Catching Up
I'm finally able to post my own blog posts for a bit. No, the Ethiopian govenment have not seen the error of their repressive ways and un-blocked blog sites. I have just popped over to Somalia for a holiday. But that comes later. for now I have to cacth you up on the more mundane features of life in Addis.
I have joined up with "hash house harriers" an international club described as "a drinking club with a running problem". Yep. They drink beer and go running, I, of course, do neither. I walk around with the older componant of the group and politely acknowlege the dad-humour that consists of overstating the obivious and laughing loudly "New Zealand huh! Plenty of sheep there! HaHaHahahaha". It's good to have an opportunity to get out of the city once a week and some of the people are not old o sleazy and some even don't leave a trial of plastic water bottles behind them.
After the astounding acchievement of managing to get my hair into a ponytail I thought I would cut a nice long fringe in the style of Patricia Aquette in 'Medium' (we have satelite tv remember). I have a round fae, thick hair and a cowlick. I look more like the chubby one from the bee-gees.
In Ethiopia you always leave a deposit. Like when you buy a bottle of coke, you pay extra if you want to take the bottle or you provided an empty bottle. A bottle of Gin costs about 2usd but they keep 1.50usd till the bottle is returned. and even when you buy a sheep, an extra 10usd is paid which you get back when you return with the skin.
Water shortages are an issue in my suburb. When I travel I learn a lot about myself, Geuss that's one of the reasons I do it. I have answered many never-asked questions. Like: how many days can I use the same toitlet without flushing before I gag? 3. Akanksha answered the never-asked question: What is worse than finding a cockroach in your dinner? The answer of course is: finding half a cockroach.
The first semester has come to an end in a chaotic blurr of exams, final tests, grading and awards. Akanksha left for India to visit family and have a decent shower.
Ebony is leaving Addis for good. She has been sick and the Typhoid was a miss digonosis, apparently quite common for forginers who have remeninsts of the Typoid vaccinne flowing though their blood. She could do with better medical trestment than she can get in Ethiopia (just in case something is seriously wrong) and cheaper medical treatment than she can get in the US. So she has planned a jurney home viia thaland and the excellent bumrangrad hospital where I had one of my wisdome teeth expertly removed.
Another Forigen teacher has arrived. Many is a 40 something kindergarten teacher from South Africa. So I'm no longer the oldest in the flat. She is a little bit daunted at the moment but i'm sure she'll settle in. It's going to take me a bit to get used to her attitude (utterly negative) and opinions (she was off the plane less than an hour when describing the South african HIV problem: But it's just the blacks." I had a few butt-clenchingly toe-curlingly awful moments listening to her decribe to out (Ethiopian) headmaster about how bad the blacks are.
And the absolute best news last. My dear freind Tristam that I have known sicne we were at sesign school togther has come to visit. It's so awesome it warrents its very own blog post.
I have joined up with "hash house harriers" an international club described as "a drinking club with a running problem". Yep. They drink beer and go running, I, of course, do neither. I walk around with the older componant of the group and politely acknowlege the dad-humour that consists of overstating the obivious and laughing loudly "New Zealand huh! Plenty of sheep there! HaHaHahahaha". It's good to have an opportunity to get out of the city once a week and some of the people are not old o sleazy and some even don't leave a trial of plastic water bottles behind them.
After the astounding acchievement of managing to get my hair into a ponytail I thought I would cut a nice long fringe in the style of Patricia Aquette in 'Medium' (we have satelite tv remember). I have a round fae, thick hair and a cowlick. I look more like the chubby one from the bee-gees.
In Ethiopia you always leave a deposit. Like when you buy a bottle of coke, you pay extra if you want to take the bottle or you provided an empty bottle. A bottle of Gin costs about 2usd but they keep 1.50usd till the bottle is returned. and even when you buy a sheep, an extra 10usd is paid which you get back when you return with the skin.
Water shortages are an issue in my suburb. When I travel I learn a lot about myself, Geuss that's one of the reasons I do it. I have answered many never-asked questions. Like: how many days can I use the same toitlet without flushing before I gag? 3. Akanksha answered the never-asked question: What is worse than finding a cockroach in your dinner? The answer of course is: finding half a cockroach.
The first semester has come to an end in a chaotic blurr of exams, final tests, grading and awards. Akanksha left for India to visit family and have a decent shower.
Ebony is leaving Addis for good. She has been sick and the Typhoid was a miss digonosis, apparently quite common for forginers who have remeninsts of the Typoid vaccinne flowing though their blood. She could do with better medical trestment than she can get in Ethiopia (just in case something is seriously wrong) and cheaper medical treatment than she can get in the US. So she has planned a jurney home viia thaland and the excellent bumrangrad hospital where I had one of my wisdome teeth expertly removed.
Another Forigen teacher has arrived. Many is a 40 something kindergarten teacher from South Africa. So I'm no longer the oldest in the flat. She is a little bit daunted at the moment but i'm sure she'll settle in. It's going to take me a bit to get used to her attitude (utterly negative) and opinions (she was off the plane less than an hour when describing the South african HIV problem: But it's just the blacks." I had a few butt-clenchingly toe-curlingly awful moments listening to her decribe to out (Ethiopian) headmaster about how bad the blacks are.
And the absolute best news last. My dear freind Tristam that I have known sicne we were at sesign school togther has come to visit. It's so awesome it warrents its very own blog post.
posted by Rachel | 5:16 pm
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