Tips for Traveling Families

After spending 6 weeks in Ethiopia, here are a few things you might want to know…

-flip flops are fine, I’ve worn them everyday
-bring a USB jump drive to be able to print pictures
-bring air freshner for the room
-you can buy an adapter in Ethiopia, if needed, Yebsabi also has a few they will let you borrow
-bring a blanket to sit on at the Transition Home
-bring books to read with the kids, they all love to listen to stories- Five Little Monkeys was a favorite
-print pictures of the kids you take pictures of while in ET, they love them
-nannies love for pictures to be taken and printed for them also
-AW’s plan is for you to eat at Yebsabi each night (except for traditional dinner night) and its $7, I would bring some meals that you can make in the microwave. Some people were too tired to go anywhere else or wait until Yebsabi’s dinner was ready. It’s nice to visit with the other families, but I didn’t always like the choice at Yebsabi either. I was glad we had a lot of our own food. Zebra Grill and Kaldi’s are within walking distance too.
-most meals cost us about 200 birr ($12)
-it seems most families spend about $400-500 in one week. It depends how much you spend shopping
-not everyone loves chocolate as much as we thought they did; everyone is very appreciative of anything you give them
- you will want to bring something for Yonas, Job, T, David, guards, maids, receptionists, AW office staff, and nannies. Something small is fine for them. You will be very appreciative of how Yonas, Job, and David go above and beyond for you!
-before you go into court, you can ask if your MOWA letter is there, this made it a little less stressful once you are actually in the room with the judge
-we flew Delta/KLM, they were very nice, but next time it would be worth flying Ethiopian Air to have one less connection
-bring as many diapers and wipes as you can, they are very expensive in Ethiopia
-get out of the city to see the countryside; we went to Awassa, Nazeret, and the Gorge-beautiful!!!!
-visit your sponsor child if you have one, such a wonderful experience
-try to have a list ready before you go shopping, you don’t have much time
-ATM’s are within walking distance to Yebsabi (about a 10 min walk), I’d bring cash if it’s a short stay, but know that its close if needed
-laundry at Yebsabi is easy and great! It gets expensive over time, but for a short stay its worth it
-the calling cards are available right outside of Yebsabi; they cost 100 birr (about $6) for about 8 minutes to call the US- the front desk at Yebsabi can help you
-bring: a flashlight (power goes out often), flavored packs for water, snacks, food to hand out, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer
-there is an Ethiopian Resturant across from the TH, its good and only costs 16 birr ($1) for the fasting platter (no meat)

Before I left I wanted to know what the store had so I knew what I could buy there. Here are some things I found at the supermarket: milk, cereal, bread, noodles, chips, canned veggies, and expensive cheese. Most toiletries are easy to find too.

If you are staying between trips, I would bring as much food as you can pack. I would also bring peanut butter and jelly (you can get bread in Ethiopia) to pack a lunch. You can stay at the TH all day if you have your own lunch. There is also an Ethiopian restaurant across from the TH that we ate at a few times. There is also another guest house, Polaris, very close to Yebsabi. It’s cheaper and the staff is nice. There isn’t a microwave or internet, so we bought both and still saved tons of money. With the help of Job, we were able to buy an internet stick for $120, plus we have to load the green mobile cards on it-so worth it! But staying at Yebsabi is worth it if you can afford it. It’s so nice to see all the new families coming!
If you have any other questions you can email me, I’d be happy to try to help! tara_mowen@yahoo.com