Ethiopian Roads + My Shoes = Jacked Up Shoes

If there is one thing I have learned while living here that is DO NOT wear your good shoes while walking through the streets of Ethiopia. My 3-month-old shoe now looks like it has been through five years of hell thanks to the uneven, poorly constructed streets of which I walk every day. The type of paved road varies, for roads that go into neighborhoods they use chiseled rocks and just pack it with dirt, which is good for cars, but for walking it's not a flat surface so it just cuts up your shoes. Now I know why there are so many listros (children who clean shoes on the side of the road for 2birr) in this city. It's the perfect business. 

Although they have come a long way from dirt roads, the roads they call asphalt are not up to par. During the rain, most of the streets flood really bad and that’s due to the fact that there are no drainage systems. Seriously?! You would think that a country starting to industrialize would look back at history and fix the problems they endured or even build something better but no, we have to make the exact same mistakes.

The Day I Forgot My Umbrella

Today started off with the sun shining and not one gray cloud in the sky, but that soon changed. I left the house prepared for anything, or so I thought. I had tights beneath my jeans, an undershirt under the flannel, doubled up on socks, and wore my coat just in case it got cold. I was right to where all of these garments, but the one thing I needed on this day was the one thing I forgot; an umbrella.

Today I was running a little late at work and got off at 6 pm, an hour later than usual. Usually catching a taxi from Kazanchi's to Mexico is a headache and hassle, but today I didn’t have to wait, shove, get trampled or throw bows (elbows).

It was after this that my day turns sour.

The taxi I caught stopped short of Mexico and said they were to continue in another direction so I paid it no mind, got off and walked to the next stop. The good thing about taxi's here is that there are at least three spots where you can catch a taxi for one neighborhood. I was waiting patiently for my last taxi home, Gabriel/Sarbet, but as time passed there was no taxi so I moved on and walked a little further to the next stop. It was during that time that I can tell the sprinkle of rain had grown harder, so my walk turned into a sprint. I get to the next stop only to find out that all six taxis waiting for passengers were all going to Makanesa (not in my direction) AHHHHH! The rain was pouring at this point and I don’t have an umbrella so I'm just standing there in frustration at the fact that not one taxi was going to Gabriel. I said forget it and ran across the street to the next stop, but I was left in the same predicament; no taxi, no umbrella, still raining. There was no building that I could duck into or even a tree to take cover so I just stood there, drenched, as the rain grew harder and harder. It was one of those moments when you realize that there is nothing you can do because you have no other option. To make matters worse as I ran to the last stop, I stepped in a puddle that was ankle deep. So now I'm wet, cold, and swimming in my socks. Rain water back in the states isn't the cleanest, but at least it's clear, the water here is murky brown. In Addis it's common for people to urinate on the side of the street, in a puddle, on a construction site or where ever they feel like, making the thought of rain water even more disturbing especially since I had just stepped into a puddle of unmarked rain. Finally, the rain starts to calm down after five minutes and of course, a taxi pulls up, my hooptie hero, ending the story of the day I forgot my umbrella.

Ethiopia So Far

Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Ethiopia, so far the most interesting place I have ever been. That's not saying much since I've never been out of America, but nonetheless interesting. I still haven't gotten over the fact that drivers share the road with the hundreds of cattle being herded through the city. I personally think no one can drive in this country and adding animals to the equation doesn't make it any better. Also, it is not illegal to drink and drive, shocking. Some people start their Black Label Saturday morning and continue drinking until Sunday night, but surprisingly I haven't seen as many car accidents as I would have expected. Hopefully, it stays that way.

After thorough analysis of the data I have collected over the past three months, I have arrived at the conclusion that the top two most used conversation starters are: 

1: Inde Wufershe/Kusashe! (meaning: omg you got fat/skinny what happened?!) and;

2: Bal alesh? Mecha tagebyalesh? (meaning: do you have a husband? When are you getting married?).

I'm not exaggerating by any means, these are real facts. Every older woman I have had the pleasure of meeting/running into has asked me this question and follows this question with, 

"I have a son" (wink, wink). 

Great! Every old woman in Ethiopia thinks they are a certified dating service. 

I always respond with,  

"What about my education, you know continuing to get my masters?" 

All of their responses have been the same, "Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Walking through Mexico on a Sunday afternoon can be both eye opening and overwhelming. They sell everything from scarves, shirts, boxers to pens, combs, and mafakya's (a piece of tree branch that is used as a toothbrush). My favorite is the guy who stands out there with his scale charging 20 cents to folks who want to weigh themselves or their goods. Then there are those who don't have an inventory of things to sell, so they are out there hustling to sell ONE jacket or ONE scarf.

