Ethiopia by E-mail
Subject: HI everyone from Addis
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 22:56:09 -0400
From: Pat Rollin parollin9923@hotmail.com
I am writing to say hi and that we are doing well. Everything here is quiet right now and we are getting ready to go on vacation with Nathan & Mel this Saturday. We will be flying to Lalibela, Axum and Gonder for a five day visit. We want to see the historical churches and palaces and in Axum the stelae. We will write when we get back and send pictures. We have gotten all the required permission to go on Vacation from Melese and Ato Mamo so they won't be worried about us.
Jim's Mom is out of the hospital and at his brother Chuck's for a week and hopefully home soon to her own house. She is doing well. She went to the rehab at a different hospital for a few days to get some of her strength back. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for his mother and Ethiopia.
Jim has been busy with reading theses for the students he is working with, going over applications for next year's incoming class and answering questions for the students that just finished his class so they can finish their papers which he will be grading when we get back.
We did meet with the social committee for the graduating class to see what they wanted to do about a party so they talked to us and were going back to check with the whole class and get some prices on places to have a party. The party will be the end of July and that is the rainy season so we will have to have a place to stay dry. They were talking about maybe an opening ceremony for the Graduate School of Social Work because it was never done and this would be a good time.
Jim informed the other class that he was not going to be at AAU full time next year so they want to have a going away party for him. So we have told them ok but maybe just on campus with finger food and all the visiting professors that are here then. Which is what we did last year. So we will keep you informed about party plans as the students let us know. The graduation date still has not been set and we don't know how long we can stay for sure so I guess we will settle with parties and maybe not see the graduation.
It seems like we have a long time to be here yet but I am sure the next couple of months will go by faster then we think. Jim would like to come back and teach a class or so but it will depend on if he gets a job in the USA and if he can get time off to come here also if they need a person to teach the classes he has been teaching so far. We have made a lot of friends here and will miss them when we come home as we have missed all our friends and family while we have been here. Someone asked if I was happy to go home. I told them I have a lot of mixed emotions but I am sure it will be nice to be home.
I worked Gemini yesterday and the children were playing with the Right to
Play coach before their class started. It was fun to watch them get
organized and the games they were playing. They were playing musical chairs
but they had 6 chairs and 7 people and the person that did not find a seat
went back to the big circle and they picked a new person to go into the
middle. All their games include everyone and they play until everyone in
the group has a turn. Of course the only music was from the children in the
circle singing. As they were singing before the game started the one
teacher told me the song was about wanting peace not war, they all knew the
song and everyone sang. Attached is a picture of the children in their
Right to Play colors. They only have 24 of the aprons so the two that came
last played without red or yellow aprons.
I will write again when we get home.
Pat.