Arriving in Addis.

OK- so here are Jodi's questions;

What country did you adopt from?  And when you stepped of the plane.... and headed towards your first destination in that country.... what were your first impressions of the country?  What should we expect?

Let me begin by saying that there are NO words that could do justice to this experience, the country or Africa itself. I can't tell you how many times I heard this prior to travel and how true it is.
OK, so we adopted from Ethiopia and while Garrett wasn't able to come with me, my Mom and Sister-In-Law were wonderful enough to be my support during the week. As for the arrival....
Ya know, any time you travel internationally a new culture can be a little intimidating. To some, arrival at the airport might make one feel a bit like they are walking around in a room full of vampires that could kill them at any moment, and while that is not likely to happen, it still keeps them on edge a bit. To others, it's not quite so life threatening.
That said, I remember stepping off the place and IMMEDIATELY recognizing that we were the minority. We were different in just about EVERY way. There was the obvious color of skin, but it was also in the languages we heard, the smells, the sounds, the pace, the fabrics, EVERYTHING and that was in the airport! It was overwhelming to the senses and for a very short time, distracted me from the reason for our trip. It wasn't until after we actually left the airport that my eyes began to take in, what would be a week full of emotional memories. 
I remember the smell. I can close my eyes and still smell it. The fresh air, after being in that packed airport seemed unlike any air I had ever breathed. It was the smell of .... well Africa. The smell of warm, clean, dry earth, the opportunity of a new beginning. Almost like a chance at a fresh start was given to you as soon as you stepped foot on Ethiopian soil and inhaled. It was wonderfully amazing. I had no experience of the culture itself yet, but it was as if the hope and joy of the people was palpable in the air.
It was late at night when we flew in so we saw little of the city itself when we flew over Addis. We got in the van and once we got on the road it was hard to recognize that we were even in a city for the first few miles. Lights were minimal and there were hardly any buildings in sight. When we finally did begin to see real structures they seemed to be placed in the middle of nowhere. All we saw was mismatched metal fencing that blocked our view of much else. There were few people on the streets, but the majority of those that were there were beggars with severe physical impairments. For them to be out in daylight would be unacceptable.

          (much of the city is being developed so there are vast spaces of emptiness throughout)

The silence of the city was deafening. It was unlike any city I had ever been in. The night life was either non-existent, or tucked away off the main road. The roar of the van was the only sound we heard other than our voices as we made conversation with the driver while trying to visually take in what we could.
The further we drove the brighter it got, but make no mistake, the dim yellow lights were spread pretty far apart. There were a few tall buildings, most with lights off. Roads we drove on were paved with no lines to separate lanes. Traffic lights were few. We may have gone through 3 in our entire trip to the guest house.
Roads off the main road were dirt and gravel. We were in the city, but much of it has yet to be paved (and it has vastly improved in the years prior to our trip). It was maybe 15 minutes of driving before we pulled off the main road and drove bumpily for another few minutes passing compounds and private homes along the way. We pulled up to a metal gate that was opened for us in welcome to the guest house. 
 We settled in for the night and prepared for the days ahead. 

 The city in daylight looks much more alive and busy than at night. It's amazing what a little sunlight will do!