In this post, Owlhaven at the Ethiopia-adopt blog talks about writing about “unphotographable” moments on her adoption trip to Ethiopia.

Having just been in Ethiopia, it got me thinking about all of the many moments on our trip that I wished I had on film to treasure and share, but didn’t capture on film because it either would have been inappropriate or I just was not prepared.

Then I started thinking about life in general, and how many memorable moments end up captured only in our minds and in our hearts, when our cameras are out of reach or out of batteries at poignant moments.

So, like Mary, I too am going to start writing regularly about “unphotographable” moments. Some will be from my travels to Ethiopia and Vietnam, some will be from life here at home. Some will be heart-wrenching and emotional, and hopefully some will make you laugh. I love this idea, and hope you enjoy.

I have been trying to decide what to start my “unphotographable” category with…gosh, there are so many when you start to think about it! But I decided to describe a memory that Josh and I were just talking about last night.

I wish I had a photo of the woman across the aisle from Josh on the flight home from Addis. The woman was Ethiopian and was much older than most of the passengers. Her skin was very wrinkled and her hair was all white. But what made her stand out was that she was wrapped from head to toe in the most outrageous “fur” coat you have EVER seen. I have no idea what it was made of, but it was thick and it was long and it was really, really hairy. Her head was covered in some sort of wrap and then the hood to the fur coat covered that, and the coat was long enough that even when she was sitting it covered her feet. She was “fur” from head to toe. It took two stewardesses to aid the old woman in first just finding her seat belt under that coat, and then getting it buckled around her. After seeing her face and her hands (the only parts of her that you could see) it was hard to believe that that woman weighed more than 90lbs, but with that coat on she had the bulk of a sumo wrestler. This was a 19 hour flight, and there were several times where I felt uncomfortably warm. At these moments I looked over at the old woman in the fur coat and couldn’t imagine how she kept it on. Wasn’t she hot? Wasn’t she sweating to death? Was she wearing it because it just didn’t fit in her suitcase? Was it the only coat she had? Was she really going to wear it in America? I felt warm just looking at her, and found myself grateful not to be sitting next to her. She never once during that 19 hour flight removed her coat or even took off her hood or unzipped the front. When you sit in the same seat for 19 hours and look at the same people around you for so long, you start to feel like you know them. The “fur” lady is a big part of what I remember from that long, long, long trip home. Yes, I wish I had a photo of that little old Ethiopian woman in that giant fur coat.