A lot has been happening in Addis, but for whatever reason, I've had little inspiration to blog about it. It might be the rainy season which has the whole city complaining - even the locals. Everyone says that it's not supposed to be this cold or rain this much, but there you have it. Chalk it up to global warming I guess but I feel like I might as well be living through another rainy winter in the UK. Except this time I have developed a true appreciation for the benefits of paved roads and sidewalks. Washing your shoes multiple times a day is no fun.
But in the moments when the sun does come out - you truly appreciate it. I spent a few hours last week talking with someone from the Canadian embassy. Miraculously, the sun happened to be out and we sat on the rooftop patio of one of Addis' best coffee shops, sipping delicious macchiatos and talking all things CIDA (now DFAITD) and Ethiopia. It was probably the best two hours of my week.
So some of the good and bad of the last little while:
-I have enjoyed countless good meals with good friends in the many restaurants of Addis. From Ethiopian, to Italian, to French, to Greek, to Korean - who knew Addis would have so many options. The best so far, besides Ethiopian of course, Lebanese! Next up: Yemeni, Thai and Indian.
-I learned that I had been overpaying for my shared-taxi trip to work each week. The difference was only 1 birr (or six cents) and I don't actually think they were trying to cheat me but were trying to limit conversation with the ferenji who hasn't quite mastered Amharic yet.
-I celebrated my birthday which, thanks to the fact that it is currently 2005 in Ethiopia, meant that I got to ring in 20 all over again
-I was pick-pocketed but luckily I carry around multiple wallets and they only managed to grab my change purse with maybe about 150 birr ($10)
- I have learned (most) numbers in Amharic, the names of the produce I like to buy at the market, and am no longer lost and confused when someone greets me. I'm still a long way from being able to have any kind of conversation, but it's all about the small steps.
-I ventured outside the protective glass walls of my gym and actually ran outside. I learned that there really are runners in Addis, you just have to be out at 5:30 am to join them.
-I said my first goodbyes in Addis. The city is filled with so many expats, people are constantly coming and going. This time it was our German neighbours whose internships had come to an end. But fingers crossed, they will be back for a conference in November.
Tomorrow I'm off on some adventures outside Addis (taking advantage of the national day thanks to Eid). After two months in the big city, I'm definitely feeling a bit stir crazy and am beyond excited to see some more of Ethiopia.
P.S. Today's Google page is Ethiopian themed. It's to mark Abebe Bikilas 81st birthday and it turns out he was a pretty inspirational runner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abebe_Bikila). Just a reminder of one of the many amazing people to come out of this incredible country.
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