Ethiopia: On the Ground

The fashionABLE team landed in Addis Ababa at 7am on Sunday morning after about 24 hours of travel. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, as I’ve never been to Africa before and all I know is what I’ve seen in movies or read in books. Previously, when I thought of Africa, I thought of lions and zebras and fresh coffee beans. I thought of war and poverty. Honestly, it freaked me out a bit just because it’s so far from my comfortable home, my husband and my cat.

When we arrived on Sunday morning my luggage didn’t arrive with me. After I swallowed down a brief bubble of panic, I tried to embrace it. Here I was in Africa without any of my stuff. It sort of seemed fitting. I pulled on my big girl panties and just went with it {my luggage did finally arrive a day later!}.

What I have found so far in Africa are the most generous and kind people I’ve ever met. Yes, there is extreme poverty but there is also extreme beauty. We have been greeted with such so much kindness that it’s almost ridiculous.

On the first day of the trip, we were invited into the home of an Ethiopian woman who just gave birth last week. She not only invited the ten of us into her home, but also served us snacks and shared a bit about the gift of adoption. Then, we visited a transitional home for children that had been adopted and were waiting to go home to their new birth families. I randomly caught up with one of my Noonday friends there! She and her husband were visiting their new son. It was such an unexpected gift!

Today, we visited with the women of FashionABLE. When I say “visited”, I mean we just spent time with them. We danced together, we sang together, we drank coffee and shared stories. There was lots of laughing and some tears, too. These women are just incredible and their courage makes them true heroes.

I have already learned so much from these women and this new culture. Tomorrow we are heading into the countryside to spend time with more of the women and their kids. Their big hearts and generosity truly inspire me. It was so fun today to show Mulu a photo of my wedding of how my bridesmaids and I all wore their scarves and how much we loved them! Though we don’t speak the same language, little bits of connection like that really count and help us feel closer to each other. I hope today meant as much to them as it meant to me.

Thank you all so much for all your sweet thoughts and prayers for our trip! They are definitely felt. If you have any questions, the team here will be hosting a fun Twitter party TODAY at 11am PST. You can read more about that here and I hope to “see” y’all there!

xoxoxo

J

PS- the food is AMAZING here. I tried Injera and fell in love — so many spicy delicious sauces! The injera itself reminded me of a soggy sourdough bread…but in a good way. Also, I’ve eaten lots of really yummy chicken satay with rice and bottles of ice cold Coca Cola. Love.

Disclaimer: Though travel + accommodations were generously sponsored by fashionABLE, all opinions are my own. I am truly passionate about these women and this organization and am so happy to share my experiences with y’all!