Ethiopia is not exactly what you expect. I had no idea what I was
going to meet when the plane touched down. In fact, the only thing I
was certainly sure about was that the weather would be cold, as is
typical of the June-July period.
I was glad that the locals were friendly and offered to give us their
phones to call someone and let them know we were around. Apparently
getting a SIM card in Ethiopia isn't as easy as we thought it would
be.
The first week was a little hectic, deciding where to live and
finding out where we were working, knowing who was in charge and so
on. Eventually, we settled in a nice house in a place called Saris,
about 5km from the airport.
One thing I wish could have been done was a sort of orientation into
Ethiopian culture. So much is different. So much is exciting. Even
more is confusing.
The exchange rate was the first bit of culture shock and a few of us
(myself mostly) were worried that the money wouldn't be enough. It
turns out that Ethiopia deals in cents though so you don't exactly
have to spend all your money in one place.
The rates aren't so different from those in Nairobi if only a little
higher (mostly for visitors). Being the typical tourist that I am, I
spent a lot of money in my first week trying to adjust properly into
the culture and convince myself that 100 Birr is NOT the same as 100
Kenyan Shillings. You would be surprised at the difference! (100Ksh =
20 Birr)
The landlady is nice. We had a little problem with her since
evidently the landlord-tenant relationship in Ethiopia is different
from the one we are used to. I think we've broken ground quite nicely
since everyone seems to be on friendly terms now.
Saris is a nice place to live. Everything is a few steps from the
house or a short walk otherwise. The more adventurous ones of our
group have even discovered very convenient short cuts through the
neighbourhood. Ethiopia is starting to feel a little bit like home at
least.
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