In memory of our classmates who are no longer with us ... Tribute

Esti Enesebaseb - in pictures and movies 
August 28 - Sept 01 2003
Washington D.C.- 

Pictures from Ezra's Camera

Slide Show from Dawit Negash - close and personal

Pictures From Menelik Tefera

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Azmariw Wesenu-movie

Picnic Part I - movie

Alula's Speech (parental discretion advised)

Woman - staring Sileshi - trailer

Sunny and the electric glide

Stand-up Comedy - Lake Michigan

Attendance List

Aaron Leake (Annandale, Virginia)	Abebe Aemroselassie (Washington, D.C)	Abinet Tedla (Seattle)	Abiyou Tesfaye (Geneva,Switzerland)	Abiy Tewolde
Alula Araya (Phoenix)	Alula Damte (Calgary, Canada)	Amman Mekonnen (Washington D.C)	Barok Zewde (San Diego, California)	Daniel Gebremichael (Addis Ababa)
Daniel Kasa	Dawit Altaye (West Chester, OH)	Dawit Negash (OH)	Dawit Zena (Columbia, Maryland)	Dereje Demissie (Germantown, Maryland)
Dereje Seyoum (Silver Spring, Maryland)	Desta Araya (Alexandria, VA)	Ermias Redman (Addis Ababa)	Eskinder Shimelis (Colorado Springs, Colorado)	Ezra Jalleta (Bowie, Maryland)
Gedion Abebe (Arlington, VA)	Gedion Atnafu (New York)	Gobena Balcha (Alexandria, VA)	Hailemelekot Belete (New York)	Henok Getahun (Ontario, CA)
Henok Tesfaye (D.C)	Leka Tesfa	Menelik Tefera (Atlanta)	Menelik Mendaye (Los Angeles)	Mengistu Fekede (Springfield, VA)
Merid Kassaye (Philadelphia)	Mesfin Lulu (Atlanta)	Sileshi Shawel (Los Angeles)	Surafiel Gessesse (Los Angeles)	Tessema Ijjigu (Centreville, Virginia)
Woldemichael Melake (Saginaw, Michigan)	Wossen Yaregal (Woodbridge, VA)	Yitbarek Yohannes (St. Louis Missrouri)	Yonas Nebiye (Boston)	Yohannes Telahun (Atlanta)

Word from some of the paricipants and those who couldn't make it

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Hello Everyone.

On behalf of the DC SJS '83 group, I would like to thank each one of you for making our event a success. We had a total of 41 classmates attending. I think that is a good turn out. From the emails we have received so far, there is an interest to hold a similar event in the future. That is good to hear. We hope that all of you had a great weekend in DC. Again thank you for honoring our invitation and coming DC to be part of the anniversary.

Gedian Abebe
Chairman, DC SJS '83 Chapter.

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Selam All

Yes yes, I am back in my Igloo ----
What can I say but forever grateful to all who helped in organizing such
an event -- I think to have had so much fun, should be outlawed---

Azmariw wesenun, ye woldun piano, Ye seleshin "Woman" laladametachu
Ye ezran mestengedo, Ye dawitn akrobat, ye abiyen chifera, Ye Dere'n Chewata, yalkomekomachu
Ye gedionen serg, ye michaelen mireqat lalteqbelachhu
Meches m'en yibalal
le hiwotih waga sit! Le kermo Yichalal!

Cheers to all

Alula Damte

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Likaabakebedeeelikaba kebedeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
nenenenennenenneneneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

ere godana mingede'
sew edyahihon yele sew edayehede'
ere godana mingede'

Yegize' muhcahchooo
endabede sew I was singing aloud on the plane back scaring everybody.
even now I lose it for a bit and my co-workers arent' quite sure what
kinda noise is coming thru the cubicles.

Guys I re-iterate my deep thanks to the DC group for organizing this
amazing event and for all the classmate who showed up and made this one of our happiest memorable moment.

I am relating to co-workers here about the bond we have , that we knew each other thru elementary /high school, I see their total incomprehension and I realize that what we have is something so special that we need to keep it alive and meet more often.

le hiwotih waga sit!
Yichalal!

