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Welcome to my Apartment!

5 Comments »23rd August, 2011; Category: General

Let me introduce you to my lovely apartment!  It is a very spacious place… one could say too spacious, given my lack of personal belongings!  It used to be a dormitory so it still has a couple of odd features.  It is a two story building, with three apartments above and three below.  Mine is on the top floor, but as it is built on the side of a hill, it can be reached by a ramp rather than a staircase.  It is one of 24 apartments on the campus.  As you enter the apartment you will be faced with a long wide hallway; long enough to facilitate a fairly reasonable game of indoor cricket I think!

The Hallway

 

The first door on your left is the kitchen.  It has a combination gas/electric stove (gas and electric hotplates, electric oven).  Being gas means I can still make a cup of tea when the power has gone out!  I can’t use the oven to warm up frozen bread rolls though…  It has a large fridge with a freezer, a table and chairs and a selection of basic cooking equipment.  I can make most things comfortably.  The biggest adjustment will be having no microwave.  I have to plan my meals in advance to make sure meat is defrosted, rather than cook according to my mood.  Time to be more disciplined I think!

The Kitchen

The second door on the left is the bathroom.  This is the room with remnants of its dormitory days.  It is a huge room with a large deep bath tub; the question is, is there enough water to actually fill said bath?  Seems like a luxury one may not be able to afford!  There are two shower alcoves, only one of which still works, a toilet alcove, and a cupboard which holds extra buckets, mop and broom, and cleaning products.  I keep a generous supply of toilet paper in here for the potential onslaught of what I like to call “squirty-bum” but have yet to be thus afflicted.  I like to credit my new obsession with washing my hands for protecting me so far!  Thank Heaven for soap!  There is also a sink and cupboard space.

The Bathroom

Opposite the bathroom is the lounge, a large and fairly bare room at the moment.  It has a three seater couch and a single seat, a cupboard, coffee table a picture of some kind of egret or heron, a small statue of a hippopotamus, and a couple of sadly empty bookshelves.  I only brought a handful of books with me, enough for the journey and first couple of days, so intend to use the library and borrow from other staff where possible.  I’ve been told there is an excellent collection of Christian romantic fiction available. I can hardly wait to get stuck into them…  For the record, I brought Geraldine Brooks’ new novel Caleb’s Crossing with me, which is excellent!  I might even write a little review later, just for my Dad!

The Lounge

If you continue to the end of the hallway you will find my room on the left and Sylvia’s on the right.  We each have a bed (mine is double, Sylvia’s is a very generous single), a wardrobe, chest of drawers, desk and a comfy chair, so the rooms are quite comfortable to retreat to when a quiet space is needed.  My bedroom window looks over the garden to the car park where the school fleet of cars is parked, so when I am feeling nosy I can watch the comings and goings of other staff members.  Sylvia’s overlooks gardens on the other side and then the wall of the compound.  Just over the wall is a local church which has very enthusiastic and loud worship and healing services which apparently we ALL get to enjoy, even if we choose not to attend.  I’ve lost count of the number of people who have asked me how I am coping with the racket!

My Bedroom

Another view of my bedroom.

I share a laundry room with about three other families, which can mean it is tricky to find a time when the machine is not being used.  We have access to a drier but are encouraged to hang our clothes in the attic where clotheslines have been hung for our use.  We all have a signposted space for our use.  It works well as it generally gets quite warm up there as the sun hits the corrugated iron roof.  Most things dry in about 24 hours.  I have been warned to keep the door of the laundry closed when it is not in use to keep the mongooses… er… mongeese (?) out of the attic!

The most convenient thing is that I am literally 30 seconds walk from work; the school buildings are right across the car park!  This may also end up to be the worst thing, but so far so good!

Orientation Week 1

4 Comments »10th August, 2011; Category: Ethiopia 2011, Traveller's Tales

Aside from settling into our apartments and daily routines of shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc., we have also been organising various aspects of paperwork.  Wednesday saw me and the other new Australian couple head to the Australian Embassy, currently located in the Hilton hotel (apparently they won’t move into their own building until they can get one built to Australian standards).  Our task was to have our Australian drivers licences authenticated.  This involved them writing a letter that explained the main information and conditions of our licences.  We managed this task in about half an hour.  We then needed to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the letter authenticated and stamped.  This can take several hours of waiting in line in a courtyard, but again, I think we only needed to wait about half an hour, maybe a little longer.  To have both of these steps accomplished in a single morning is apparently quite an achievement.  The next task is to visit the licence bureau to actually apply for the licence!

