Gebrselassie Tops His World Record

Haile Gabrselassie of Ethiopia beat his own world marathon record again becoming the first person to run the 26.2-mile race under 2 hours 4 minutes. Yippi for him! Earlier this month I posted a documentary about him if you are interested just have a look back.

Coming up on 2

As of Sept. 30th we will have waited two months for a referral. It is funny how time becomes so important when you are in the adoption process. I don't think I have ever thought so much about time and the passing of each day and month. Everyday I think about how many days we have been waiting. Maybe I am going crazy? Or, maybe it is because this whole process leaves you feeling so uncertain about when and how things will happen that the only thing you can do to make you feel like you have some control over the situation is to keep track of the time that has passed. Or, again maybe I am just going crazy. haha

Keeping busy helps with the waiting. This past Friday night we went to a fund raising gala our agency put on in Waterloo Ontario. They are raising money for a faith village project in Ethiopia and you can visit http://www.nopoverty.ca/ for more details. It was a great night and a great cause! Below is a picture of two ladies who performed a traditional Ethiopian dance. I had to take a picture of us all dressed up as well because it doesn't happen often.

We also got to hang out with a few other couples over the course of Friday at the gala and Sat. who are also adopting from Ethiopia. We feel really fortunate to have met so many great people through this adoption process. I never would have expected meeting people who have such similar interests, sense of humour etc. I remember reading an article that talked about all the great things that are added to your life when you adopt (outside of the obvious one which is becoming a parent) and it is so true!

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Then Sat. night we went out for dinner with Matthew's brothers and some friends at El Ranchito in London. This is our "restaurant club" or R club 9 (because there are 9 of us) where we try different restaurants and foods. We have tried to make it as geeky as possible and have silly club rules and names and a club cheer (which was translated into Spanish for this meeting). Rule 1 - is that you can't talk about R club, so I guess that is all I can say. haha

And today Matty is finishing off the weekend roasting some Ethiopian green coffee beans in his new roaster, and I am being lazy and avoiding the things I should be doing by typing up this post (-: Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Letter Campaign

The Issue: Currently, 35 weeks of EI benefits for parental leave are accessible to adoptive parents however; the 15 weeks designated to the maternity benefit plan is not available to those who become parents through adoption rather than birth.

So I ask - do you mean to tell me that as an adoptive mom who needs to spend a lot of time working on attachment and bonding with my little one, I will get to spend 15 weeks less with him or her because I am not the birth parent? Well what does one say in response to something so absurd? Well I guess I am not the only one wondering about this because the Adoption Council of Canada has started a letter writing campaign.

Find your member of parliament here and send them a letter letting them know how you feel about it.
See sample letter below.

Date:
Name: (Your Honourable member of Parliament)

Dear Minister __________:

I am writing to express my desire to see our Government implement an Employment Insurance Benefit Plan for Adoptive Parents equivalent in nature to the Maternity Employment Insurance Benefits enjoyed by mothers who give birth. The Adoption Council of Canada and the North American Council on Adoptable Children would like to express their support of this important issue by stating, “We recommend amending the Labour Code to provide an adoptive parent leave with the same level of benefits provided through maternity leave.”

Currently, 35 weeks of EI benefits for parental leave are accessible to adoptive parents however; the 15 weeks designated to the maternity benefit plan is not available to those who become parents through adoption rather than birth. The grounds for the omission of adoptive parents from the maternity benefit plan is that this particular benefit is intended to allow the mother who gives birth time to recover from the physical and psychological stresses of birth.

We challenge the Government of Canada to recognize that adoptive parents while perhaps not giving birth to a child have significant parallel issues that are equivalent to that of the parent who has had a child by way of birth. Adoption professionals and researchers around the world identify just a few of these issues as:
§ Post adoption depression for the adoptive parent often seen as a result of the adoption process
§ Attachment and bonding (from parent to child or child to parent)
§ Health issues or developmental delays for the child
§ Language barriers and cultural adjustments as well as the onerous adoption process (international adoption)
§ Issues of trauma, abuse, neglect or multiple foster care placements which make it difficult for the parents to build an immediate trust relationship with the child

We respectfully request your support of this important action for equality for adoptive parents and their children.


Your Signature

Your Name
Your Contact Information

Becoming a Family

I think I have said this before and it is true, one of the good things about this long waiting process is that it gives you lots of time to read, research and prepare (on the flip side I can think of hundreds of things I don't like about all this waiting - haha).