Currently Ethiopia is going through it's winter otherwise known as Krumpt meaning everyday, all day, it's raining non-stop. Yay me! I didn't bring any boots or raincoats, so as far as weather goes I'm not in the ideal situation.

Real Estate in Addis

So, I have been making my way around Ethiopia and can say that I am familiar enough with the city now. In the past couple of weeks, I have been tagging along with my cousin who is in the market to buy a house here in Ethiopia. You would not believe the kind of homes they are building here in the city, which is why I have pictures! 
The houses are so grand and modern that when I step into the neighborhood/house I don't even feel like I'm in Ethiopia any more. It's amazing and unbelievable the kind of homes you can buy here. For those of you from Houston, these houses look like they belong in Sugarland and for those exceptionally large houses, maybe even River Oaks. There is a downside to these houses;horrible finishing. It might be common to see paint on the wood floors misaligned floors, or uneven cheap tiles. I keep finding a lot of chips and cracks in the tiles of NEW homes. Regardless they are great homes, but I think they cut the costs by buying cheap material and it shows. To give you an estimate of how much these houses are going for - it could be 3 to 4 million birr, which in dollar is about $250,000 bucks!! The price doesn't go with the country! I am pretty sure that the average Ethiopian will not be able to afford that unless they are some kind of millionaire. Anyways, here are the dazzling houses:

Sunshine Construction I think this is about 500 sq. meters

Another Sunshine Construction

Yes, this is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia......can you believe it?!

Country Club Construction; their houses are very expensive but they give you 1000 sq. meters. In this neighborhood, there is a golf course, exercise, and a pool. 4 bedroom 4 bath gated community

So, who would like to buy a mansion in Ethiopia for $300,000 dollars?

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Stuck in Traffic......


...because we have to wait for them to MOVE


Some of the family I haven't seen in 10yrs


Traffic in Addis

No this was not in my backyard, this was one of the animals at Karibou Lodge

The cutest monkey ever and also the meanest monkey.

We were visiting family and took a picture with there cattle, these were the calves as you can see she was a little scared of what they were gonna do to her if she got too close

Let's play a game called ' I spy sattilite dishes'

This was a taxi I saw when we drove out of the city. Its so little

Construction everywhere you go. This is a house in progress

Nasty weather. It rains everyday and hailed once since I've been here. By the way this is the street I live on, it's a nice area

Cars and cattle crowd the streets of Addis Ababa.

Bole rd. their Time Square

Beautiful roads

Friendship mall....one of the many malls

TIA- This Is Africa

So after a week of no internet in Ethiopia, I was finally connected to the greater world only to discover that blogger is a page that is temporarily inaccessible. Was I frustrated? Yes! But, because of my persistence I finally got through and the next day they announced that the internet will be temporarily down due to upgrading. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! The one thing I noticed you don't get in this country is convenience. But the one thing you must have in this country is "tigist," meaning patience. Other than that I love it here!

It has been about three weeks now and I think I have adjusted well. Life here is so laid back and relaxed. When I left the airport and drove through town I was surprised to see all the construction sites that are in progress. It has been ten years since I was last in Ethiopia and a lot has changed since then, the biggest change is that there are actual paved roads and somewhat highways. I say somewhat because it's common to be exiting in some areas and  the pavement becomes gravel without any warning. Regardless, there are a lot more paved/ stone roads than last time. The construction sites here seem to always be on pause or halfway complete. I see a lot of buildings in progress but no workers.
The common form of transportation is taxi's, they're everywhere. They have eight passenger taxi vans that they stretch to accommodate twelve. You will probably be sitting five to a row that was really meant for three. The plus side about the van is that the fair is cheap, 2 birr compared to the contract taxi that can cost at least 50birr. Huge difference. I prefer to take the taxi, it's a fun experience minus the occasional body odor. 

The problem comes when you are trying to cross the street. NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE! People here take up two lanes, reverse on a one-way, herd cattle through the middle of traffic, and the number one irritating move is when they pull right in front of you without signaling. Did I mention there are no traffic lights here? Mostly roundabouts and police officers directing traffic.
Electricity is available but, every other day they turn it off for about two hours. Mostly everyone here has that small Nokia phone with a built-in flashlight so without hesitation, they switch it on. Oh, and when you are driving don't be surprised if the street light all of a sudden turns off. They should at least provide generators for street lights, that is outright dangerous.


There are flies everywhere. I had a flash back of Jamie Foxx's stand-up when he was describing his experience in South Africa. These flies are different, they fear no one they walk across the table tasting everyone's food. No joke. If you try to shoo them away they just duck.