The next day our drivers took most of the new staff to the Licence Bureau to help us get our licences.  Their job was not just to get us there, but also to help us to complete all the paperwork, including a form that must be filled out in Amharic script… We would never have managed it ourselves, so these men were such a blessing to us!  I now have a beautifully laminated piece of paper that states that I may drive a car in Ethiopia.  Of course, SIM will not actually let me drive a car until I have had a driving test to ensure that not only can I manage Ethiopian road rules, traffic and pedestrians, but in my case, also that I can handle driving on the wrong… er… right side of the road.  Time for me to retrain my brain and hands; I think my feet will be able to largely do the same that they usually do in terms of clutches, brakes and accelerators!  I intend to practise in the safety of the compound before I actually take my test some time later this week!

 

First Day

2 Comments »4th August, 2011; Category: Ethiopia 2011

Today has been my first full day at Bingham Academy in Ethiopia.  Right now as I write this, it’s sunny, but earlier there was a torrential shower of rain and a little thunder!

Last night I slept like a log.  After leaving Jacqui’s place (in another torrential downfall) I got to bed at 8pm. I don’t actually remember lying there awake so I think I pretty much passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Bliss!  I awoke at the crack of 4am of course, but was happy with a solid 8 hours sleep!  I go up a little while later to “powder my nose”, then went back to bed, but decided I was feeling peckish so I made a small “first breakfast” of homemade biscuits, an orange and a cup of cinnamon tea.  It was a good time to pop onto the internet and check emails, while there was less demand on the school’s wireless connection.  My neighbours beneath me heard me up and about, so I’m going to try to be a bit quieter, although I think the flushing toilet only has one volume…  Then I got up at 7am to shower and have “second breakfast”, this time of warmed up fresh rolls with Danish cherry jam and another cup of tea.  Yes, I am feeling a bit like a hobbit and think the habit could catch on if I insist on waking before dawn!

Health-wise I am doing fine.  I have had a bit of an altitude headache and post long haul flight light-headedness, but am trying to hydrate as much as I can and I am sure I will adjust soon.

Jacqui collected me at 9am for my first foray into grocery shopping!  I won’t need to have much around for  dinners this week as meals are largely provided by staff members, either as a shared meal or as a guest in their home, so my shopping list consisted of toiletries, snacks and breakfast foods.  Jacqui took me to Shoa Supermarket which had all sorts of interested things.  For the record, I found Lindt chocolate (which I snaffled – I think it comes into the category of “if you see it, buy it” as I may not ever see it again!), Snickers bars, Kracks, which are a bit like Pringles and the closest thing I have found to potato chips, Nivea Body Nourishing Milk, Dove shampoo and Laughing Cow cheese.  We stopped at the Bakery just outside Bingham’s gates to buy some fresh bagettes which are now in the freezer for breakfast tomorrow morning.

The staff gathered for morning tea so it was lovely to meet some other new staff (so far there are other Australians, English, Americans and Germans).  Of course, I am struggling to remember anyone’s name; nouns still aren’t sticking, but as I catch up on missed sleep and settle into a routine, I am sure they’ll return!

Andrea and her children took me out for lunch to the Island Breeze Restaurant which specialises in REALLY good pizza.  It was proper wood oven pizza with really nice crusts (crispy, medium and thick – all good) and really tasty toppings.  It got washed down with my first African Coca Cola (which pretty much tastes the same as every other place I’ve bought it, including Nepal, Japan and Papua New Guinea… yet to decide if this is a good thing…).  As the restaurant was in the centre of the city I got another good look around at the general chaos. So many people!  And cows.  And donkeys.  And pollution.  And people.  I am learning to tell the difference between Ethiopian sheep (tails down) and goats (tails up).  At least I think that’s the difference!  As Yvette said on one of my Facebook status updates, it makes the whole Biblical “separating the sheep from the goats” reference a bit more interesting!

