In Africa!

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tenaystilling! Ethiopia looks very green and the rains are still continuing. There are 3-4 hours of heavy rain. Everything is spruced up for the Eth. millenium last Wed. The country's overseer declared a few days of holidays last week.

Arrived here on Thurs as scheduled & flights were fine. However, one of my two bags was missing. Spent 2 extra days in airport looking for my bag. When I started my journedy in SLC, there was a mix up of mistagging both my bags which I did not know. In Dubai, had to pick up my bags but asked an airport porter to do that. He picked up someone else's bag, but did not find out until I arrived in Addis. They had put some other person's name on those two bags. When I finally got my bag yesterday, still another name was tagged on the luggage.

The AAU transport person picked me up & had also asked a friend who has a taxi to meet me, just in case. I am now staying in the Ras Hotel a few days until my permanent place is decided. The Univ guest house is supposed to be not great & on Mon I will look at it. I don't know all the housing options, but hope to find a place in the next few days.

Meanwhile, prices of everything have gone up 20-30% from what people tell me. As usual, the salaries have stayed the same. For the first time I noticed people complaining about the overseer who has been now a dictator for 17 years or so.

On Monday, the University will re-open after the new year holidays. I plan to go to my workplace and also head for the embassy. I hope to have a cell phone here and am in the process of getting that.

Went to a Ge'ez language service today at 6:45am. It was packed! Ge'ez is the liturgical language, sort of like Latin in other churches. It is no longer used except by the clergy.
Hope to post next weekend as well. Hope you are doing well. Feel free to email me at my regular email address & will respond to those message. Marie