In Ethiopia
I have been given a great opportunity by my company (Ethiopian Airlines)to set up a worldwide tour operation. I am now in Addis Ababa (have been here a week now) and will be here until the 24th of Aug. I will be coming for three weeks and then a week back home for the next 4 to 6 months as I get things set up and people trained. This site has made me feel less lonely in the evenings, as I stay in the office and read all of the postings. I miss my husband and our sheepies and the rest of our "zoo". The time difference between the east coast of the US and Addis is 7 hours right now, so my husband has been calling me at 3pm his time 10pm my time. It is too expensive for me to call him. Hotel living is good for a couple of days, but then it looses its glamor. I am really getting the opportunity to see the local culture and travel around East and Southern Africa. We need to be very grateful for what we have in the USA. Today the power has been on and off and it is very frustrating when you are working on a computer. No UPS so you loose everything, especially e-mails you are in the middle of. I have learned to back everything up every couple of minutes! Glad to have this site to check on. If anyone is coming to Africa let me know  .
Kathie |
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| Wow Kathie, what an opportunity! Can you share your impressions of the local culture? What are the people like? How is the food? |
| Kathie, you must be such a valued employee! What a great opportunity. I know it gets lonely on the road. We will be here for you. I bet your husband and "kids" miss you just as much as you missed them. You will have to let us know more about your adventures! |
| That sounds really exciting, but I am sure you are homesick. Be sure to take some pictures to share. |
| Wow, I didn't even realize Ethiopia had their own airline! It sounds like a fun experience but I can understand missing the crew at home. |
| That sounds exciting. Can you do a little e-journal for us? Like "the sheepie owner in ethiopia blog"??
I loved the letters and comparisons to our life in the US that my SIL sent back when they lived in Korea. |
| Hi Everyone,
Since there seems to be an interest in my travels in Ethiopia I will give you a brief look at what life has been like here since I arrived. First of all it is rainy season. Every day we get rain, some days you may see the sun for a little while, at most 2 or 3 hours. The temperature ranges at this time of year from about 65 to 75. We have having a wicked thunderstorm right now! You definetely need a raincoat or umbrella at all times, because it can go from sun to rain in about five minutes and it rains hard. Yesterday the power went on and off all day long in Addis Ababa. Very frustrating when you are trying to work, especially when you are trying to e-mail. We have a generator at headquarters, but there is a lag between the time the power goes off and the generator kicks in. I gave up and went out and did hotel inspections. I did not need power for that. This past weekend I traveled to two Ethiopian cities east of Addis. Dire Dawa is a major trading city. It is the mid-way point on the Addis Ababa to Djibouti railroad. I happened to be in Dire Dawa on a day when the train was passing through to Djibouti. Quite a colorful sight. People with little children just sitting everywhere in front of the railway station in the square waiting. Dire Dawa also has one of the largest camel markets in Africa. Went to see it. Nasty animals! Speaking of animals, sheep, goats and cows are common sights all over Ethiopia. Even in the middle of Addis you see them. Cats and dogs make you want to cry. They are not pets here. They just kind of exist and are skinny and disease ridden. I also went to the city of Harar, which is a a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the 4th holiest city in Islam and a walled city with a history that goes back more than a 1000 years. I was lucky enough to be invited to part of a wedding. Weddings in Harar are 4 day affairs. I was there for the 3rd day, which is the brides mother's day. The brides mother invites all of her friends and they sing, dance and have a feast. The brides mothers friends are expected to make a financial contribution to the wedding. I participated in everything except the feast. Food here is very spicy and hot! All of it it served on ndjera, which is a sour, flat bread made of a wheat called tef. Ethiopian food is finger food! Definetely different from what we are used to. I am leaving tomorrow for a week in southern Ethiopia. will update you when I get back. Our internet connection here is too slow for me to upload photos, so when I get back to the States will upload them then. Have a good week everyone! Kathie |
| Wow, Kathie! I know you are homesick, but your world travel stories are exciting for us...nice to live vicariously through you. Sendings hugs and kisses...and one aluminum clipboard |
| Good luck in your travels. What a lifetime opportunity to see a culture that not many people have. |
| Wow - what an exciting opportunity!! I am sure I'd be homesick, too, but knowing what a life changing experience you're having must balance it out.
Thanks for the insights into a fascinating culture.  |
| That sounds very interesting. We have a good sized Ethiopian population in Mankato (college town) . We do have an Ethiopian restaurant. I really like their food. I avoid some of the really spicy stuff, but I do like it. I am used to eating lamb and legumes, so it is not that much different. They have a really good spiced tea also. The ndjera is good - like a crepe made of sourdough is how I think of it! |
| Very interesting! |
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