The afternoon was a quiet one.  I went for a walk on the cross country track that follows the wall of the compound, a bit up hill and down dale which is good.  I got a bit puffed, but am choosing to blame that on the altitude, not on my general lack of fitness.  I failed in my decision to avoid an afternoon nap and had a little lie down until about 6pm.  I’ve just had some of the tomato soup that was left for me in my fridge with another of those bread rolls and am now contemplating bed.  It is 8.15pm now… I was hoping to make it to 9pm… we’ll see!

20 things to do at the airport

2 Comments »4th August, 2011; Category: Ethiopia 2011, General

My friend Heather kindly sent me this in an email…

 

Time to kill between flights? Not every airport can be Singapore (free movies, a butterfly garden, celebrity meet-and-greets!) or Seoul (crafts centre, free showers and wi-fi!). But even in the most humdrum of air hubs, there’s more to do than just try on expensive sunglasses and eat McDonalds – and often you can get a surprising sample of the culture beyond the terminal. Some distractions, in no particular order:

  1. Get a shoeshine. Especially if it’s not normally the kind of thing you do. Why not arrive at your destination looking sharp?
  2. Admire the art. It’s hard to beat Amsterdam’s Schiphol and its old Dutch masters. But even mid-tier airports have surprising artwork in odd corners.
  3. Try out all the perfumes in duty-free. But for the sake of your fellow passengers do wash them off before you get on board.
  4. Read the local paper. If it’s in a language you can’t understand, just look at the photos – you’ll appear to the rest of the world like a savvy local. Or just buy the local celebrity rag – spray-on tans transcend language barriers!
  5. Get a massage. In Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi, you can get a deluxe treatment, but even one of those quickie back-and-neck rubs hits the spot after a long plane journey.
  6. Crank your soundtrack. With headphones and an eclectic mix, the terminal is your music video set. But no dancing on the moving walkway, please.
  7. Fantasise at the departures board. And try to pick out the cities you’ve never heard of.
  8. Enjoy the local food. U.S. airports especially have secret regional goodies, from breakfast tacos in Austin, Texas, to celeb chef Rick Bayless’s haute Mexican in Chicago.
  9. Sip a local libation. Same idea, but faster: impeccable lager in Prague, flawless espresso in Rome, craft beers in Portland, Oregon.
  10. Watch the world outside. Decode the ground crew’s hand gestures; see how the baggage handlers treat the odd-size packages.
  11. Let fish nibble your toes. Only an option in some airports in Asia, but we figure this spa treatment counts as a cultural experience.
  12. Write your postcards early. Pick out the silliest ones you can find, and confuse your friends.
  13. Write a letter, longhand. Really confuse your friends.
  14. Compose haikus. Conveniently, “waiting for a plane” is five syllables. Extra points if you work in the airport name.
  15. Give yourself a makeover. We’re not saying you need one. Just splurge on a travel-size hairspray, and cruise the makeup in duty-free. Brand-new you!
  16. Do your dullest shopping. That practical stuff that’s no fun to buy at home – mobile phone cases, new socks – become cool souvenirs if you buy them in transit.
  17. Do your trashiest shopping. No one’s around to see you buy that Simon Cowell autobiography!
  18. Ride the train. Or the bus. Or whatever takes you to a different terminal – and possibly a whole different world of entertainment.
  19. Go on a scavenger hunt. Two teams, two cameras – who can take pics of all the letters of the alphabet first?
  20. Get some fresh air. Actually, we know of only one airport where this is possible: Kuala Lumpur, where you can walk around a “rain forest” that’s actually outside.

The Journey

2 Comments »4th August, 2011; Category: General

My journey began on Thursday 28 July when I left my home and headed back to Mum and Dad’s place.  We didn’t get away until early evening, later than planned, but probably not later than expected!

I spent Friday catching up on some phone calls, paperwork and emails, and spending time with my grandmother and my aunt and uncle who visited for lunch.  I also got my car serviced before I left it with Lisa, who is kindly caring for my beloved Rav4 in my absence.  Such a chore, I really appreciate her sacrifice!

We left for Adelaide in the early afternoon to take my excess baggage to send unaccompanied.  It is MUCH cheaper to send it this way rather than to pay excess baggage rates, but there is the risk of having trouble getting it through customs in Ethiopia.  I have kept this extra baggage as uncontroversial as possible: it is just a few books, extra clothes, a pillow, my sleeping bag and Thermorest and a few other bits and pieces. No electrical items, no medicines, so hopefully no hassles.  I dropped my car off at Lisa’s place, then we did a little bit of last minute shopping: a camera case for the camera I bought at Christmas time and a spare pair of sunglasses.

