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.
No comments:
Post a Comment