Tiwonana...Warm Heart of Africa Here I Come!: Adventures in Addis

Day 1: I knew as soon as I saw my rescheduled flight time when I arrived at Dulles that I was in trouble. With only an hour to make my connection in Addis Ababa, which was a bad idea to begin with (not mine I will add), there was just no way that it was going to happen. Sure enough, I have been stuck in Addis for the past two days. Stuck is actually the wrong word…happily delayed is more how I feel now. There were no flights for two days so I guess it’s time to enjoy Addis.

Of course, upon arrival at the hotel that Ethiopian Airlines arranged for me and sitting down for a few minutes at the computer, I won’t deny that I quietly shed a few tears as I sat staring at my gmail. But I decided that if this was really going to get me down, then I was in trouble for the next two months. True, I did feel totally helpless, but I have felt that way before when I have traveled and it passes quickly.

My two college roommates have always chided me for my tendency to be so trusting of strangers. “Katie, you tell people too much!” I think that this fault is turning into a strength in my new living context.

I met the New York Businessman as he worked the aisles on our flight. I overheard him talking to someone while I was stretching my legs. He ran factories in China for ten years making bags—the kind that comes free with your makeup purchase and so on. Anyway, he is quite successful, as my googling told me. He is in the process of starting up similar factories in Addis and has been running a school for six years for girls (mostly) and boys who have been begging on the street. He gave me his card and told me that I should give him a call if ended up in Addis.

I made the snap decision that I would call the New York Businessman. Ok…I did google him first and consulted two well traveled friends and someone with my best interests at heart. The three concluded that I was not crazy for calling him and so that is how I have become ensconced at the “Woodstock Nation Embassy and Residence."

Okay, first we went by his school so I could meet all of his kids and then onto a prospective site for the expanding NGO and school, which will eventually have 400 students. It felt a little strange just putting all my trust in a total stranger, but oddly, very okay. The New York Businessman has named his very nice home, “Woodstock Nation” in fondness for his youth when he was a self-described hippie. He and his three housemates (other New Yorkers who are good friends and are on short term contracts here at the factory) have made me feel more than at home.

I was led to the guesthouse which I would say is about the size of my apartment in NYC, sans porch. The bathroom alone was bigger than my kitchen. Ah the expat life, now I have a better idea of what that means. After a dinner of lasagna followed by York peppermint patties and a healthy dose of BBC I wandered off to bed. Of course, there was something large scampering or scurrying across my roof more than a few times. But after over twenty four hours without sleep... I was not fazed.

Day 2: I woke after about 12 hours to a beautiful sunny day. The NY Businessman and his housemates were departing for the factory and I had the day to myself. A young woman who lives and cooks at "the compound", Fana, offered to take me around if I wanted to see a bit of Addis. And so we were off. I decided to jump right in, so we headed out to the largest open air market in Africa. To get there we took a variety of minibus taxis, which were the highlight of my day by far. We really had to cover a lot of Addis on our way to the market, and I was reminded of some of my travels in India and Mexico as we zoomed around. I am always struck by the presidential palace surrounded by shanty towns.

Addis, from what I can tell, is a nice and friendly city that is growing by the day. There are groves of trees in the hills surrounding Addis, but they are quickly being cleared. Still, as I wandered around this afternoon in the rain and smelled what seemed like eucalyptus I could have imagined myself in California.

We left the market after realizing there was going to be no bargaining to be had with the foreigner in tow and went to a smaller market passing sites along the way. Ethiopia is the only country that still runs on the Julian calendar so Easter is just around the corner and many of the orthodox churches have preparations underway. 2007 was the first year of the new millennium and remnants of the celebrations are all over the city.

Fana was wonderful to me, pointing out everything we passed and making the whole day pleasant. She thought I should get a traditional scarf and we were able to find a great deal at the local market. Then it was back to Woodstock Nation just in time to avoid the first thunderstorm of the season. The power went out as I am writing and the housemates looked around and said “TIA Baby, TIA” (This Is Africa). Whatever it is, I like it, and am excited to head to Malawi tomorrow!