I'm back to continue. Okay, where were we.....Oh yes, the lion zoo! The lion zoo was a place that had mostly lions, but there were some other animals too. Of course, we were more of a spectacle than the lions. So, we had a little group of followers. One boy tried to tell us the names of the animals and what they were called in Amharic. He was very nice, and I think he enjoyed hanging out with us. We learned that lion in Amharic is "ambasa". After that we continued and went to "the women who formerly carried wood". Here there were women who were weaving cloth or "shes" in Amharic. This facility was designed to give these women who formerly went up to the mountains and gathered wood an opportunity to support themselves and their families. This way it was safer for them, and they were earning money in the process. Therefore a better deal all around. We watched them weave for a little bit, and then went to the gift shop where they sold these "shes". Emmy, Mom, and I bought some, and then we were on our way. Next we went to the Ethiopian Orthodox church. One of the men standing there took us in, led us around, and gave us a tour. It was really interesting and very historical!! Throughout this whole trip Emmy had still not been feeling well, so we decided we'd go get some dinner, and then go back to the hotel. We went to Island Breeze, and had pizza. It was very good, and very interesting to watch them cook it in their brick oven. Emmy was feeling really bad at this point and very often would get sick to her stomach. By the time dinner was over she was laying on the table....asleep. We went back to the guest house and she sent straight to bed. That was the end of day one!! Day Two This morning we were supposed to leave at seven to begin our journey to see the kids. So we got up around six fifteen, and began getting ready. We had to pack a whole new suitcase for tonight, because we were spending the night in Awash, where the kids were. Previously we had bought toys to take to all the kids at the orphanage, so we had all these to be packed too. We got everything ready as quickly as we could and were soon ready to go. We had a four hour drive to Awash, so we were prepared. We took our travel journals, a book each, the electronic devices, and a couple of travel friendly games. We were soon off, and were taking millions of pictures as we went. So we rode, and we rode, and we rode. We played some games, took some pictures, chatted....everything you can think of to do in the car, we did. So now, here I am, typing on a EXTREMELY dusty road. We are fifteen minutes away from them. Now it's Thursday, and we just arrived back at the guest house. But that's not where we stopped, so I won't begin there. Yesterday we made it to Awash after what seemed like a day in the car, and checked into the guest house. Then we went and ate lunch, all in anticipation of three thirty. That was when we were supposed to meet them! Finally the time came around for us to go and meet them and we were ready! It was a ten minute drive, but it seemed like forever. When we arrived we were informed that there were twenty kids living at the orphanage, and eighteen of them would be playing with us in our slot of time which was an hour. The toys we had bought we got out and played with them. We had bubbles, a kite, paper, stickers, balls, and cars. We tried to space them out so we wouldn't run out of fun things to do. One of the boys got into our bag, and found one car, and took it out with the other kids. Soon we were being pestered with the word "makina". "Makinas, makinas!!" They said. We tried to figure out what they wanted, and then the social worker told us that meant car in Amharic, so out came the "makinas", and boy were they a big hit!! No one wanted to do anything but play with those "makinas"!! They loved them. Levi/Ashenafi was a very happy, content, and smiley boy. He was very small for his size, but he was a very kind and thoughtful boy. Evelyn/Shega was very kind and thoughtful. She was always willing to give up her fun to make sure that the littler ones had all they needed. She was very good at playing by herself. She was the only girl at the orphanage. All of the other girls had moved into the city recently. Lee/Atnafu was like a little old man. He preferred to shake hands rather than give high fives or pounds. He was also very thoughtful and helpful. Orin/Mirhiretu was a very quiet and playful boy. He liked to interact with others as he played, rather than play with himself. Overall they were all very patient and helpful with the little ones. They were willing to wait for a very long time to get their turn, or join in the games. They were also very beautiful, all of them! We were all very pleased with their social and interactive skills. None of them seemed to have any major problems, which proved our concerns wrong. When we returned to the guest house we ate dinner and just relaxed; it was good to have some time to just think. That concluded day two. Day Three This morning we had plans to go to a wildlife park on the way out of Awash, so we left at seven again. The park was very dry since they're in the middle of their summer, but it was good. We saw Oryx, Dick-Dicks, Gazelles, Guinea-Fowels, Baboons, and Hornbills. We saw a beautiful mountain landscape, and very pretty salt water falls. We searched the falls for any crocodiles, and had no luck until dad stumbled upon one. We were able to get very close to it, which means great pictures. It was a small one, but it was cool. Overall the park was very enjoyable. I'm glad we were able to go. Then we started our four hour journey home. It wasn't as bad as the first one because we were beginning to get used to the potholes, rocks, heat, no seatbelts, and dust. Dad and I even slept for a good portion of the ride. We made it back to Addis, and Mom and Dad had to go to the social workers office and watch a video about the kids lives with their mom before they came to the orphanage.  I shall continue writing about our journey soon my friends!! Aubrey for the Stinsons