final post

Hi guys,
Well, two more sleeps and I'll be headed home! We had a great time on the trip in the south despite some pretty horrific hotels. The landscape is significantly different in the south than around Addis.  Coming back "home" to the guest house was great - and not just because we came home to clean, dry towels. Everyone who works here greeted us with hugs and was so happy to see us!  We were happy to see them, too.  :)
 
However, we've had to start saying our good-byes. One of our favorite drivers of the guest-house vans is off for the rest of the week, so we had to say farewell to him. He always listens to old-time country music on the radio in the van, which is kind of a kick to be listening to that when you're riding down the road in Ethiopia!  Our wonderful driver on our away-from-Addis trips, Tsourey, came by this evening to tell us good-bye. We had hoped he'd be at the farewell dinner tomorrow, but he is scheduled to drive for another group, so he can't be there. We all appreciate him so much, and it was sad to say good-bye to someone who has become a good friend.
 
Right now, my roomie, Jeanne, is packing up her things. We have to take her to the airport after our farewll dinner, because her flight leaves at 2 am (yuck). The rest of us leave around 11 pm, so we'll have a whole day to worry about packing.  And I'll have a lot to pack! We did a little shopping at the textile market today, and tomorrow we'll go to the Piazza and Churchill Road for more shopping.
 
This will probably be my last email before I get home. Hope someone remembers to come get me on Sunday!  :)  Family, I'll try to borrow someone's phone to call from Newark to let you know about our flight status.  See you all soon!
 
Love,


Alica