Who's been to Ethiopia?

[Merusk]

but war stories are always good. I should tell you about my time in Vietnam.

Man, I bet they didn't know what hit them, what with the US having pulled-out years before.   

Mistakenly eat some dog?

[Nevermore]

I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant once, and thought everything we had was just incredibly bland and goopy.  I wouldn't call any of it offensive, but after being told how authentic this place was I have no urge to visit Ethiopia for the cuisine.

Sorry for the double post.

Goopy may describe the cuisine (I would prefer stewed), but it is certainly not bland by any stretch of the imagination.

Did you check yelp first? 

Yeah, I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant once in Ann Arbor of all places.  It was quite interesting.  We had some kind of sampler platter and it was divided up into 'real Ethiopian' (*very* spicy) and bland versions of the same things.  Oh, and the honey wine was nice.  It wasn't too sweet like other meads I've tried.

[Signe]

Righ's spent a lot time in Africa and there are so many things that sound as if they would be awful.  Depending on whatever is happening at the time, I'd still give something a go even knowing it's probably terrible tasting.  Just to give it a go!  Anyway, I think you're choosing a wonderful place to adopt.  The survivability rate of children there is terrible.  You would probably be literally saving a life.  I hope it all works out perfectly perfect! 

[kaid]

The one ethiopian meal I have eaten was VERY spicy. It was pretty good but they had some kind of evil bond villian type of ethiopian spice in it which I dubbed the delayed blast fireball. It tastes really nice for about 30 seconds just a bit peppery and then your eyebrows catch fire and you start calling for your mommy.

I don't remember what the name of that spice is but I strongly suggest unless what you are eating is very bland to take small bites first and swish it around a bit to make sure you don't spontaneously combust from taking a big mouthfull before the effect kicks in.

[Paelos]

My guess is the spice was Mitmita, which is pretty damn spicy. That's a common one they use.

[SnakeCharmer]

Aren't there thousands (millions?) of kids in the US that could (and would love to be) be adopted?

On that fact you are completely wrong.

Interesting stuff.  If you listen to commercials and such, you'd think there's no shortage of American kids up for adoption. 

Anyhoot.  Good luck!

[CharlieMopps]

Aren't there thousands (millions?) of kids in the US that could (and would love to be) be adopted?

On that fact you are completely wrong.

Interesting stuff.  If you listen to commercials and such, you'd think there's no shortage of American kids up for adoption. 

Anyhoot.  Good luck!

Well, I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea and turn them off to US adoptions. If you're in your early 20's on your first marriage, and are making decent money, you'll probably get a kid in under 2 years. But at our age, and with my wife having a previous divorce, it makes us "Undesirable" to prospective parents.

[Samwise]

It also depends on what sort of kid you're looking for.  As Charlie said earlier, if you want a 10 year old with a prison record, the waiting list is probably not so long.  Most people don't have the constitution to take an already-fucked-up kid into their home and try to fix him, though.

[Merusk]

Another alternative if you're Catholic is to go through one of the many Catholic agencies.  One of my coworkers just adopted a son 18 months ago that way. They started looking about 9 months prior to that and found a couple who were very young and realized (to their credit) they could not handle raising a child.  They met the birth mother, went through everything and got him a few days after she gave birth.

  She's in her early 40's and he's in his mid 40's and the only nightmare was her worry that the birth mother would change her mind within the allowed timeframe. (I think it's the first 6-9 months.)   She said it was a lot less hassle and nowhere near as frustrating as the other adoption routes that they'd looked in to.

[CharlieMopps]

Actually, our second choice was "Catholic Social Services" which is the catholic agency. They are very large and well respected as well, and you don't have to be catholic to adopt through them. In the end, we went with Lutheran social services, simply because we got more referrals for them. I'm sure CSS is just as good though.

[Teleku]

Is there a "Pentecostal Social Services"? 

[Khaldun]

You're going to Addis Ababa?

I haven't travelled to Ethiopia, but I've spent considerable time in southern Africa and some time in east Africa.

Basically, I would say "smart casual" dress is probably fine most of the time; maybe bring one suit just in case there's a more formal meeting. Most male professionals in the capital would wear a suit to work. Cut your hair short, be clean, be polite. Loud Americanness is pretty off-putting to a lot of middle-class urban Africans--I've found most of the Ethiopians I've met to be relatively soft-spoken, low-key, a bit shy.

Keep your wits about you: there are a lot of scams aimed at travellers and foreigners. You'll almost certainly be hit up for money in both subtle and unsubtle ways. It helps a lot if you have a trusted local contact who can quietly tell you when you may need to pay up and when you shouldn't.

[Ingmar]

It isn't really supposed to be absorbent, you use it more like a tortilla to grab the stuff up.

[Khaldun]

No shortage of flights to/from Addis Ababa. Buy a Lonely Planet guide - its a country with many cultural differences depending on region. Safety will largely depend on where you have to go and how well prepared you are. Yes, there's war and violent crime in abundance in most of the country. Unless you're planning on hiring protection, avoid the Somali tribal areas to the East. Have access to a lot of cash (but don't carry it all) - bribery is often part of official business, and while its not as corrupt as West Africa it's much more upfront than you're used to. Get in the habit of asking before taking photographs of anything. In particular, DO NOT take photos of ANY form of official government building, military or otherwise. Provided you stick to well worn paths and pay a few bucks for the services of somebody local to guide you, you are unlikely to encounter crime more serious than petty theft. However, if you act like a distracted and befuddled tourist and stray into places you shouldn't you could end up in the newspapers back home. So, fairly safe for your purposes but not a country to prat around in. Pretty much any city in Africa takes a higher level of street smarts than most Euro/US folks bring. Start reading. :)

All good advice. Especially: look like you know where you're going, don't go wandering around at night at random, and don't take photographs of anything even remotely official looking. Don't ever, ever fuck with military or police, under any circumstances. Addis is by all accounts fairly safe: if there's any chance you might travel elsewhere in the country, consult a reputable local travel firm and consider getting a guide or having them prepare an itinerary for you. Don't get anywhere near the Somali or Eritrean border under any circumstances whatsoever.

