The last 2 days have been pretty great. We're adjusting to Addis and the guest house quite nicely. Dan is our resident African GPS and bug killer. He claims he killed a maggot in the bathroom this morning. I'm choosing to believe it was something else. Christmas is coming soon and the kids are putting on a program on Sunday. In preparation, Dan & Judi sorted, wrapped, and labeled 150 Christmas presents for the kids. Each child at Little Ahope, Big Ahope, and the CDC will be getting a gift wrapped in shiny paper. Yay!

We stopped for lunch yesterday at a cute cafe and stumbled upon a coffee ceremony. These are very common in Ethiopia and the owner of the cafe invited us to join her. She also gave her phone number to us in case we need anything during our stay. Most Ethiopians we encounter are so happy to have us here. Most want to say hello and practice their English. Any time someone gives us a bit of a hard time, another Ethiopian steps in. I always say it but the hospitality here is so wonderful here.

Last night we spent a bit of time at Big Ahope. They now have a foosball table! The kids took turns playing with Dan, Judi, and me. We learned that both Judi and I suck at foosball, but Dan is amazing. The kids were impressed by his skills. 

Today we went shopping at a micro finance handicraft shop in the Mexico neighborhood. We got some fun things and it all goes towards helping others. My kind of shopping! Not to mention it didn't exactly break the bank. The exchange rate is now 16 birr to 1 dollar. This afternoon we are going to stop for some mixed juice and then do some arts & crafts with the little kids. We are decorating the orphanage compound for the Christmas program with construction paper windsocks, lanterns, and paper chains. We'll also be listening to some great kids' songs...thanks again, Erin! 

I have no idea what our plans for tonight will be, but I'm sure something exciting will come up. Every day here is an adventure!