This was my most recent read on adoption. This book was good for an overview of the issues and strategies a parent should know about for promoting healthy attachments with adopted children. However, it did leave me feeling that I should find a good second book with a bit more detail and more practical suggestions. Theory is good to know but what I really want are a lots of practical suggestions. If anyone has any good suggestions for a book like this let me know and thanks in advance!

Interesting News Article

Below is a newspaper article from the states that follows the story of Erin H ( one of the blogs I follow - and can be found on the right hand side of my page).

I am curious what the law is in Canada re. this. When we were doing our homestudy it was made clear that a Canadian can not adopt an HIV positive child from Ethiopia. Do any of you adoptive moms out there know if this is correct or the reason for it? If it is correct then it is a shame in my opinion because these kids deserve to have a family too.

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Americans adopting HIV-positive kids from Ethiopia
By ANITA POWELL – Sep 1, 2008

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Solomon Henderson inherited just three things from his birth parents, who left him at an Ethiopian orphanage when he was 1 year old: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix and HIV.

As one of some 14,000 Ethiopian children born with the virus every year, Solomon's prospects for survival — much less adoption — were grim. But Erin Henderson's heart stirred when she saw him, and she decided, on the spot, to adopt him.

"They told me that they weren't sure he would live through the weekend," Henderson said by e-mail from her home in rural Wyoming, where she lives with her husband and 11 children, two of whom are HIV-positive adoptees from Ethiopia.

Solomon, now an active 2-year-old with chubby cheeks and a shy smile, is part of a small but growing movement: Americans adopting HIV-positive children from abroad.

Figures from U.S.-based Adoption Advocates International, the agency that arranges the majority of HIV-positive adoptions in Ethiopia, show a clear and steady rise, from two such adoptions in 2005, four in 2006, 13 in 2007, and 38 either completed or pending this year.

The U.S. Embassy corroborates the trend, although its numbers are slightly different because it counts adoptions according to fiscal year. So far this year, the embassy said, Americans have adopted 25 HIV-positive children from Ethiopia, up from seven the year before.

The motivations are wide-ranging — some parents say they were driven by religion or a desire for social change, or that the disease is more manageable than ever before. Others, like Julie Hehn, gave more personal reasons.

"I was just scrolling through these pictures, and I saw the photo of Tsegenet, and I said, 'Oh my God, that's my daughter,'" said Hehn, a 53-year-old elementary school teacher from Edmonds, Wash.

"I fell in love with Tsegenet and it just happens she's HIV-positive," said Hehn, who has 27 children, 19 of them adopted from Ethiopia and five adopted from the U.S.

For the rest of the article click here.

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Looking Back

Two years ago Matty and I got married. We celebrated tonight by going out for Indian food - Yummmmy! Even though we have not been married for long we have been together for the last 9 years. Wowzers how time flies! It is funny that now I find myself wishing the next few months would just speed past us and take us to when we get our referral. But on the flip side before we know it another 9 years will have passed us by and we will be wishing we had just slowed down and enjoyed every day a little more. Hopefully next year when we celebrate our anniversary there will be a little one to share the day with as well.

A different take on the world map

These maps are from: Worldmapper

I thought they were really interesting. I picked just a few to post here and they have a bunch of different ones on their web page.

Standard world map (land area)

Toys Imports
"Most imports of toys (US$ net) are to the United States, followed by the United Kingdom. Toys are fun but not necessities. Thus toy imports give an indication of disposable incomes."
"The lowest imports of toys (US$ net) per person are to territories in Africa and also Tajikistan (in the Middle East). Central Africa, Southeastern Africa, Southern Asia and Northern Africa contain the poorest territories in the world."

Toys Exports

Women's Income
"Norway and Denmark are home to women with the highest annual earnings per person in the population. Women living in Yemen and Sierra Leone earn 150 to 250 times less per person."


Poverty
"Poverty is not just a financial state. Being poor affects life in many ways. The human poverty index uses indicators that capture non-financial elements of poverty, such as life expectancy, adult literacy, water quality, and children that are underweight."
"The highest human poverty index scores are in Central Africa, the lowest are in Japan."


Poor Water
"Drinking water is essential to live, but dirty drinking water is also a major cause of disease. Whilst most people living in Western Europe can access safe water, only 50% of people living in Central Africa can do this."


GDP Wealth
"This wealth map shows which territories have the greatest wealth when Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is compared using currency exchange rates."
"Wealth, as reflected by GDP per person, is highest in Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland. It is lowest in Ethiopia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo."


Underweight Children

"Southeastern Africa, Asia Pacific, Northern Africa and Eastern Asia are also home to relatively large numbers of underweight children. Within these regions the territories with the largest populations of underweight children are: Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria and China."

Melkam Addis Amet = Happy New Year!

