REFERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right! I FINALLY received an official referral!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I can say right now!

October Update!

I received the following update:

"Bamlak received her letter, and was thrilled. Bamlak is still in KG at Kebebetsehay (KG 2 I think). She is in a class with Elsa, Hirut, and Mita. Attached is a picture of her after school." --Ryan

I love hearing how she was thrilled about the letter I sent this month!! Every month, on the 15th families are allowed to send a photo and letter to their waiting child if the child is over 2 years of age. So every month Bamlak gets a little letter and photo from me, usually a photo of us when I was still in Addis and a letter saying that I think of her everyday and that I love her very much. Also, I add a memory that we shared together, such as swimming or going to a cafe, or just playing around Kechene. I love being able to send these letters - I just wish her reaction could be video recorded :)

What continues to cause frustration is that Bamlak is yet again in Kindergarten, that makes it her 3rd year, along with all the other children her age from Kechene. Granted there are two different Kindergartens in Ethiopia, KG1 and KG2, it's sort of like our pre-school and Kindergarten here. So two years, okay. But a third is just frustrating!!!!! I informed the Director last summer that I would sponsor (or find sponsors) for all the children aged 4-6 to attend a private school so they could at least get a good education - as there is one just across the road from the entrance of the home. Nope. Couldn't be done. In fact, he FORGOT to enter the children into school at all! She was supposed to attend 1st grade last year, along with her friends still in KG2 this year. Oh fun! I've learned to role with the punches, but some things are just so aggravating.

Overall, so so happy to receive this update!!!!!!!

Kechene Children's Home on WikiMapia

Okay, so I was just googling Kechene as I do a few times a month to see if anyone has posted anything new about the Children's Home - but more particularly if there has been anyone sneaky enough to take photos of the kids so I can get my Bamlak fix :)

Well I happened upon a WikiMapia as it had an entry on Kechene so I thought I'd check it out and there it is! The Kechene Children's Home is quite visible on this amazing system!

You should really check it out by clicking on the post title (aka Kechene Children's Home on WikiMapia aka Bettina can't figure out how to make a direct link within a post)! It's labelled as Esanat Masedagya, for whatever reason, but it's lines completely cover Kechene's compound. It's just right and up a bit of the red-topped church - Kechene Medhanialem.

So as far away as I am right now from Bamlak, I felt just a little closer tonight :)

Court Date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, I FINALLY have a court date! November 28th is our day and I'm hoping to pass on the first try :)

The call was so unexpected yesterday, absolutely unexpected as I still haven't even received an official referral yet!! But I couldn't be more happy that I could be spending the holidays in Ethiopia with Bamlak and with that visit I will never have to bring her back to Kechene every night again! That's right! I won't have to ask permission and beg the Director to let us spend time together outside the home. I won't have to beg to take her swimming or to let her spend the night or to go out to lunch. I won't have to sneak in food and put it under her bed covers to make sure she'll have food when she's hungry. She'll be home ever!

More writing later... SO EXCITED!!!