National Museum & Traditional Dinner

We woke at 6:45 a.m. and had breakfast at 8 a.m. Wendy came to pick us up. We drove to the National Museum and Wendy was our guide. We saw Lucy and learned about Ethiopian culture & customs. While we were at the museum two groups of school children came to the museum. Each group sang a song before entering the museum. It was precious.


I felt much better today as I continued taking the allergy medicines. Matt was beginning to feel the pollution and thus started on the allergy medicine as well.

After the museum we returned once again to the Hilton to exchange money and to enjoy a diet Coke. We then went to the Emirat*es Airline office to confirm our tickets and to make sure we had the bulk head seats on our return flights.

After lunch at the guest house we went to Toukoul at 2 p.m. to meet with Dr. Tsige. We opted to have her meet with all three families at once. She discussed our children’s medical history since arriving at Toukoul and answered any questions we had about our children. Dr. Tsige and Matt got into a heated discussion about Oliver’s diaper blowout. It simply turned out to be miscommunication as Matt did not understand Dr. Tsige’s Ethiopian accent and she could not understand his British accent. I took over communication as Dr. Tsige could better understand my Texan English. We learned that Oliver had had clinical pneumonia. She also ordered that Oliver start albuterol for a raspy/rattling in his chest. He will continue the treatment for three days.

During the meeting our nannies brought us our children and we were able to feed them. Oliver received his medicine from Dr. Tsige also. After the meeting was over, the men went with Wendy to purchase soccer balls for the children of Toukoul and the women stayed behind to play with our kids. Once the men returned the kids came out of the buildings, having seen them carrying the large bag of soccer balls. One little boy entered the family room and asked, “Ball?”. I called out to Matt and he brought him a ball. Girls and boys then came out and kicked the soccer balls with the guys while we went to the Toukoul gift shop to complete the purchases we had started the day before.

We stayed at Toukoul until 6 p.m. Wendy drove us back to the guest house and at 7:15 p.m. we all left to go to Yod Abyssinia Cultural Restaurant for traditional Ethiopian dancing and dinner. Aster and Wendy joined us at the restaurant and ordered for us. Aster insisted on feeding us as it is an Ethiopian custom. We talked and watched the dancers. Later in the show the dancers came out and danced with the audience. Matt, Amy, Brent and I took a go at the traditional dances. During our entire dinner a group of very young children danced just below the stage. They were fantastic dancers themselves and we enjoyed watching them dance. Wendy informed us that Ethiopians are taught traditional dance once a week for an hour at school.

Dinner was fun and enjoyable. I think we all had a great time. We returned to the guest house around 11 p.m. tired and ready to get a good night’s sleep.