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Published: June 24th 2009
Charlie and Dee… The best way I can describe my first face to face meeting with Charlie was a white man in a sea of Ethiopian faces who spots me with my bags in tow at the hospital and runs up and hugs me like a long lost favorite uncle would. His smile was warm and his hug was deep. I know in that instant, he was a man I was proud to know. He couldn’t have helped more in my visit to Bahir Dar and it’s health facilities. He even invited me via email to stay in his home with his wife Dee during my stay here. And I did and what a great decision that was. Dee greeted me with a giant hug and bright smile and just welcomed me into her house like she had known me forever. Keep in mind my correspondence has always been with Charlie about the needs here in with the health facilities, so Dee had never even talked or emailed me, but I felt like we had been friends forever just catching up again. They live behind a large gate that is painted in bright colors. Inside the compound (most middle class in
all of Ethiopia live behind compounds and have a guard that is posted there, just traditional) are flowers, trees, a garden and more mangos’ then you could ever eat. The first thing I did was sample a ripe Mango with a touch of limejuice and I was in heaven. Within minutes of my arrival to their house, in walks a little Ethiopian girl with boundless energy with sparking eyes and “cuteness” beyond measure. Her name is Mamar and I fall instantly in love with her. She reminded of my own little girl, Erin and her spunky spirit. She walks in and says “hello, Charlie, hello Dee and proceeds to act like this is completely her house”. What I didn’t know at the time, it really is. Within hours, Dee says she has to go to the market for eggs, lets take the bikes and Mamar and go! It was the ride of a lifetime. Dodging cars, trucks, people, animals other bikes and "bajaj" ( motor cycle taxis) was a challenge beyond description. I laugh now but when we started I thought riding on the unpaved roads was going to be the challenge until we got to rush hour traffic in
a city with NO stop lights. Dee is such a pro, she rode the bike with Mamar on the back and got home 10 eggs on a nest of hay with not one broken... What a woman!
Let me begin by saying Dee and Charlie have hearts the size of Africa. Their home is a home to many. The local Peace Corp volunteers love to come to their house to cook, shower and just gather together because Dee and Charlie are like everyone’s Aunt and Uncle who shows them love and affection. Their work has taken them all over the world and I am sure they leave broken hearts behind when it is time from them to go to the next adventure. I would love to live my life like them someday, when my kids are grown and on their own, take my life and focus on others. They still have great fun and do things like travel in Italy but they have a greater purpose to give so much to people in poorest places in the world. While I was there, lunch one day was 12 people then dinner that night was 12 different people and never
did you hear one complaint about all these people descending on their oasis. The US Peace Corp has volunteers come to these areas and live among the community, so Charlie and Dee’s house had some of the conveniences of home like a stove and a hot shower, flush toilets, etc, so these amazing young people loved to visit. I will say if we had these young committed people in charge some day, the world would be a better place. They have chosen to volunteer and give their time and talents in a land far from home, which is not easy in anyway. It was so impressive to me to see young people care so much they would move to rural Ethiopia and make little to no money, to try to help people a universe a way. It really warmed my heart.
Back to Mamer. She is a wonderful little girl that started out behind Dee’s compound gate saying ‘Hello”, the only English word she knew. Soon she actually climbed a tree to look over the wall to meet these new “ferenje” foreigners in the neighbor. They all quickly fell in love. Mamar lives with a woman who has taken
her in, when her Mother abandon her at days old. Just left to her in on a mud floor. She took her in and has done the best she could with her. 5 years later, Mamar’s mother returned late one night and knocked on the door to see Mamer and the woman showed her a sleeping 5 year old and the women disappeared again and was later found died in the streets a few blocks from the house. So Mamar has only known this woman as her mother until Dee. Mamar’s exact age is unknown but they think 8 or 9. Dee and Charlie has been involved completely in her life over the last year. Everyday she comes for breakfast and her vitamin before school. Which now they paid for private school and a tutor for her. Mamar now understands most English and is in first grade. She returns after school where they read to her, bath her, feed her, play with her and have introduced all their friends to her. They have brought her clothes and toys and books that stay at their house and everyday she comes “home” until dark when she returns to the woman in the
Peace Corp Volunteers
Playing a mean game of UNO with Mamarshack. But time grows short and Dee and Charlie are planning on leaving Ethiopia, so what will happen to Mamar. This weighs heavy on both of them and by Ethiopian law, you have to have the child with you 2 years in order to adopt in country. So they are trying to work out a way to find an educational visa for this child to go to the US. If she doesn’t her life will follow that of her sister, 2 small children, with no father and living in a wood hut with mud floors. I told Dee I wish I could bring her home with me and she said she would send to know that she would get the love and support she deserves. I know something good will happen with this child.
I know Charlie and Dee are following my blog and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all you have done for me and sharing your home with me. I know we will see each other again! MUCH LOVE... PS.. And I will return the bad volley ball to Target that you got Mamar and get her a better one. : )
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Tsega Igwebe
non-member comment
Charlie, Dee and Mamar
Kim i am so glad I stumbled across your blog and you story of Charlie and Dee was very heart warming. If you need me to pick up a new volleyball I can do so and bring it to Addis when I am there next month (I get in July 14) from Addis I can have ball sent on to Charlie and Dee... Anyways keep up blogging... I love it every time I check my email and there is another blog posting from you... The story of Mamar touches my heart because I was adopted in Ethiopia and I too one day want to give back to my country...