Susan Broitman, Marshall Broitman, and Jed Broitman

00:05 My name is Susan broitman. I'm 76 years old today's date is January 9th 2019 and we are in Orlando Florida and I'm sitting here with my son and my husband.

00:21 My name is Jed broitman. I'm 45 years old. Today's date is January 9th, 2019 location, Orlando, Florida. I'm with my mother and father.

00:35 My name is Marshall broitman on 76. Today's date is January 9th, 2019, and I'm located in Orlando, Florida.

00:47 And I'm here with my son Jed and my wife Susan.

00:54 So

00:56 Got a question for you guys.

00:59 You are Peace Corps volunteers. And that's an interesting take onto itself. Why the Peace Corps? How did that come about?

01:14 You can go first as well when I was in high school.

01:21 President Kennedy or then almost President Kennedy talked about the Peace Corps and it was very interesting to me then and it was a chance to travel see the world do something and at that point, I hadn't graduated from high school, but I became a nurse and knew that I could use those skills in the Peace Corps in some way. I had it in the back of my mind, but I had to work in the state of Minnesota for a year to pay back a scholarship, but I did take a test didn't tell anybody that I was taking it for the Peace Corps. Imma stop you there. Why didn't you tell anybody because I didn't know if I passed the test or worried about not passing the test. Well, I didn't know what the test was like no one knows then why even and it's like an unknown thing. I know but if I I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I wasn't

02:17 I didn't tell my mother I didn't tell my best friends anybody but I did take the test at the University of Minnesota. And I did a venture tell my mother before what you say. Well, she asked me if I want to go to school if I want to go back to school. You know, why would I want to go in the Peace Corps you familiar with the book The Peace Corps was probably not. I think I talked about it. I mean she didn't really know but I am ultimately took the test. I must have passed because I got a phone call saying that I was selected to attend or to be a part of the program for Ethiopia and I was all excited and they said they'd be sending me a letter shortly have any idea where Ethiopia was I had no idea but I didn't know that much about it. I knew it was in Africa and that was

03:17 Thing in itself and then I shortly after that received a telegram and Telegram and it said that I had been selected in a letter or packet would be coming soon. So that's kind of how I got it and I really didn't know what I was getting into it to be honest, but that's another whole story that we will we do not contact current score in the Kennedy or obviously and at college and the Peace Corps.

04:03 Was an exciting thing to me an exciting idea and I wanted to travel and go places. So I also took the test obviously passed and

04:16 Just after I graduated I think I was home, maybe two or three days and I got a telegram saying a congratulations. We'd like to have you come to Ethiopia and let me ask you the same thing then did you know where Ethiopia was were you or or or was it was in Africa a new?

04:37 Where was it the salsa?

04:39 History major, but I did not really know much more about it than that. So yeah, that's a question that then I mean you no lie to rid of Haile Selassie. I know anything about that, you know being good bad indifferent, you know, so that's kind of either wonderfully naive or amazingly Brave maybe both studied very limitedly in schools are no time with we knew about it in the country seem to be changing names frequently and there was fighting in different countries and I think in our school days, we didn't really study about that much but highly Selassie. I did know that name and I did what what did you think was going to be your role? What did you think you could accomplish by but we were selected to go to a program in California UCLA.

05:39 Los Angeles and that's where our training was taking place and went there in June of 1966 and when I got there and they had sort of an orientation the nurses they were about 12 of us were told that we would be teaching nursing and we didn't know that until then but some people complained that they weren't teachers we didn't have a teacher's license. We didn't go to school for teaching but we soon remember that all teachers are nurses and nurses are teachers at some point.

06:22 So the training was the same as the we had teachers and lawyers in our program and do we learn the language we learned about the country. We learned about the politics and customs and Saul on the campus of UCLA the campus but now the nurses and two lab technicians left a month early from the program and we had one months in country training and the other volunteers stayed back at UCLA.

06:57 How about you Dad to do when I went to use the CLA. I was in the teaching program that they had their.

07:06 And I thought I'd died and gone to heaven why because the food and the dormitories in the swimming pool.

07:16 And everything else was just unbelievable compared to you know, where I went to college where you go to school at the University of Toledo, which was not bad but UCLA was unbelievable and the food was magnificent in the cafeteria. A lot of Fresh Foods fruits and vegetables, California burritos and tacos in a really really nice food and it was an exciting time because all the people

07:50 Most of the people

07:52 We're excited to be going to Africa and go to some people. I think we'll probably might have been dodging the draft. I had been in the Marines prior to.