[Tale]

Buy a Lonely Planet guide
...
Start reading. :)

+1. That's what I would do. I have used Lonely Planet guides to cross post-communist Eastern Europe on a bicycle, then Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China by train. Later I used their guides to backpack solo from Singapore to Sumatra, Java and Bali in Indonesia. Also for a trip around Fiji, away from the tourist areas. I even buy them for Australian states when I go on a domestic holiday.

If I was going to Ethiopia, the first thing I would do is pick up the LP guide. They're not cheap, but they are full of "the knowledge". It's worth reading all the introductory chapters (food, history, local customs, culture, etc) and then the appendices (medical, what to pack, language, etc) in addition to the chapters on places you are going.

There are rival guidebook makers, but this is the brand I have found works like a reliable piece of equipment. They've had a few scandals where somebody didn't actually go to the places they wrote about, but the reason that's a scandal is it's normally such reliable info.

[Oban]

Oddly, there is no Michelin Guide for Ethiopia.

[Signe]

The Lonely Planet ones are way more fun to read, anyway. 

[chargerrich]

I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant once, and thought everything we had was just incredibly bland and goopy.  I wouldn't call any of it offensive, but after being told how authentic this place was I have no urge to visit Ethiopia for the cuisine.

Wait wait... hold up.

Okay, are you guys saying that they actually have a food "style" in Ethiopia? I would think in Ethiopia they would eat anything and flies are in abundance. 

On a serious note, may God bless the people like you, because there is no freaking way you would ever get me to go through that to adopt a kid; and I love kids!

[chargerrich]

funny you should mention that, Vietnam was one of the other options for us. Adoptions there are relatively cheap to (unlike Guatemala's $30k price tag) But some government legal hiccup recently closed all adoptions out of the country.

$30k for a kid!? Really? For a homeless kid who is starving that your trying to "resuce"? YOU have to pay 30k? Really? And thats the fee, not including all the money you will spend to go there, get the child, travel back and raise him for up to 18 years?

Sounds like the interest of the kid is quite a ways from the top of the "adoption agency's" priority list.

I may burn in hell for saying this, but that bullshit... not the kids fault I know and your heart is sure in the right place (or something like that). I hope you do not get screwed.

[Cyrrex]

Good on you, dude.  I know that adoption is a partly selfish action, but even still I consider it to be one of the greatest and noblest things a human being can do.  For real.  Shit, I'm getting weepy.

[Hindenburg]

Good on you, dude.  I know that adoption is a partly selfish action, but even still I consider it to be one of the greatest and noblest things a human being can do.  For real.  Shit, I'm getting weepy.

Compared to giving birth, it most certainly is.

[CharlieMopps]

funny you should mention that, Vietnam was one of the other options for us. Adoptions there are relatively cheap to (unlike Guatemala's $30k price tag) But some government legal hiccup recently closed all adoptions out of the country.

$30k for a kid!? Really? For a homeless kid who is starving that your trying to "resuce"? YOU have to pay 30k? Really? And thats the fee, not including all the money you will spend to go there, get the child, travel back and raise him for up to 18 years?

Sounds like the interest of the kid is quite a ways from the top of the "adoption agency's" priority list.

I may burn in hell for saying this, but that bullshit... not the kids fault I know and your heart is sure in the right place (or something like that). I hope you do not get screwed.

I believe that corruption was one of the reasons they shut down their program. I think there's either a little, or even a lot of that in every adoption. But the way I've chosen to look at it, the Kids not the one ripping me off... the situation the kids in is ripping me off. I'd gladly pay $30k to prevent a kid from growing up in an environment like that.

Thanks for the lonely planet suggestions. Going to Amazon right now!

[The Drizzle]

I made a short stop in Addis Ababa during my long-term stay in Djibouti.  I had several of my troops pass through there on my way to Dire Dawa. 

You're going to Addis Ababa?


Basically, I would say "smart casual" dress is probably fine most of the time; maybe bring one suit just in case there's a more formal meeting. Most male professionals in the capital would wear a suit to work. Cut your hair short, be clean, be polite. Loud Americanness is pretty off-putting to a lot of middle-class urban Africans--I've found most of the Ethiopians I've met to be relatively soft-spoken, low-key, a bit shy.

Keep your wits about you: there are a lot of scams aimed at travellers and foreigners. You'll almost certainly be hit up for money in both subtle and unsubtle ways. It helps a lot if you have a trusted local contact who can quietly tell you when you may need to pay up and when you shouldn't.

The quote above is good advice for the region.  You WILL stand out - there's very little you can do to avoid that.  The recommendation to get a trusted local contact is prime advice; unfortunately, there will likely be a plethora of people on the street that will be willing to "show you around" for some scratch.  Finding a decent one to handle your business for you will take a bit of doing, though.   The local US (UK?) Embassy should also be a great help.