Honking horns, excessive car exhaust, lots of pedestrian traffic, busy markets, and an impressive amount of new construction - Addis Ababa is your typical bustling capital city in a developing country. Maintaining a sharp appearance is important here so there is an industry for shoe shining - young men will set up their little stations on the sidewalk and men and women will sit down to get their shoes cleaned while out and about.
The other day we were taken on a brief bus tour of Addis. We went to the Entoto Mountain Forest area - it was cool to be up in the fresh air and see the city below. Lots of eucalyptus growing there - smells so good! Then we went to the National Museum of Ethiopia and saw some historical artifacts including the Lucy/Dinknesh exhibit. Pretty cool.
One afternoon when we had some free time a few of us fully embraced the minibus ("taxi") experience. A minibus is literally a mini bus that seats maybe 10 comfortably, it's a means of affordable public transportation between the neighborhoods. There is a driver, of course, and another young man who takes the fare (2-3 birr, about 10-15 cents in US $) who's job is also to yell out the window what neighborhood the bus is traveling to, so you know which bus to get on. Now I'm sure there are times when people do get to sit comfortably on the bus but it seems that is not the typical experience! Riding the minibus involves getting up close and personal, perhaps even sitting on a stranger's lap! There are crates placed on open floor space to make more seats. And, of course, if the person sitting to the inside of you needs to get off before your stop then a bunch of us need to get off in order to let that person off and then get back on again. Luckily the rides are pretty short between neighborhoods in Addis. There are private taxis but they are significantly more expensive and there are bigger buses and a new train/light rail as other public transportation options.
It's been fun getting to know my peers, everyone is coming with different interests and backgrounds and has different skills to offer - it's really exciting to learn from them and be a part of this diverse group!
So far I'm really glad that I brought my pillow from home (rolled it up in a space saver bag), my quick dry towels, and hand sanitizer. All of the restaurants have really nice sinks and soap for hand washing since we eat with our hands (well right hand, to be specific) but I'm glad to have hand sanitizer anyway.
Our first round of immunizations set me back a bit (for about a day) and I'll admit that when I wasn't feeling well I had some doubts about why I was even here and the thought of staying here for 2 years seemed especially daunting. But now that I'm feeling better I'm really happy to be here again! Knock on wood that the illnesses are few and far between. And whenever we have training sessions focused on our health projects my heart feels so full and 2 years doesn't seem long enough - so I know I just need to talk to someone about public health and community based work to feel better on those rough days too. Shout out to my public health peeps!
Today is Timket, aka Epiphany which is celebrated by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. So there are many traditional celebrations and ceremonies happening around the country. There was a procession that passed right near our hotel yesterday so that was interesting to observe. Again the road is closed nearby for more processions with singing, clapping and drumming. There are things being said and sung over megaphones that I don't yet understand. Lots of activity! Obviously a very important event for those celebrating.
I absolutely love that there is a huge flowering hibiscus tree near our balcony - I've never seen such a big one with so many flowers!
Ciao for now!
And now shoes too!
ReplyDeleteShoes are not only important but shoe shopping makes everything better!
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