08:02 Joining the Peace Corps, so and Mom obviously was a nurse, so we weren't dodging anything that I don't think most people wear, but it was exciting the idea of going to Africa with challenging and there's a lot to learn that we had a lot of fun and we worked hard. Did you have a set? Like, could you pick a variety of countries like your top three like I'd like to go to blank blank and blank or not. They decide sorry Chrissy application as I recall. They asked you where you would like to go cuz I remember writing South America or a Spanish speaking country because I had had High School Spanish in the last place that I wanted to ask you also. Where did you not want to go and I said Africa from Minnesota with lots of snakes and tigers right now, so I'm going to fast forward into speaking of Minnesota and then part that training. I find it interesting. They they housed you

09:02 Ride, this was during the the Watts hot summer. So to speak this is like, you know civil rights in a kind of turmoil. What was that like being in California and specially a how many I mean you would probably seen people of color in your time, but never having lived amongst black American. Well, I did in Minnesota in the neighborhood school with a lot of blacks Jews and Christians and with we were the minority at that point but in California, we had to spend one week or was it in my two weeks out in the community teaching practicing teaching and that was a new experience for me. But we lived in the community. They assigned us to somebody they obviously paid on an obviously they did pay people to houses limited, you know, so they could feed us and how

10:02 And I stayed with a woman in Watts a widow and I taught at Los Angeles high school for 2 weeks. That was an experience. She was a fire pause. There was an experience experience in teaching in Los Angeles High during 19 in this is a 1966 G6. It was after the Watts Riot. I we were teaching summer school. So these were kids that had failed a subject and I was teaching a history class. And basically I had a lesson to repair in the teacher told me what did then I was to get up and that was okay. I mean, I I wasn't afraid to stand up in front of a group was your clientele there and it was a class filled with who is like 10th graders boys and girls

11:02 Next next mix. But I did have an experience of mrs. Taylor was her name. She took me to church on Sunday and I was the only white in a sea of black so there was a little feeling of reverse right but I felt it. I felt it. I said I know kind of what I'm going to feel like when I'm in Ethiopia growing up around but I thought I was very noticeable to me because I was you know, there are you telling me not as many people get paid for putting us up for the two weeks, right? So I had a very nice Hispanic lady and their son.

12:01 Who are extremely for they put me on a couch with a broken window with mosquito and mosquitoes flying in?

12:10 The first money I went to brush my hair couple of roaches flew out of it came out of my brush.

12:18 When she opened the refrigerator it was to be nicer disaster. So.

12:27 What part of Les ours was at Marshall's that was in you remember the valley wasn't showing or where I don't remember.

12:36 My big meal was either eating a burrito out while having some of the other people had better conditions bring me a bologna sandwich or something because it was a pretty tough either and then we we ate a little breakfast nook in the morning. She made some cereal and stuff and it was me and our son and stuff and it be roaches crawling all over the table and up the wall and

13:03 Evidently they were just used to think too much of it. So I need to find a very good experience. We have to take public transportation buses to the school figure out how to get there. All right. I'm going to fast forward here, too. So then you guys, how did you actually made you obviously met there at UCLA. Did we were you know when classes together and everybody was drawing classes basically language classes Sports. We had a pizza joint down at the end of the block that we all hung out at beer and pizza. Not that you didn't have enough food at UCLA, but apparently Henry play love volleyball.

14:03 Song Marshall I met Marshall, but we all did things as a group.

14:09 But I kind of like she's nice or then and now you tell me most of the people that were in training there were people that cared about society and peace and and doing good and I saw a lot of that and Susan and some of the other people there and very interested. We actually went out on one date send my date anyway to Disneyland Disneyland. Orlando want to go on permanent teeth are we know the difference is? Okay, and we had a good time but we really didn't date or really go out at all every moves in a group that he just before that ordering that when we were in the car with somebody that lived in Los Angeles had a car and that's how we got to Disney World, but there was a notice of

15:09 The bulletin board just before that that said the guys are not getting any more of a stipend than the girls are. So if we go on a date it has to be or if we go out. It has to be Dutch and somebody put that up that obviously was not very wealthy or was that or whatever so I tried to give him Marshall money in the car for Disney World and he was highly insulted but I didn't know what else you know, if I did I'd feel bad if I didn't I'd feel bad. So I erred on the side of like what is it for and did he take it? No, of course it done then I thought he was rich.

