It's 2000! ...again
Last time I wrote I was just about to leave the continent for Yemen... well, things don't happen very fast in Ethiopia, and sometimes when they say, they have a ticket, it doesn't actually mean that they have a ticket. So I spent a further week in Ethiopia.
The post works! I have received a notebook from my mother and a huge and wonderful package from Mistress Lenore full of sweet, sweet chocolate and other wonderful things. (Thank you so much sweetheart, I'm still gathering a bag of goodies to post to you.)
I got to see the much anticipated Ethiopian Millennium. I went to the biggest square in the capital and painted faces. It was cool, but after all the build up I thought it would be bigger, with more music and dancing. It turns out that most people celebrate the new century at home with their families burning stuff, drinking coffee and eating popcorn. It was still cool though.
They must also celebrate with a feast of sheep meat. On new years eve each block had a small flock of sheep. Live sheep were seen strapped to peoples cars, being ungraciously dragged down streets and wheeled home in wheelbarrows. The day after new years day where the flocks had been were now salesmen selling piles of fresh sheep skins. Some of them still had heads and legs attached.
My flatmates are settling in well. Sarah brought with her a jigsaw puzzle of a satellite image of the world. It's kept the two of us entertained for ages. We haven't finished it yet I lost heart after seeing that New Zealand was cut off half way up the South island. It's all too common. I have asked my mother to post me a map from NZ which has the pacific in the middle... and just to get my students thinking, South at the top of the map.
So after a bit of waiting around I got my tickets to Yemen. Yesterday was an 8 hour delay in Addis Ababa Airport and last night I arrived. I LOVE IT HERE! I was a little bit apprehensive as I don't have a guide book or map or any idea of Yemen, Hell, I didn't know the capital was Sana'a until last week. But in the airport I wrote down all the Arabic words I could remember which came to about 50. So I'm getting by well and this place is so beautiful, the people are friendly and the Internet is fast. I'll be able to upload photos while I'm here. The only inconvenience seems to be Ramadan, it's fasting month. I'm hungry and it's going to be difficult to find food before sunset. I'll stock up tonight. 
The post works! I have received a notebook from my mother and a huge and wonderful package from Mistress Lenore full of sweet, sweet chocolate and other wonderful things. (Thank you so much sweetheart, I'm still gathering a bag of goodies to post to you.)
I got to see the much anticipated Ethiopian Millennium. I went to the biggest square in the capital and painted faces. It was cool, but after all the build up I thought it would be bigger, with more music and dancing. It turns out that most people celebrate the new century at home with their families burning stuff, drinking coffee and eating popcorn. It was still cool though.
They must also celebrate with a feast of sheep meat. On new years eve each block had a small flock of sheep. Live sheep were seen strapped to peoples cars, being ungraciously dragged down streets and wheeled home in wheelbarrows. The day after new years day where the flocks had been were now salesmen selling piles of fresh sheep skins. Some of them still had heads and legs attached.
My flatmates are settling in well. Sarah brought with her a jigsaw puzzle of a satellite image of the world. It's kept the two of us entertained for ages. We haven't finished it yet I lost heart after seeing that New Zealand was cut off half way up the South island. It's all too common. I have asked my mother to post me a map from NZ which has the pacific in the middle... and just to get my students thinking, South at the top of the map.
So after a bit of waiting around I got my tickets to Yemen. Yesterday was an 8 hour delay in Addis Ababa Airport and last night I arrived. I LOVE IT HERE! I was a little bit apprehensive as I don't have a guide book or map or any idea of Yemen, Hell, I didn't know the capital was Sana'a until last week. But in the airport I wrote down all the Arabic words I could remember which came to about 50. So I'm getting by well and this place is so beautiful, the people are friendly and the Internet is fast. I'll be able to upload photos while I'm here. The only inconvenience seems to be Ramadan, it's fasting month. I'm hungry and it's going to be difficult to find food before sunset. I'll stock up tonight.
posted by Rachel | 10:10 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home