Random Bits of Information

Blogging, after several failed attempts, still seems to be quite futile. What exactly are we supposed to write about and who do we think actually has time to read all of these words... wasted words. The bottom line is we've got lots of waiting to do. But, I guess blogging is what you're supposed to do during the adoption process; it seems like that's what everyone else is doing, so blindly we follow.

Since our initial entry, we've been working on making the blog pretty, plowing through mounds of paperwork, and researching adoption grants. Apparently the labor of adoption is a bitter mix of waiting and finding tens of thousands of dollars to bring your baby home. At this point, our blog is pretty; although much to Jimmy's chagrin, I'm convinced it needs just a little pink or purple for our baby girl. We've only made a minor dent in the paperwork and parenting classes that we need to complete. We've researched grants and found lots of promising options; however, this just leads to more paperwork. Let the paper chase continue!

In case you're interested:
- There are an estimated 153 million orphans in the world
- Of that 153 million, approximately 53 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Only 2% of Ethiopia's population is over 65 years-old
- On average, women in Ethiopia will have 6 babies
- The expected literacy rate for girls in Ethiopia (literacy defined as being over 15 years-old and able to read and write) is only about 35%
- About 32% of Ethiopians speak Amharic
- Grandma in Amharic: Sayt Ayat
- Grandpa in Amharic: Wund Ayat

Back to the grindstone :)
Jimmy and Celeste