15:55 He's still got your food still got your food so fast forward all the way to to actual Africa talk to me about what was that like to actually then you're very first impressions of of things. You guys were not in the same place Marshall weird that I was in the southern part of Ethiopia in what they call Copper Country Ethiopia is actually the

16:26 Third largest producer of coffee in the world and

16:31 So I was in a small town called agaro.

16:36 And I had two roommates.

16:40 And it was quite an experience.

16:44 Culture shock to be honest with you the people there was super but the first few days.

16:51 My roommate and I would eat I'm still very good friends with and stay in touch with all the time.

16:58 We are at the other guy who's been there your day Fox. Can we go back to gym a couple times to get food halfway decent restaurant in the food.

17:09 The first we thought was absolutely terrible.

17:13 But only

17:16 Two after I become after a few weeks to really get used to the food only the Ethiopian food and get the love it it was fantastic, but it took a lot of adjusting but

17:28 Weaver Middle School

17:31 I thought third grade English. I thought 6th grade English.

17:36 I told seventh grade science and I taught 8th grade history.

17:42 And

17:45 We didn't have any want one textbook for us and none for the students like like one like singular like not like what like we had one correct. How many students are in the class then?

18:00 Oi2 average classes, maybe 25

18:06 What's 30 + like my third grade English class was great. I had kids from maybe 10 years to about 21 years old.

18:15 When they could afford to go to school. Okay, so that ye who who are these? Yeah, they walked 6 7 8 miles a day to school and back. Wow, and a lot of them could live on

18:33 Maybe 15 to 20 cents American today for food and stuff. I mean when you really think about it, we we had a little cut behind the house and we took care of seven students.

18:47 They live there and we gave them candles when we get in care of and you gave him money to just

18:58 But I really liked it and I was in a town assigned to a time with another of the volunteers. That was another nurse. My town was Deborah Marcos and it was in the across the Nile River North of Addis Ababa the capital and it was a town actually the Town Center or the main city in this one County of gold gym. So they were civil. There were is a big prison there. There was a Governor's Mansion and so it was a little bit more developed. But another nurse and I were assigned to start a school for dressers and dressers are are equivalent to an LPN or licensed practical nurse with one year training and the dressers are named that from World War II when people who

19:58 The Ethiopians who came along to give first aid and dress the wounds were called dressers. So it was just a limited one year training that we had to do it. Now this hospital that we were to train them in did not have a school previously. So my roommate K and I started the school and by that we had to devise a test to takes is that the students could take we had to advertise for the test and then give the test and grade it and what was appealing to the students we had to have they had to have passed the sixth grade, but could not have passed the ninth grade and if they pass the 9th grade that meant they can go on to school longer and they could become something better than a dresser I guess but they wouldn't we were going to be teaching in English so they needed to know English and have

20:58 As the 6th grade, so did you want to say something before we turn 25 in Ethiopia? Did you have a like a specific and I say this, you know crisis of what am I doing here on the moment of it was ever was a time you were once I got to go home. This is not for me. I'm done. I didn't have it but I felt it we kind of were wasted in some ways our talents my roommate and I and the reason for that was that the two doctors who were in charge of the hospital were from Bulgaria and they were kind of in charge of us and they insisted on teaching to but

21:58 I want to take over the main subjects like anatomy and physiology and it kind of left us kind of limited for nursing Arts type thing. I mean, it wasn't bad after we got the school started and tested everybody. We only we had a 14 students we had.

22:20 12 boys into girls who became dressers in our school was in the hospital morgue a hospital morgue was a building kind of off to the side of the hospital and it was built when the hospitals built but never used as anyting much less a morgue because people never did octopus he's there and but I felt

22:47 That we were doing. I knew we had a milk be making a difference in somebody's life. And that kind of kept me going.

22:57 And in our town, I think we had a much. I think I much harder life than they did up north where Susan was. I had no electricity. No running water weather running water is a competition. Let's go off. Sometimes the best toilet. I had a $2 and we got used to drinking warm Pepsi Cola and one beer because no no water correctly. You almost drank no water for how long we had. We had a water carried from a stream by are made and we had to boil it and then filtered with chlorine tablets and then we probably boil it again for tea or coffee. She drank a lot of coke a lot of fun, too.

