Thursday January 2 brought a 5:30am wake-up call for Dad and a 6am departure for what will prove to be the most difficult part of this RTW adventure for Dad as he will be away from the family for just over a week, but a time for us all to reflect upon how fortunate we are to spend this uninterrupted time together.
While most of our posts are jointly constructed, from the photos to the thoughts that we share, this post is being written by Bob.
I am writing the first portion of this post from Egypt Air flight 985 and it is currently 8:07pm on Friday January 3rd in Awassa, Ethiopia. I have been on the road for just over 38 hours as I type and I still have more than 3 hours until landing at JFK Airport. From there, I will find my way to the LIRR to Penn Station and a train to Philly. With a little luck, I hope to arrive in Philly by 9pm EST.
My journey began with a run from the hotel to the main traffic strip in search of a badjadj or tjoektjoek (pronounced "tuck tuck"), a small 3 wheel taxi, with the first destination being the bus station to catch the 6:30am Shalom Bus to Addis Ababa. After flagging down the only taxi in sight, a raggedy looking taxi indeed, I told the driver my destination and informed him that we needed to hurry as it was already 6:19am. We traveled approximately 3 blocks before the taxi broke down. The second sprint of the morning followed and I arrived at the bus just before departure.
The bus was actually very pleasant and the price was right at 140 birr or $7. The ride was more comfortable than my memories of taking Greyhound Buses from D.C. to Philly during law school. We arrived in Addis around 12:30pm and I headed for the lobby of the Hilton so I would be able to access wifi and work for the next 12 to 14 hours until heading to the airport for a 4:15am flight to Cairo.
I am returning to take the depositions of several defendants in a case in which we have invested an extraordinary amount of time and resources. The case is also very personal to me as I believe that a gross injustice took place, and with much effort from the entire firm, we have been able to help the client restore some order to his life. However, the job is not finished yet and we have a responsibility to make sure that we do not take our collective foot off the pedal.
As much as I dreaded leaving Kathy, Mabret, Roman and Katie, we openly discussed the options and all agreed that Dad needs to briefly return to the States. We included the boys in the discussion as they initially did not feel good about Dad leaving because they envisioned this total family journey to be uninterrupted. We explained to the boys our duty to the client and also our responsibility to our team at the office. Ray, Ed and Marianne have done an incredible job of running the firm while we experience this once in a lifetime adventure. In addition, they have done it with no complaints and total love and support for us. However, Dad is the most experienced attorney on the team to take depositions in this type of case. We further spoke with Roman and Mabret about Dad's responsibility to Ray, Ed and Marianne to make certain that all the hard work that they have done on this case is recognized by maximizing the effect of the depositions.
Before starting on the real work, the first order of business after arriving at the Hilton in Addis was to fact check some items in our "Education In The Village" post. I did this via email with Kathy. After finalizing the entry, I began to get my head into the case. For the next 10 hours, I worked, ate, hit the gym and had a few drinks. At 1am, I jumped into a cab for the 15 minute ride to the airport.
At the airport, I enjoyed a long conversation with a young man who had just finished his shift with Ethiopian Airlines. We discussed the wonderful people and places that Ethiopia has to offer along with interesting dialogue about the complex problems still facing this developing country. Shout out to Demelash Hordofa and welcome to the blog. (Note to our regular readers - I left my camera in Ethiopia and didn't think to use my phone so no photo of Demelash or other sites along the way).
At 3:45am, I boarded the plane for a three hour flight to Cairo. With a close eye on the weather in the States, I boarded with fingers crossed that upon landing my connecting flight would still be departing for NYC. The flight was uneventful and we landed just after 7am in Cairo. The screen showed the 10:35am flight to NYC departing as scheduled. A sigh of relief. I grabbed a bite to eat and did some work before departing exactly as scheduled.
In trying to make this interruption of our travel fantasy into a positive experience, I have been focusing on the true gift that I have received from living this dream. Spending everyday with Kathy, Mabret and Roman under such intense circumstances where each day brings unique emotions and calls for heightened senses has forced my mind away from the ordinary stress of life and allowed me to connect with them on new levels. Moreover, we have daily reminders of how different life is for many folks around the globe and how fortunate we are to have one another and such good friends and family.
Back in Ethiopia, the two finalists on House Hunters Awassa are struggling to win Kathy over as plumbing fixtures need installed and clean-up must be completed. Kathy has begun the search for furniture as we target Sunday January 12th for moving the kids to Awassa. Kathy also interviewed and hired a nanny. Meanwhile, Katie is working hard to maximize the time for school work before we head to India as India will return us to frequent moves and many long travel days.
It is 3:45pm on the east coast and 11:45pm in Awassa. I have landed at JFK Airport.
A quick trip through passport control as JFK has the new self-service kiosks for U.S. citizens - very cool and fast. You simply scan your passport, answer a few yes/no questions on the screen and the machine then takes your photo. A receipt with your picture and passport information prints out and you simply hand it to the officer as you leave the area.
I jumped on the AirTran to the LIRR into Penn Station. Unfortunately, I encountered my first delay of this marathon because Amtrak seems unable to unfreeze the doors on their trains.
It is now 7:03pm on the east coast and 3:03am on Saturday morning in Awassa. My train is just leaving Penn Station. With a little luck, I will be in Philly by 9pm.
Since arriving in NYC, I have received many texts, emails and calls from folks who knew that I was headed back checking to make sure that I arrived safely. Thanks to all for lifting my spirits.
To Kathy, Roman, Mabret and Katie, I miss you guys but don't skip a beat while I am away. Keep up the adventure and I will be back in a flash.
Throwback Saturday. A pic from just after landing in Cape Town. I cannot believe how much more mature Mabret and Roman look now as compared to November 2.
Peace Out.
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