Habesha Dancer

My friend April has some dance theme going on her blog. She has inspired me to share a little of our video from our trip to Ethiopia.  

One of the special events we were invited to attend while picking up our daughter was an evening of cultural dinner & dancing.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but just knew that our daughter seemed to be very excited about it. We both wore our Ethiopian habesha dresses & she was just on Cloud 9 to share her culture with us.

The dinner was a traditional meal of injera & wats and was fabulous. While we ate we were entertained by Ethiopian dancers who would perform regional dances from all over Ethiopia. Each region has traditional music, clothing & even a specific style of dancing.  It was fascinating to see all of these dances & CRAZY to see how these people could move their bodies. Truly unbelievable!

The highlight of the night for our group was when our daughter was invited to dance with one of the professional dancers.  She was in her element - and I must admit I had a tear in my eye to see her shine.  

We're Home!

It's hard to believe that in one week's time we have been half-way around the world and back and that we are now a family of six.  It is all a bit surreal and I must admit that I feel compelled to blog about the experience so that when the "fog" lifts I will have some idea of how these first few weeks went. 

 

Our trip to Ethiopia to meet our daughter was truly amazing.  We delighted in the way every detail seemed to be covered by prayer and God's grace - everything from our children's care here in America to the flights/travel, to our time with our daughter, to the new friends we made while we were there in Ethiopia.  At times we even felt a bit guilty - as if we were on vacation.  It was great to be in Ethiopia again and to be free of the normal demands of life.  We felt free to focus on our daughter and getting to know her. We loved the days we had with here there and left this time truly feeling like we love her country and her culture. 

Now that we are home we are trying to find our new "normal", which means adjustment for all of us.  For the most part we are doing really well, but as grief hits (in waves) we realize that this is not a road for the faint of heart.  I never knew that my heart could be so sad for her when she is sad, but that, in itself is evidence of God's great work.  He truly has made her our daughter.