If you are new to the blog, you might want to start at the beginning and work your way forward.
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We made it safely back from Dafe Jema to Adama. It was an amazing, entirely peaceful, and, as best we could tell, safe experience. We did not encounter any Islamic extremists. To the contrary, twice during the trip we were helped out of tight spots by incredibly generous Ethiopian Muslims. First, when we got our Toyota Land cruiser stuck in the mud, a group of Muslim men and boys who live near dafe jema helped get us unstuck. Then, we were helped again when our friends from Ann Arbor who were visiting family in Adama provided us with medication that Thomas needed for his allergy atack. (Turns out Thomas is allergic to horses, which we learned after he road on horseback for an hour to and from Dafe Jema.)
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We made it safely back from Dafe Jema to Adama. It was an amazing, entirely peaceful, and, as best we could tell, safe experience. We did not encounter any Islamic extremists. To the contrary, twice during the trip we were helped out of tight spots by incredibly generous Ethiopian Muslims. First, when we got our Toyota Land cruiser stuck in the mud, a group of Muslim men and boys who live near dafe jema helped get us unstuck. Then, we were helped again when our friends from Ann Arbor who were visiting family in Adama provided us with medication that Thomas needed for his allergy atack. (Turns out Thomas is allergic to horses, which we learned after he road on horseback for an hour to and from Dafe Jema.)
On the whole, despite the above-mentioned minor hiccups, it was an absolutely fantastic and unforgettable experience. The family was honored and pleased that we had made the effort to come. But they were mostly grateful for the help that has been given to Feleke. Obviously, there have been many people along the way that have helped Feleke to get well, and we have been only a small part But since we were the only ones there in Dafe Jema, we got to experience all of the family's concentrated gratitute. And the beauty of the location--what is essentially Feleke's backyard--is impossibly beautiful.
I will have more to write about the trip to the village, more details and lots of pictures. But a full post on the Dafe Jema visit will have to wait. We have been distracted by what I would call a minor logistical catastrope. Our passports, money, and credit cards seem to have been stolen from our room. How? And why do I say "seem"? Good questions. We don't know exactly how, but the evidence points to hotel staff. When we returned from Dafe Jema, I had all of the aforementioned items safely tucked in my money belt, which I remember having in the lobby of the hotel last night--a fact that is also confirmed by several witnesses, including a hotel employee. I remember setting it on my bedside table when I got into our room last night. Then we had room service and several housekeepers came in to make feleke's bed. I didn't notice it was missing until this morning. I say "seem" because there are no witnesses to the crime, if there even was one.
We turned the room upside down looking for the money belt, and we repeated the procedure at least five times. Then we had friends of ours here do the same thing. Nothing. We inquired at the hotel, and they said nothing was turned in. They are in the process of questioning the staff. We are not hopeful, however. If the staff took it, they will not admit it, because doing so would mean losing their jobs.
What does all this mean for our flight tomorrow? It means that, unless the passports turn up in the next 12 hours or so, we will not be on that flight. We will be able to get new passports and visas, because my brilliant wife thought to make copies of all of the original documents and to store them in my suitcase. But we cannot get them before Monday at the earliest. I called the US embassy here and they are closed on the weekend. The emergency number of the website for the American embassy here got me to a young Marine who guards the door. He tried another number he had, but it didnt work. He then said, firmly but politely: Sir, I think you'd best hunker down till Monday and try again then. And try to have a good day. That's what he said. I guess a US citizen who loses his passport is not an emergency. If we had been kidnapped by terrorists, they probably would have called the ambassador's cell, but not for this. Fair enough. So we start on Monday.
My biggest concern is replacing Feleke's passport and visa. We have copies of those as well, but they may work more slowly than the US embassy. If my experience so far with the Addis police is any indication, they will be very slow. Maybe the US embassy will be able to help speed things up.
In the mean time, we are stuck in Addis trying to make the best of things. One of Dr. Rick's sons, Mesfin, has been helping us today. And he suggested that maybe God had a reason for keeping us here a few extra days. Maybe he's right. We just have to see what that is--as we continue to look for our old passports and apply for new ones.
