It's a Small, Small World

For those of you who loved the T-shirt story, this one's even better.



When we were at the orphanage in July, 2007, we snapped a picture of Neti and Meke with their best friends. However, after 10 months of living in America, we don't know their names (the girls have forgotten).

When our good friends, Seth and Apryl, traveled to Ethiopia to pick up their two adopted kids last month, we sent a stack of photos of Neti and Meke to show the orphanage workers. Among the photos was the "best friends" photo taken 10 months earlier. We had instructed Apryl to do some detective work and see if she could find out the best friends' names.



While in Ethiopia, Seth and Apryl became close with another family, the Heinrichs, who were staying in the same hotel and adopting an older child. Here's Apryl's account of her "bilingual" conversation with the Heinrich's adopted daughter, Selam:



Before we left the hotel yesterday, I had the envelope with photos of your girls in my hand in the lobby. Selam sat next to me and I thought that perhaps she would recognize the girls we were looking for. So I took out the picture of Meke and Neti with the nannies at Kids Care. Selam said the names of the nannies, and I said, "Meke, Neti...Mekdelwit and Netsanet". Selam repeated what I said. I'm just thinking she's repeating me, right? So I flip to the photo of the girls with their friends and Selam says "Meke, Neti, Me." I said, "What? Selam?" Then I looked at the picture again (I hadn't looked at it since we left). It's Selam! She's Neti's special friend from Kid's Care!



We were only hoping for a name. Now we know a whole lot more.

So here's Neti and her best friend from the orphanage, Selam.

(And to wrap it all up with a big red bow...note the shirt Neti happens to be wearing)