Saturday was a lovely clear and sunny day, unlike every day for the previous two months!  I sat at the table on my parent’s patio in the sun and did some more emailing and phone calls.  Such a lovely, relaxing way to spend my last day.  We spent the afternoon planning our route for our trip to Spain in January, which was fun.

My flight to Sydney was at 11.25am.  My parents, my grandmother and Alan and Geoff from SIM came to see me off, which was lovely but weird; I’m more used to being dropped off at the door!  I had planned to spend the whole afternoon in Sydney so I could see my brother and sister-in-law and my fabulous nephew one last time.  We got some yummy cakes and had afternoon tea at a playground while we watched Mr Nearly-3-Year-Old ride his bike round the bike track.  He’s getting fast!

Simon drove me back to the airport at 6.30pm and my flight to Dubai left at 9.10pm.  I flew Emirates, which is very pleasant indeed!  Thinking I wouldn’t sleep at all, my goal was to watch at least six films.  Unfortunately I got sleepy and dozed for about four or five hours so only managed four: a French romantic comedy starring Audrey Tautou called De Vrais Mensonges (sweet but predictable), Thor (loved it!), Fast Five (cute guys, fast cars, uncomplicated script… what’s not to like?) and Red Riding Hood (meh…).  We landed in Dubai at about 5am local time so I got to see the sun rise over the dusty city.  They hadn’t announced my gate yet, so I got one of those groovy little trollies to dump my gear onto and walked not exactly the full length of the airport, but at least two thirds of it.  It was quite a hike!  I found Starbucks, hoping for a chai latte, and was sorely disappointed.  It doesn’t do to have too great an expectation of anything when travelling.  I think it is better to go with the flow and discover new treats!

The flight to Addis Ababa boarded at about 8.30am, and involved boarding a bus and being driven to the furthermost corner of the airport.  I got to experience the searing Dubai heat at I crossed the tarmac to board the plane.  This leg wasn’t as pleasant, probably more to do with me being tired and cranky that anything else.  I watched another movie, this time I am Number 4 which I intend to watch again sometime as I couldn’t see the screen properly thanks to the bloke in front of me who had his seat back the whole way…  Yes, there was not a lot of tolerance on my behalf.

The plane landed at 11.30am and I got through immigration and customs smoothly. We had been warned of the possibility of being asked to have our luggage searched, and having to pay duty on any electrical items, but my bags were merely scanned and I was on my merry way.  Brad, the middle/high school principal and an Australian, was there to meet me and another Australian family who were on the same flight.  Brad drove us through the city centre, a noisy, crowded, chaotic and fascinating place!  It really is completely overwhelming and it is hard to make sense of it all.

We arrived at the school compound and Brad took me to the apartment I will be sharing with fellow Australian teacher, Sylvia.  She is still on holiday in Europe – I’ll get to meet her next week.  The staff members at Bingham who have been responsible for staff orientation have been wonderful. I arrived to a lovely basket of goodies, including home-made biscuits, most of which are now gone, a basket of fresh oranges, bananas and tomatoes, all of which are plentiful here.  They had already been bleached and ready to eat.  In the fridge was potatoes, onions, carrots, a packet of minced beef, a bag of milk (yes, you heard me, it’s a wee little bag of fresh milk!), eggs, and local cheese.  In the cupboard was cornflakes, rolled oats, sugar (still pretty scarce in Addis at the moment, so I am rationing it!), flour, pasta and dehydrated pasta sauce, a small tin of tuna, peanut butter (a different texture to what we get in Australia), cherry jam (awesome) and something that says its margarine, but I haven’t been game to try it yet… let’s just say it doesn’t need to be refrigerated!  There was a lovely vase of apricot-coloured roses on the table, the beds were made and there were cleaning products in the cupboard.  So thoughtfully set up, I think we have all felt very touched and it has made it easy to settle in.

Jacqui is my orientation buddy, and she gave me a tour of the school campus, including showing me where to get drinking water.  I have a jerry can and need to fill it from a particular tank across the car park from my apartment.  I think I am one of the lucky ones – it’s less than a 50m walk!

I had dinner at Jacqui’s place with her two children.  We had shepherd’s pie with salad which was the perfect comfort food for a first night in Addis Ababa!

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