Enkutatash is the first day of the New Year in Ethiopia. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar (they still follow the Orthodox Julian calendar), which is September 11 according to our Gregorian calendar, or today! Using their calendar yesterday was the year 2000 and today is 2001.

Enkutatash means 'Gift of Jewels'. The date traditionally marks the end of the rainy season and is also when historically the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia after her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem.

Tradition is that children wear new clothes and go around the neighborhood singing. The girls wear dresses and carry flowers and drums. The boys paint pictures or draw pictures and give them to people.

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Wouldn't it be a neat time to be there?

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this is also a neat fact:

In Ethiopia they have 13 months because the Orthodox Julian calendar consists of 12 months of 30 days and a 13th month, Pagume, of five or six days. Hence the saying "13 months of sunshine".

Would you place children with this person?

I have seen a few people post that question with a picture on their blogs and thought I would do the same for a laugh. This was a picture I took of my hubby this year when he was getting ready to play in a dodgeball tournament (yes they have those around here, go figure). What an athlete! I can't wait to hear what he has to say the next time he checks this blog. hehe....

I think he was trying to intimidate the competition. But can you do that with excessive use of sweat bands and long socks? haha, His team did well and he won a canvas bag that says "extreme dodgeball" on the side (just what we always wanted).

Quote/Poem I like

Song of the Waiting Mother

I'm pregnant, but my tummy isn't growing.

And no one ever calls me "Little Mom."

The public simply isn't overflowing

With questions that I'd handle with aplomb.

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There are no special clothes to mark my waiting.

Nobody stops and smiles as I pass by.

The absence of a due-date is frustrating

And looking at the nursery makes me cry.

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When I'm overdue no one will worry.

The phone won't ring and ring as friends check in.

I can't induce my labor in a hurry,

My new life as a parent to begin.

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Adoption is a worrisome endeavor,

And waiting all alone is not much fun.

To be "with child" a year seems like forever.

Dear God, we're ready! Please send us our little one!

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Can Coca Cola save children’s lives?

I came across this tonight- very interesting, read below and join the facebook group to help!

Coke in Ethiopia

Coke in India

Coke in Tanzania

(and there are lots of other pics on his website)

A man named Simon Berry was thinking about how we can distribute Coca Cola all around the world, even to the most remote areas, but we can’t seem to get the needed medication to a child dying in a developing country from something as simple as diarrhoea.

He has been trying to get Coca Cola to use their amazing distribution network in developing countries to distribute rehydration salts, or special straws that filter water (by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as the 'life saving' compartment). He started with just a blog, and has been trying to grow support on a facebook page. He gained enough support that Coca Cola has now entered into talks with him. He is trying to find ways to keep the facebook page growing so that it shows a continued interest from the public in this cause, and he feels this is very important to keep things moving forward. He keeps an updated timeline on his website so you can follow his progress. What a neat story, he had a great idea and is making it happen!

Haile Gebrselassie

Today I came across this documentary on Haile Gebrselassie, one of Ethiopia's national heros. He has won many medals in the past for distance running and is the current men's marathon world record holder with a time of 2:04:26. Unfortunately, because of Beijing's air pollution levels, Gebrselassie decided to withdraw from the marathon there. At the end of this Sept he is to participate in the Berlin marathon.

In the documentary he talks about how as a child growing up on a farm there was a period of 10 yrs where he had to run ten kilometres to school each day and another ten kilometres back home. As a result he explains how he still runs with his left arm crooked as though he is carrying his school books. Wow, 20K each day as a child, that tops any story my parents have ever told me about walking through snow banks to get to school.

- Part 1 -


- Part 2 -


- Part 3 -

Peace

Eritrea is the country to the North of Ethiopia. About 8 years ago the two countries entered into a two year border war that cost many people their lives. A 4,200 strong UN force has since been keeping peace along the border. Recently however, issues with non-compliance have frustrated the UN and they decided to pull out their peace keeping mission to leave the two countries to work it out on their own. Here is a link to a recent article with more details on the situation. Let us hope for the sake of the people and children living in those countries that they are able to find a peaceful resolution to their disagreements.
For more detail you can link to a news clipping here.

Mahatma Gandhi's conception of peace was not as an end, but as a means: "There is no way to peace; peace is the way."

The hippy in me thinks of this Cat Steven’s song “Peace Train “(now he is known as Yusuf Islam).




Peace Train

Now Ive been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh Ive been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day its going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again

Now Ive been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too
Cause its getting nearer, it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living, its not so far from you
And its getting nearer, soon it will all be true

Now Ive been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why cant we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again