First Impressions

Teeth rattling, bone jarring bumpy roads... that's my first impression of Addis Ababa. For my fellow travellers to Nogales, Mexico, you will understand. The next morning, in the light of day, I came to realize the road conditions are the result of miles of road construction, requiring detours over places that should not have been used for roads, even temporary roads! I'm sure the residents of Addis will breath a sigh of relief when the ring road construction is complete. Then again, as more people acquire their own cars, I'm thinking the government is going to face a never-ending need for infrastructure to accommodate the increased traffic! Ahhh, the joys of modernization! 

BEFORE ...

... and AFTER ...

We chuckled as we turned off the main road onto a side street marked with a Canadian flag! Our guest house was situated across from the Canadian Embassy Residence. Nice to see something familiar so far from home.

I'm not a stranger to jet lag. Even though we arrived late at night and it had been over 50 hours since I slept in a bed, I wasn't surprised when I felt wide awake again at 4:00 AM. As my mind came to consciousness, I realized I was hearing the distant sound of chanting over a loud speaker. It brought an immediate smile to my face. In Nogales we were always roused by the sound of dogs barking and the water seller, doing his rounds with roof-mounted speakers announcing "agua!" accompanied by loud cheerful music. I suspect what I heard first this morning in Addis was the Muslim call to prayer. When that ended, the birds slowly began their morning chorus. Then another chanting started, this time closer and louder. We soon became accustomed to hearing this early morning ritual of Ethiopian Orthodox priests chanting the scriptures over public loud speakers for hours at a time (singing in the ancient language of Ge'ez, to people who do not understand Ge'ez at all). 

My husband and I had been assigned to a little room at the back, detached from the main house. It was big enough for bunk beds, with room for a chair at the foot and about 3 feet of maneuvering space beside the bed. Don't forget to factor in our carry-ons and two large suitcases. Our toilet and sink were in a room on the outside of the house, with a door (which would not lock) that opened to the back patio. Our shower was in a similar room beside the first. (This door wouldn't even close properly.) The hot water tank was suspended from the ceiling in a corner of the shower stall, plugged into a receptacle located high on the shower wall. (We saw this practice often, much to the amusement of my electrician husband.)

After spending a few early morning moments with my Bible and journal, I figured a shower was definitely in order. Aside from having to exterminate the two black spiders in the shower stall (a good use for shower flip flops), I would rate the experience as "delightfully refreshing." My first attempt however at using my power converter with my blow dryer blew the converter's fuse. 

Thus began my time in Ethiopia. Learning about unfamiliar morning sounds. Realizing anew that the "facilities" in developing countries are not as plentiful or up to the standards we are accustomed to. And knowing that I would be "roughing it" with no hair appliances for the next three weeks!