Thursday 9 April 2009

New Flower Guest House

We weren't impressed by our first view of the New Flower Guest House. It was late at night, we were tired and we were ushered along a short downstairs corridor and shown a tiny room, nothing like the ones they show on the website!! The shared toilet/shower room next door was erm basic!! But we were too tired to care and just got ready for bed and slept. The bed creaked and groaned every time we moved, and it wasn't a double - either that or we'd both grown a lot on the flight over!! And don't even ask about the barking dogs!!!

However, during the next week we learnt to appreciate the Guest House and the extremely helpful staff. The accommodations were pretty basic, but they were throughout Addis - if we wanted Western comforts we would have to pay Western prices for a room at the Hilton or Sheraton! There were at least three power cuts during our week's stay, but the Guest House owner explained that electricity is rationed through the city and each area of the city takes turns at having no power. And I've read reviews of many different Guest Houses on adoptive family's blogs and most of them mention power cuts and barking dogs - so its just a feature of staying in Addis lol.

The other guests were all adoptive families and it was lovely seeing them interact and start to bond with their new little ones. While we stayed there was a German couple adopting a baby boy, two pairs of Danish sisters where one sister was adopting and the other sister was supporting them, an American couple from Colorado adopting their second baby girl and a Canadian couple adopting a 5 year old daughter, as a sister to their previously adopted 13 and 6 year old Ethiopian children.

The atmosphere was one of mutual support and assistance. I gave one of the Danish sister's my spare memory card for her camera. She was saving all her pictures to a memory stick, but was terrified that something would happen to them and she might lose them. Then when she and her new baby became covered in "bites" and her sister wasn't she used some of the medication I'd taken, just in case it was Scabies. The other guests allowed me and Baby Sis to use the upstairs (warm!!) shower and we all pooled knowledge of where to eat, where to shop and what to buy :-)

So we went from an "OMG what have we DONE??" attitude to the Guest House, to feeling so at home and comfortable and LOVING it :-) And I've just booked to stay there again when we all go over for our Court Date :-)

Despite our initial misgivings I would heartily recommend it to everyone as a lovely calm welcoming oasis in a busy city.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you are up to blogging. I know travelling in Africa is hard! And the extreme things you see, and lifestyles people have. It makes you appreciate life and what we take for granted even more.

Hugs I am counting the days off as well until you do the journey ( no longer an novice!) to adopt your beautiful child:)

Hugs S

Janet said...

Hi S,
Thank you. Its taken me a while to feel up to writing about the trip, and I've been savouring being with my family again too :-)
You are so right, the things we've seen and experienced have given me a totally different view of my life and made me appreciate much more fully simple things I used to take for granted.
I'm counting the days too - there are way too many :-(
Love
Janet
xxxx
PS Many many congrats on your book :-)

kn said...

Thinking of you. Tried to post earlier but it didn't seem to take. Can't imagine what leaving was like. I'll hold your family in my thoughts and hope that this month just flies by (hard to imagine I think.)

I'm happy you ended up liking the quest house. Wonderful to have a place you feel comfortable in.

Janet said...

Hi Kristine,
Leaving was heartwrenching and its an effort of will to not dwell copnstantly on the fact that I'm here and little one is there :-( Time doesn't seem to be flying so far, but at least its passing!
And it definitely was a great to have a place in Addis to "go home to" and feel so comfortable and relaxed :-)
Love
Janet
xxx

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OUR ETHIOPIAN ADOPTION TIMELINE


25th May 2009 - See New Child again & Court Date

23rd May 2009 - Fly back to Ethiopia

26th March 2009 - Fly to Ethiopia :-)

3rd March 2009 - Dossier Arrived at Orphanage

26th February 2009 - Dossier sent to Ethiopia

22nd December 2008 - Dossier back at DCSF

28th November 2008 - Certificate of Eligibility ISSUED

6th October 2008 - PASSED Approval Panel

7th July 2008 - Homestudy Update Started

28th Feb 2008 - Told LA we wished to change country

OUR CHINA ADOPTION TIMELINE

Formally withdrew from the China Adoption Programme 17th July 2008

LID (Logged in Date) with CCAA 16th August 2007

Documents to China 10th August 2007

Passed Approval Panel 5th March 2007

Homestudy started 6th June 2006

First Contact with our LA 1st Jan 2006