News From Awassa

We have received many inquiries about the progress of our Ethiopian children. We are pleased to report that they have started school after doing well during the month of tutoring.  Endris is struggling a bit more than Shemelese and Yenu but this is not unexpected as he has more ground to cover because of his age.  We continue to remain hopeful as each day spent in Awassa exposes them to further English and Amharic as well as new social and cultural experiences. 

They have been venturing out for fun.

And returned to the village via the public bus to see their family. 

The next 6 months are critical. We will keep you posted.  Thanks for the love and support of friends who keep the kids in your thoughts and prayers. 

Dubai

Perhaps the greatest contrast of cultures faced us as we left India and headed to Dubai for a few days of fun.  As you have seen in the blog, India is a beautiful although somewhat chaotic land. We would quickly learn that Dubai is, well, absolutely nothing like that. 

Dubai is one of seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates.  What, you ask, is an emirate?  Well in simple terms, an emirate is a territory or province that is ruled by a Muslim monarch.  Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is an energizing and glamorous metropolis that has grown steadily to become a global city and a business and cultural hub of the Middle East.  Although Dubai's economy was historically built on the oil industry, this has expanded dramatically and much revenue now comes from tourism, real estate, and financial services.  The city has become home to many skyscrapers including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.  While there are many over-the-top structures in Dubai, the one that is perhaps most mind-boggling is the indoor mountain - Ski Dubai.  In addition, Dubai proudly boasts the only seven star hotel in the world and many sprawling shopping malls.  

Of course, it will not surprise you to learn that Dubai is also the most expensive city in the Middle East.  For the first time since leaving on this journey, we suffered sticker shock at every turn.  We were reminded of what we had "forgotten" while traveling Africa and India...this trip would have been very short if not strategically planned.  While $50 can last days in Africa, it is out of the pocket and gone in a flash here in Dubai.  This is not a complaint but a reality.  However, the RTW Adventure Family was here to rock it out for two days. And that we did.  

We arrived in Dubai on Thursday night February 6th.  After making our way to the hotel around midnight, we all hit the sack and prepared for a full day ahead.  By 8am on Friday, we were walking the Mall of the Emirates and taking in the sights, sounds and wonderful smell of the structure.  The smell was coming for the dozens of bakeries, coffees shops and restaurants serving breakfast.  We must admit, it was a welcome sight to our taste buds and bellies.  Breakfast included three courses...Starbucks, a French bakery and IHOP.

With our bellies full, we were off to...an indoor ski resort.

Gearing up for one of the activities that Mabret, Roman and Dad have truly missed while traveling.

The "mountain" looking back from halfway up the lift. 

Approaching the top.

The boys doing their thing.

A selfie on the lift.

After exhausting ourselves on the mountain, we ate a good lunch and relaxed a bit.  Katie took the boys to a movie while mom and dad grabbed a drink and chillaxed. Thanks, Katie. 

We finished the day by actually going out on a date.  Sushi was calling.  More thanks to Katie.

Day two brought a 6am wake-up call as we had tickets for the 7am elevators to the observation deck at the top of the Burj Khalifa.

A view from the top.

The sunrise.

Good times and makin memories.

The mall which is part of the Burj Khalifa complex has an impressive aquarium (and silly boys).

The mall is also home to the flagship store of our new family empire.

Next stop was Soccer Circus.  An impressive indoor soccer training facility which included this penalty kick simulator in which the boys worked together to take penalty kicks aimed at the figures shown in  the picture.  Each time a figure is hit, it drops beneath the floor.  

We finished the day with a movie (Frozen) and dinner.

A busy and memorable stop in Dubai.

Final Day in Rome

As usual Roman and Mabret spent the morning with Katie doing school work. They have worked hard the entire trip. Nonetheless, some days are easier than others, but Katie is always patient and kind. Bob and I are blessed that she is their Sensei (teacher) rather than either of us on those days when one of the boys struggle with getting down to work.

For the final day in Rome the boys had the choice of how they wanted to spend the day. 

They chose.... map reading with Mabret leading the way to Camp de' Fiori.

Campo de' Fiori means field of flowers in English. In the Middle Ages the piazza was actually an open meadow.  In the 1600's, the square was the site of many executions.  A monument to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher, who was burnt alive for heresey stands in the middle of the square. His statue stands defiantly facing the Vatican who denouced all his work and placed it on the Index of Forbidden Books. The monument stands in the exact spot of his death and reminds us all of the importance of freedom of thought!

The Campo de' Fiori is currently a large open air market with tons of Italian delights. The boys had fun with a couple of euros buying fruit, pasta and cheese. I could have stayed all day shopping, tasting and planning a great meal. We purchased only what we could eat or take with us to Spain.

 

Lunch included one of Mabret's favorites, pasta with claims. Roman however enjoyed the more avian side of the piazza. The pigeons. He claims to be their Master and they, Roman's warriors!

The day ended with a sudden downpour and the boys chance to negotiate a better price for the much sought after laser pens. I gave them only 5euros and sent them out to try and negotiate with the many hawkers. Amist the hawkers are many true artists, magicians, performs and scams artists. The trick is to discover the difference.

 

   

Can you figure out how he is levitating?

Peace out and Good bye Rome!