Prices here are ridiculous. Even though the dollar is equivalent to 13 birr you are still paying the same amount as if it was a dollar because the inflation is sky-high. Hair products cost about 130 birr, a bag of chips are 29 birr, gas is 200birr, dinner for four could cost about 450birr when you convert that to dollar it's about the same in some situations.

At the moment, I am looking for NGO's and international organizations in the area trying to network my way through Ethiopia. I'm really close to getting an interview with Save the Children, so everybody cross your fingers.

Delay at the Airport

Soooo I get to the Oman International Airport and I have a problem with my passport. Apparently when I crossed the border from UAE to Oman the person working the visas, stamped an entry AND an exit stamp on the same day. IDIOT! So I'm at the airport and the police take me to the side and question why I have been stamped out…ad here I am looking like a deer in headlights because I had no clue. I should have known something was up when the guy stamped my cousins as an exit too. All in all the officer said next time make sure you look at your passport before you leave. I will now.

And now I am stuck in Dubai airport because our plane was having technical difficulties. After checking-in, boarding and getting situated, they announced that we have to change flights. So, I finished my episode of Glee, got off the plane and now I'm waiting in the terminal drinking water and eating biscuits as they do a security check on the plane. Greatest day ever!! Oh and did I mention that I had to wake up at 2am to catch a 5am flight out of Muscat. I bid you good day!

The many faces of a camel

HI-larious

I went to Abu Dhabi!

I apologize for the absence of entries but the family and I made a side trip to Abu Dhabi. For those of you who do not know where Abu Dhabi is, it is located in the United Arab Emirates about an hour away from Dubai. The city was magnificent! The beaches were beautiful, the weather was sunny and breezy, and all of the monumental sites in the city were grand and over the top. I stayed on Yas Island, from my window you're able to see the Formula 1 race track. One of the hotels is built directly above the track, going through the hotel.

Track and the hotel that the track goes through

Ferrari World

The majority of Abu Dhabi is situated on an island and that was about a 20-minute drive from where we stayed. We went to the mall and it was from there that I caught a ride on the double-decker tour bus. This bus took me alllll over town, visiting all the main attractions in just over 2 hours. I had a great time, during the dead space from one attraction to the next there is a narrator telling you about the people and cultures of the area. The one thing I learned that surprised me is that in the Muslim culture it is rude to show the bottom of your feet......a fact I never knew.

My Fabulous room

Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Emirates Palace...a reall,y really, really nice hotel. Imagine a room full of gold and that's this place

The city

the beach

And for your amusement......instead of herding camel, why not drive it!?

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Today I got the opportunity to visit the Grand Mosque and I must say, it was breathtaking. When we first arrived I was put off by the seven tour buses parked outside, but the compound was so big it didn't feel as crowded as I assumed it would be. Of course, before you enter you must be properly covered, so there were guards at the front who checked my attire before I was able to enter. As you walk in you see a vividly green garden that leads you to the prayer rooms. After that, we walked through the compound admiring the architecture of the Mosque in all its beauty.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The 14 meter tall chandelier in the main prayer hall.

This picture, along with the others, did not give this room justice.

The chandelier from a far

Detailed wooden doors

The gold flakes that glittered as the light hit it made this a site to see

As I said in my previous blog, this is the second largest 'hand-woven' Persian carpet. This carpet covers the entire main prayer hall weighing 21 tonnes

Muttrah Souk

My cousin and I woke up bright and early to go the Souk, which in both Arabic and Amharic means market. As we drove down the highway I got a picture of the Sultan Qaboo's Grand Mosque, a mosque that can hold up to 20,000 worshipers at one time. Hopefully, I can find time to go and see the inside as well as the courtyard.

I had a video but it doesn't seem to be uploading so I won't be able to give you a taste of what I saw as we drove up the coast of the Gulf of Oman. There were two cruise liners that had pulled in and docked and all the people on these ships and other tourist filled the Souk so it was crowded.

As you walk into the Souk the first thing you will hear is "welcome ma'am, cashmere scarf?" For the most part everyone sold the same items; scarfs, incense, trinkets, shirts and purses. The people who work in the market are class A hustlers, they will go back and forth with you until you buy.

.

This the boat of the Sultan of Oman…best shot I could get

Welcome to Muttrah Souk

Items dangling in stores

These store's go on for days....all the same stuff

Sipping on a Lemon mint....a refreshing drink to have after you've been attacked by the sun's heat

"Hey, look at me I'm chillen in the Gulf"

Lazy Day

This was the view I had while eating crepes and sipping coffee. The breeze from the ocean was nice and refreshing. Try to imagine yourself here take a deep breath and then exhale, "ahhhh." We went to the markets in the area and shopped around.

We went to the city center, which is like the mini version of the Galleria, other than that I just hung out with my little cousin.