Looking Up

Things are looking up. This morning I spent an hour or two searching for a better hotel, but then gave up and decided to make do with what I have. I then spent an hour or so working to prepare for the hectic week ahead and as a reward I took the rest of the day to spoil myself, even if it is not as much fun when you are doing it on your own.

I went to the Hilton hotel and had a lunch that lasted for two hours and would have been hours more if I had not called the waiter over several times to ask for a menu, ask to place my order, ask him when my meal would arrive, and even ask for the bill. Is it any wander that Africans are the most patient people on earth and that they find it funny when we harried westerners become frustrated when things don’t move quickly?

Next stop: massage. While I was here for two months last year I went for weekly massages at the hotel. I cannot think of a better way to spend $12 (for a full hour!) Feeling increasingly relaxed, I went to the next stop, poolside. I jumped into the warm waters that are heated by a natural hot spring and immediately felt the tension of the journey disappear. While paddling a bit, I met a group of DFID (the British equivalent of USAID) people who are here doing IT training for their local office. There are 5 of them, 4 below 35. I wish I traveled with that sort of group! They took pity on me and invited me to join them for dinner. We had a good meal at the Zebra Café which was a restaurant that I knew well from my last visit here as it was just up the road from my old office. I had my usual, coconut beans and rice.

When we got back to the hotel for a nightcap (of Coke for me as I am still on antibiotics getting rid of unwanted passengers from my last trip 5 months ago), there was a wedding going on. The blend of traditional Ethiopian culture and Western influence was fascinating. The bride wore a silver Cinderella dress complete with poofy skirt and lace up bodice. Her bridesmaids wore floor length red prom dresses, and by 10:30 they were curled up together on a sofa in the lobby. The feast was laid out just as any buffet would be in the US, with one exception: there were four carcasses of raw beef at the entry way waiting to be prepared into the luxurious Ethiopian delicacy Tere Sega. This is a dish or raw minced beef that is often served by the wealthy at weddings.

The guests were a blend of two cultures. Many of the women were dressed traditionally in white cotton accented with detailed colorful embroidery around the hem and wearing matching shawls that were wrapped around their head and shoulders. Walking in beside them were other women arriving in dresses that would not be out of place at a five star restaurant in New York City. This is a refection on the Ethiopian culture which is extremely traditional in many ways, especially religion, but because of the many Ethiopians in the US some of the American culture has been transplanted. Many Ethiopians have adopted Western fashions, although it is still rare to see an Ethiopian women with her knees bared, and it is not uncommon to meet Ethiopians that you think have been living in the US for years and are home on a visit, only to discover that in fact they have never left their country.

Quite a social day for a gal on her own in Ethiopia! Hopefully I will meet up with the Brits again later in the week, but I am keenly aware that I am going to be a little busy this week.