Thanksgiving Y'all

To all our family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving!!  Thanksgiving may not be celebrated here in Ethiopia, but I'm devoting this blog to giving thanks and a bit of reflection.  Paul and I feel blessed that we were given this opportunity to assume a work/leisure (me) posting in Ethiopia.  22 months ago the prospect of Paul returning to Ethiopia seemed very grim and highly unlikely.  We were reconciled to the fact that Paul would not have the opportunity to work at an International posting.  As Paul's progress following his stroke in November 2011 continued to improve the possibility became a reality.  We are both thankful for Paul's recovery and restored good health.  The preparation to come to Ethiopia involved a complete upheaval of our life and existence in suburban Barrhaven.  We are thankful for Gail who took us in when we only had an empty house (contents which had been purged, stored or shipped) and put up with us, our two girls (Al and Jenn) and Al's boyfriend Alex (visiting from Switzerland) and of course Lexxie.  We lived with Gail the last two weeks before we flew to Ethiopia.  And though we left after two weeks, we left behind boxes of irreplaceable family pictures, cherished Royal Doultons (from my Mum) and even our car that Gail is generously storing for us until we return. Thank you to Brooke who also generously offered up storage space for all our Christmas decorations.  It is so reassuring to know that household items that hold so much meaning to us are housed safely with family.

It was hard leaving home because it meant leaving our children behind.  Sure, sure they may be young adults, but as parents they will always be our "children".  We are thankful that our kids have shown us that though of course they miss us, they are becoming self-sufficient adults that we are so immensely proud of.  Aley and Daylan have had their fair share of their Dad's extended travels.  For Allison and Jennifer this was a first to have their Mom away for this length of time.  Allison's adjustment perhaps has been made easier by the fact that she was moving to Southampton, UK to assume a teaching position.  This leaves my youngest, Jennifer with the biggest adjustment.  Jennifer is fortunate that she has her Dad  and step-mom (Janet) and her step brothers (Phil and Paul) and step-sister Laura. But I know how it wrenches my heart that I am not there as she begins 3rd year of University and that I can't be a part of her ringette season.  I am thankful for Jenn's strength  and courage.  She amazes me with each email she sends me and I sometimes marvel over the fact that at times Jenn is the one supporting ME during this time away.

We are thankful that we will have the pleasure and joy of seeing all our children, including my sister-in-law Johanna and my brother Wayne at Christmas this year.  We are wildly excited despite the fact that the trip is less than 12 weeks away.

I am thankful that being in Ethiopia has given me freedom to indulge in things I wasn't able to do because I was employed full time.  I am currently tutoring a 4 year old Italian child in English.  This has been such a rewarding experience as I push Anna to find the "h" in words, a letter she tends to drop.  She is such a quick study, but teaching her through conversational English has been pushing me to research phonics and ESL strategies.  It is so rewarding when I hear her speaking with more confidence, better pronunciation and in the right tense.

Freedom also gives me the opportunity to travel.  I am thankful that I am able to travel with Paul when he goes on a road trip.  Bahir Dar was our first trip together, but there are more in the offing.

I am thankful that I am able to share birthday celebrations with my first born, Allison.  The journey begins tomorrow, October 14th as I fly to Heathrow, followed by a bus/train to Southampton where I will meet up with Allison, her flatmate (soul-mate!!), Kat and her sister Steph (visiting from Ottawa). As I said earlier, it's been hard being away from our children.  When Paul "suggested" I visit Allison, I literally jumped on the suggestion and made it so.  Who's having the hardest adjustment, eh? Stay tuned for more blogs on our UK adventures!!

We are thankful that while we are in Ethiopia we enjoy a very, privileged existence.  We are so fortunate that  Paul is paid by Canadian standards and the cost of living in Ethiopia being so low means our Canadian dollar goes a long way.  We enjoy a housekeeper/cook, gardener/handy man and a nightly guard, privileges we would never dream of having in Canada and yet here it is within our reach.  We are thankful and yet saddened when we drive around Addis and see the stark disparity in standards.  There is shocking evidence of the have's and have nots.  Driving down main street Tele-Bole we are continually approached by beggars that come to the car (Mothers with children, cripples hobbling along on crutches, old men and woman). We always have birr in the car to give; a small price to pay and yet any offering is always met with such gratitude. We often wish we could do more.  I am thankful that Paul is working on a project that is helping to promote Ethiopians' capacity to provide for themselves. There are approximately 14 million people in Ethiopia that are chronically food insecure and who experience a hunger gap between 2 -5 months a year. This is an unbelievable fact that most of us cannot relate to.  I am thankful that through networking with colleagues and associates of Paul I am being better positioned to help with this need which is rampant throughout Addis.

Living here in Ethiopia, has made us extremely thankful for the standard of living we take for granted.  Paul has been telling me for years that our North American standard of living is not the norm in the global sense.  I never quite understood that until coming here and living in the middle of it.  I am thankful that living here is giving me a clearer perspective and a greater appreciation for the blessings we have.

So when you all sit around enjoying your turkey dinner this weekend (which we would be doing if we were home), be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving and We Miss You All!