A few quick things.....

I talked to my parents by phone on Monday. I forgot to use the calling card we purchased, so it was a $20 phone call! In the not so distant past, it was only around 14 cents a minute to call direct to Ethiopia. It is now 40 cents a minute so I can't afford to make that mistake again!

It was 7:00 p.m. in Ethiopia and they were playing cards with the other volunteers at the guest house. The other volunteers are all doctors spending time at the clinic funded by CHSFS. Most of them are very young (well, younger than me!) couples and my parents are thoroughly enjoying them! They have been in touch with the doctor and her husband who are leading this group for some time. Bea is a doctor and Dick, her husband, is an attorney from Madison, WI. Bea worked in the clinic last year and Dick volunteered at the school, and they have kindly given my parents a lot of insights over the last several months to prepare them for the trip. Now that they have met in person, my Dad learned that Dick is a graduate of Cretin High School, class of 1965. Unbelievable. I have to say that it makes me VERY happy that they are surrounded by doctors!

They have a cook at the guest house that is phenomenal! The food is delicious and abundant. It took me 3 trips to Ethiopia to finally accept the fact that many people have cooks, maids and guards. I thought it far too indulgent until I realized that employment was extremely important in this country and having these jobs provided a salary for people. Cooking for yourself in Ethiopia would leave someone, a wonderful cook, without a job. Washing your own laundry in a bucket will do the same.

My mother loves her job as a social worker for the CHSFS care center. For those of you who adopted through CHSFS, she works directly with Tsewaye (Asnake's wife). She very much enjoys the other social workers and was able to go with a group of new parents to meet their children today. She walks to work from the guest house.

My Dad will begin work - oh, in about an hour! As I type this it is 7:00 a.m. Wednesday in Ethiopia and I believe the principal is picking him up right now! Today (or yesterday in Ethiopia) was the very colorful Epiphany celebration and I am excited to hear what they thought of it. The school is about an hour's drive, clear across the city, from the guest house. It seems that my Dad will ride to school and back each day with the principal! Let's hope he's got that swearing under control as Ethiopians are very evangelical and probably won't appreciate it :)

Their biggest issues right now seem to be sleep deprivation and the constant smell of diesel fuel from the busy streets. They have not yet caught up on sleep, are awoken each a.m. by a barking dog (they took a pic of him and claim he would fit right in at my house - must be an unidentifiable, horribly behaved mutt) and share a room with a double bed. They are exhausted.

I should explain a bit about the guest house. They are in a city of 5 million people in an area of Addis Ababa called the Mekanisa. In many areas of Addis there are large 3 - 4 story homes next to one room tar-paper shacks. Many volunteers and adoptive families stay in the larger homes, which have been converted to guest houses. Hot water and electricity are a luxury as they are shut off for several to many hours each day. My parents feel very lucky to have a great place to stay, but it certainly isn't the U.S. As I was talking to my mom on the phone, she squashed a roach in her bedroom! Roaches in Ethiopia are abundant, but they are small :)

So, lets keep hoping that the geezers get comfortable with the slow and unpredictable internet connection and start sending some photos. I'll write more when I hear from them again!