23:54 Barely ever drink water occasionally because just came off the roof into that Barrel. Yes, but I would have came from the bottom of the hill and it when it would rain they stay with the mud and fill up these five gallon cans and come pouring in the local drinking. They drink a lot of tea pot of coffee that little circle tough of hair in the center of the head.

24:35 And people ask what was that about?

24:39 And that was about

24:41 The fact that

24:45 If you if you were going to die, I got pull you up to heaven with that Circle a tuft of hair and you so lots of people died very young man. And the ones that went on to live survive the water survival the other thing and then they were able to put up with that when I got home I had amoebic dysentery Bachelorette dysentery and who knows what else you know, so well how much weight did you actually lose? You think I probably lost about

25:18 You were a hundred and thirty pounds are in a 40-lb probably about a hundred and eighty-five about 50-60 the fact that when we came home, he didn't recognize his father and his father didn't recognize him at the airport and we took a cab into Manhattan because neither one of them knew each other because they both had lost so much weight in my bed, and it was embarrassing to go over to somebody and say are you my dad came home? Like we have to leave Ethiopia within 3 days, which is a miracle to get out of this. We got a letter that my mom was dying of cancer.

26:02 And we got special dispensation to come home. So we would kind of really in turmoil at that point the traveling and everything else. Let me ask about that. I want to go back to that when you get a letter like that and this is in a 1967 right when the letter is there did they give you details of what was actually wrong with her as much as you know, your mother is ill please come home or what's at that letter like I mean what I mean and I know that's a heavy letter to read but he didn't really say a lot of details but his brother wrote a letter to with it. Yeah. It was just come home. Your mom is sick.

26:43 Yeah, I was sick to come home and there wasn't really any to call home was very expensive and it was the lines. It was very iffy Chauncey to call home. We just didn't call him into send a telegram. I think we better send a telegram that we were coming. That's how they knew that we were coming then to meet Mady and I had never met you when we came back from Elvis marriage as a married couple and that's after the the second year. We were going over the first year. Actually, we had our summer vacation and more luck than anything else. If you really want to tell the story or and I correct you after you're done.

27:43 Who's going to go to Kenya? I wanted to see the animals and go to Nairobi and then you know and just get out of Ethiopia and I booked into the new Stanley Hotel, which William Holden when they made these movies about Africa, they all stayed there. So I said I wanted to get actually a hot bath and something and I got to laugh because the room that they gave me was like a postage stamp and you couldn't even had a bed and a dresser that I think my bathroom is outside the room yet. You came to visit me. So anyway unbeknownst to me.

28:29 Who was on the same flight with Susan and with two of her girlfriends my roommate Jennifer another nurse they were going to Nairobi and can you also

28:40 And then a couple of the guy who's building the road and in agaro.

28:50 I'd mention there's a place called lawford's in the Lindy which is in along the coast. That was really nice. They're going in a recommended. They might want to go there.

29:00 So you want to pick it up from there? Well, yeah.

29:06 My roommate and my girlfriend we were in that's correct that we're on the same flight, but we stayed in a pensione three in a room and we hitchhiked to wear took a cab to the outskirts of Nairobi and hitchhiked to Mombasa and then took another bus to malindi and we we were going to go to La France to we hung out for a few days, but we left and I think Marshall and what's his name had Rich Richie I had gone on and we ended up in lawford's and we were there for about a week 2 weeks and Marshall proposed at that time and I was kind of surprised they couldn't say yes or no, so I had visas to Uganda and Tanzania. So I took off by myself my other two friends my roommate and friend wanted to stay.

30:06 And I came back and told him yes, and we went back to Addis and got married. We went to the Peace Corps for us to head and we had to get permission from the Peace Corps director and we were married in City Hall on August 29th. 1967. It was a ceremony that was non ceremony cost us $0.10 for a stamp and official a beautiful. The whole license is in Amharic. The language is a gorgeous. We have no idea what it says and we have a sign we have a sign or name in a book a ledger and + art are four Witnesses, or was it five five witnesses? Would you have an actual classic, you know a do you take this no longer as we left and went out the door. I asked him today I said, when do you give me the ring? We've bought a ring the day before?

31:06 Yeah, as we went out the door I said what I think about to put the ring on now and that was it. So we had no do you promised do you not promised but then we got a pretty good deal at that time in Nigeria.

31:21 They had the uprisings and all the Nigerian volunteers had to leave the country either went home and some of them got an option to go to Ethiopia.

