A Sister’s Journey
By Tsehay Hawkins

I was born in Ethiopia. I am adopted and I once was Mum and Dad’s only child. One day while I was just playing with toys at my house, I realised that I was not having much fun because I had no-one to play with. From that day on, I would often sit there, plain bored, wondering what it would be like to have a brother. When I was four years old, I learnt to play UNO. Once, Dad could not play with me neither could mum. So I went and got my favourite toy which was a stuffed Kangaroo. Then I shoved its share of UNO cards into its pouch. When I saw Mum and Dad watching, I told them that I desperately wanted a brother to play with. They smiled and said that such things took time.

Last year, at the Royal Easter Show, Mum, Dad and I were just sitting down to have a drink when Dad’s mobile rang. He answered and hurried off. I thought there was something wrong but when Dad came back he told us that a baby boy was waiting for us in an orphanage in Cali, Colombia. We laughed and cried happy tears together and had a great big family hug. I was very excited and hoped I would be a wonderful sister.

There was a mad rush to get everything prepared and packed. Just before we left we sat on the grass at a Wollongong beach and looked out over the Pacific Ocean. I thought that it was so hard to believe that my little brother was waiting for me on the other side of that massive blue ribbon of water.

The plane trip was enormously long. We flew over the Pacific Ocean into Santiago where the ground shook under our feet. My heart skipped a beat but Dad looked around and when he saw that no-one else was worried we just kept walking. Next, we flew high over the Andes Mountains into Bogota where we felt very tired and sick. We had altitude sickness because the city was up so high. I saw uniformed guards with huge guns everywhere. They were standing so still that they looked like coloured statues. We soon caught another flight and, finally, we arrived in Cali.

Soon we were in a taxi on our way to meet the people at the orphanage for the first time. Some university students were peacefully protesting in the street. The police came and fired tear gas which stung our eyes and really hurt. It felt as though my eyes had been sprayed with vinegar.

The next day, Mum, Dad and I went on our second trip to the orphanage and this time we were going to collect my brother. How exciting! I had butterflies in my tummy! When we got there, we walked in and sat down to sign some papers. Then a lot of people came in and the last person carried someone who was very special. This lady was holding a little brown baby boy. He was so cute! He was dressed in a bright green and white soccer uniform. He had brown skin, a shaved head and enormous dark brown eyes that looked a little confused. Have you guessed why he was a particularly special person? He was the one I had been waiting for, for most of my life. He was my very own little brother. It was love at first sight and I just wanted to squeeze him into pieces.

He was put carefully into my Dad’s arms and he did not cry. Wow! When I first met Mum and Dad, I screamed my head off! Mum hugged Kendly tenderly and I gave him a big plop of a kiss on his prickly head. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it would burst. Finally, at long last, I had my little brother.

Tsehay aged 8 - 2014