De-Nesting Diaries: Sunday, February 24th, Chloë's Oscar Bash!

Men ever had, and ever will have leave, / To coin new words well suited to the age, / Words are like leaves, some wither every year, / And every year a younger race succeeds. -Horace, poet and satirist (65-8 BCE) 

Chloe Alexis Dunn

Good luck all on your Oscar ballots!!!!

Hey my mom and dad are home!!! They say thank you very much for having them!!! 

Hello former roomies thank you so much for allowing Judy and I to stay with you. We both had a great time seeing the sights and relaxing (getting fatter). Had a good flight and nice drive home roads were very good home about 10:00 our time had a brief visit with Kimbo as she was the only child home last night, Alex and Katy are both here today. Alex's girlfriend Katrina is coming for supper and Kimberlee's boyfriend Chris is also here. Judy thanks both of you for your hospitality and thanks Corrine for taking her downtown and showing her more of the city to the point I almost wish I had gone with them I would've just been a pain in the ass. Stay well and let us know how Cloe's loft turns out. Thanks again Dallas and Judy

Hi, Patrick.

I wonder if you remember Eyob, who worked at the Curriculum Lab . . . it
must have been over 30 years ago, since he was there before I left for
Halifax, and that was in 1982.

I'm not sure about you, but I got to know him outside work as well
(invited him over a few times, etc.) and we kept in touch  for awhile,
including corresponding when he worked in Sudan for some years after
leaving UBC.  The last time I saw him was around 1993, as he came over
for brunch along with some other guests.  By that time he was married
and the father of a baby son - a bit younger than my oldest niece, Anna,
who had just started to walk (and turned 21 last week).  That's how I
know that it must have been 1993.

Well, fast-forward . . . I don't know if you are aware that I am now the
Head of the Children's Library down at Central.  As such, I recently
received an invitation to the launch of a new program at the immigrant
and refugee services society, MOSAIC.  It was signed by Eyob Naizghi,
Executive Director.

I attended the event on Friday morning.  At first I couldn't see Eyob
anywhere . . . but then he came in, and it was a like a movie moment. 
As soon as he saw me, he looked stunned and happy. Afterwards, he
invited me to his office and we spent some time catching up.  He now has
a daughter as well; also, he and his wife adopted a niece from Ethiopia
who had been orphaned when her parents died from illness.  She's the
youngest of their 3 children and is 16.  They have a small house in New
Westminster.

I recall how he was when we first met him - he seemed almost shell-shocked, quiet and uncertain, and of course, he had disabilities to cope with . . . his missing arm and eye. WHAT A CHANGE!  He is confident, articulate, interacts easily with all of his colleagues.  He was dressed in a spiffy suit.  From talking to him, it was clear that he
has a good handle on the work that MOSAIC is doing and the administrative and funding challenges.  His children are doing well - the older two are at SFU.

The  previous time that I saw him, he had a glass eye and a prosthesis for his arm.  He no longer wears the prosthesis though - at least, he wasn't on Friday morning.  I didn't ask why.
 
I was very happy to see him - it affirmed the good connection we had all those years ago.  I guess the world has just been moving a bit too fast but I hope we stay in touch.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in Eyob's story and how he has thrived. . . .All the best, Janet