-eskinder

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Hi Guys!!
I have reached Atlanta safe and sound. I just wanted to express my utmost appreciation and gratitude to the organizing group of the
reunion. You did an excellent job. I just can't imagine the last time I had so much fun, laughter & happiness. Nothing compares to meeting an old friend
after so long. It was definitely a memorable time.

"LE HIWATIH WAGA SIT, YICHALA !!"
Yours
Mesfin L

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Greetings,

To re-unite, as all of you know, is to unite or come together after being apart.

My College Graduating Class' 10 year re-union had a little over 100 people; while my High School's Graduating class is currently boasting attendance of over 200 in the very near future for our 20 year re-union. In both instances, the attendants are Americans/Residents, and the venues local from a pool of over 1000 students.

What is remarkable to me is not just the fact that 50 Ethiopians 20 years after graduating RE-UNITED in D.C.; but the intensity of the emotion felt among our class mates. " Yes even toward me, who attended SJS for only two short years."

Though, the nuances of my past joint experiences will not equal those of yours' who have shared a longer period in attendance; I sincerely felt engulfed with a genuine Welcome that I rarely experience in my life.

I thank all of you immensely; especially Ezra and the team, who not only had the vision, but the tenacity to make the event a joy to have taken part in.

I join in opinion with those of you who have been recommending that such an occasion be repeated.

Sincerely,

Alula Araya

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What a great time we had. I was anxious to share my stories with friends and family just to be surprised that they have heard about our reunion and even saw pictures before I had a chance to share my story with them. Folks, I think we have paved the way for others to do the same! Much thanks for the organizing committee and for those who came from great length to make this reunion a success.

My parents were so excited that they kept interrupting me wanting to know who attended the reunion, where you live, what you do, if you were married and how many kids you have. I finally pulled out the itinerary and started to read your names so I could finish telling them my story. It never occurred to me that this reunion would mean so much to them as it did to me. Once again, thank you so much for such a memorable event and I look forward to our next gathering.

Menelik Tefera

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Reflections on the evening of the evenings!!!

It was remarkable to see everyone on a level playing field, when "popular nick names" or "the revelation of extra ordinary, at times embarrassing class jokes" didn't matter anymore and new sorts of social relationships were free to form unencumbered by the cliques and restrictions of our youth.

People whom I laughed with in high school and elementary laughed and swapped stories about the sweet and memorable days we had together. The fact that we all found so much enjoyment in our classmates' speaks well of us all, I think: we are in touch with each other in the present, not only stuck in sweet memories of the past.

Special thanks for those who took their time to organize the most beautiful and memorable reunion.

Le hiwotih waga sit! Yichalal!

Woldemikal Melake

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Wolde, you are absolutely right. Much "props" to the organizers of this event. Please let's do it again in the future.

H. Getahun

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Hi Woldemikeal,

Thanks for the kind words. We are extremely pleased that all of you where able to make it. It was a great weekend. We hope to get together and plan the next function....I believe it will be sooner that 20 years this time. Please make an effort to keep in touch with your hommies. I have attached an updated list for you.

Take care and thanks for making it.
Tessema Ijjigu

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Just simply THANK-YOU, primarily to the organizers of this great event which allowed us to live history all over again, and also to everyone outside DC who
made the effort to travel and made it a memorable one.

Henock Kejela

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.... .......... Now about the reunion, whomever was involved in getting it
together did a wonderful job. I wish I could have been there but due to
some personal and previous commitments I couldn't make it.

About the pictures, I don't know what brought tears to my eyes,
the fact that majority of our class mates are balding :) or the fact that I
can't recognize some of them because it had been over 23 years since I laid
eyes on them. In all, they are nice and memorable pictures. By the way,
which one of the "Brothers" did you guys bring to the reunion? I could not
recognize the guy in the middle surrounded by Henoke, Aman ,Dawit and
Daniel....(obviously I couldn't recognize the rest of the gang, though I
know their faces well). I guess the mind is the first to go when you hit
29....and NO that is not a typo:)

I do have everybody's email so I will keep in touch, hope you do
the same.

Mikias Melkamwork