Okay, so I'm leaving in a half hour for the Amsterdam airport to take-off to Addis Ababa. I arrive at 7:35 am tomorrow morning and it still is not registering that I am leaving yet. Especially that I will be living in Ethiopia, AFRICA!!! My mood is certainly less solemn than before as I have too much on my mind to think of my emotions and everything that is at home, though it is still difficult of course.

The most sleep I have been able to get a night so far is about 4 hours, usually from about 10/11-2/3 and then I wake up and before I know it my mind is racing in a million directions. I never can actually slow my mind down long enough to think of any sort of coherent thoughts, so nothing is accomplished, no matter how hard I try. Maybe I'll sleep on the plane tonight? Just maybe?

Well, I thought I would include a little about the week ahead as I may not be able to post regularly until after my collegues have left the country to return to the Netherlands (10 days). Tomorrow we will be returning to the orphanages and shelters we visited before. Allowing me to bond with children and also for my two collegues to experience an Ethiopian orphanage for the first time. We will probably visit 4 different homes, also stopping by to inform them of the supplies we will be offering them in the future months: 200 beds, 50 computers, pavement for the walkway at the handicap facility, etc. Additionally, we have a meeting with a youth forum to inform us of how best to reach a refugee camp which we will visit on Wednesday-Thursday.

On Sunday the team will be spending Ethiopian Christmas at a local orphanage where will donate toys for the children's Christmas celebration. I am really looking forward to seeing them all dressed in their ceremonial white outfits.

Well, I don't want to bore, but above are some of the items on the schedule.

If you ever want to contact me to talk about Ethiopia or just to say hello, please email me at: b.keppers@wiorphans.org

And I'm off!!!!!