31:35 Two bunch of them went to Ethiopia and I guess there's a gift to us the peace quote director said would you?

31:43 Take these kids around for what a week or two weeks. Yeah, well because of their sponsor supervisors or mentors, but we had no they've tried to put us in a place together which would probably be an out us because Marshall lived in the South and I lived in the north be married to be wanted to be together. So that's why they took the kids on the bus and we went around certain parts of the country and release it was as a lot of fun. Most of them back. They didn't have anything that was interesting. That was fun. We had a beautiful house that we rented. We we had a look around for a while and I want crazy is the best thing being married to my wife was actually having electricity and a refrigerator.

32:43 Hastings you can put in the refrigerator and we had a made it was kind of expected and good because she shopped and cleaned and washed her clothes and we had a zabanya which was a guard to our house was a loved one bedrooms and that was expected to start with a nice honeymoon for three months and then set up a date with another volunteer a vocational training program for

33:17 They basically street boys kids who a

33:21 Gotten through maybe 8th grade could speak English could speak French could speak several languages, but had no jobs and a lot of the restaurants.

33:33 Didn't have anybody that knew how to the waiters had it had it really serve correctly and and do anything like that. So we set up a program and we started with the China bar, which

33:44 Welcome, that's when we started having kids to train and have it will you put forks and knives how you how you keep things clean? I sent her how you talk to people and so that program and Susan want them not forget where you were working. You weren't filled where you were going. No, I went I thought the hospital in Addison. Yeah after we are married limited classes.

34:11 It was a little I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to leave when we had to leave in Marshall's mother was sick, but it wasn't a terrible thing for me at that point. I again felt I wasn't kind of utilized as much as I could have been as teaching nursing at that point. We got married that we would not go back to Brooklyn. I'll marry you but I'll never go to never live in Brooklyn and that's where we ended my mom and where were you expected to go by and I don't know why they were very loud there people yelled a lot. And I wasn't I wasn't used to it. But yes, I'm okay with Brooklyn in our oldest son was born in Brooklyn.

35:11 It's okay. It's okay.

35:14 Anything else you going to ask if you if you want to do it again in a heartbeat when I get married like that again. Yes in a heartbeat.

35:25 And the people of Ethiopia wonderful.

35:29 And we feel very sad that they've had a lot of problems in the country since then and we've come to really enjoy the United States after living like we live there and seeing how other people lived we appreciate what we have here. And I think a lot of people do not really appreciate what they have here and

35:51 We try and live our lives.

35:54 In a good way for people

35:59 Yeah, I think you do. I think you guys are.

36:02 Really?

36:04 You're amazing people.

36:08 Love you, too and Jed.

36:11 And was very happy with her one day our grandchildren can hear this and know that it was a wonderful time in our lives.

36:24 We relive the story a lot with a lot of people and we tell it back and forth and things stand out more than others is a lot more. We didn't Ethiopia. We really can't get it to you know, you still have enough time to talk about it, but

36:40 Eileen the next time it's a great experience. We hope that everyone gets a chance to live in another country for you or two and really get involved in a culture and maybe learn a little bit about the language in the people and I'm pretty sure you know that we have it's so good to hear so good you turn that water tap on freshwater. You take a shower you drink cuz I could drink all over the world. You can't do that just that alone was

37:10 I think and I think we were so young. We didn't really nothing bothered us that much if I went back now, I think it would be harder when you're young. You're foolish your stupid didn't hear you. Don't not that you don't care but me but you don't think of the consequences and when we came home.

37:33 I walk everywhere like a mile at 2 months.

37:37 Miles and everyone thought we were crazy people are so used to walking, you know everywhere that you didn't go walk to that store and it took a while because we came back so quickly.

37:53 To adjust to being back in the States. I think those are real and it was super hard for Susan course. My mom was dying.

38:03 And she took care of her.

38:06 It was hard for you to

38:08 Hard for you to

38:10 But at least I got to meet her.

38:14 We always thought we'd have a wedding when we came back to the states or we thought somehow but it never came about and it's okay anything about it that we got married to the guy that is from us that we come home.

38:35 Too late. I married a nice Jewish boy is not so Jewish a nice Christian girl and we have two nice boys and great-grandkids and wonderful daughters-in-law, right?

38:53 Love you jet.

38:55 Love you, Mom. I love you Dad. Thanks for doing this. I think it's important.