her biological siblings.

We were able to talk briefly about their connection with their daughter. The love and commitment of a biracial family was on display right before our eyes. This "chance" meeting happened immediately before we left to visit Neti and Meke for the first time.