We made it!

Our fruit and Vegie man is so helpful and polite!!!

Well finally we got here to addis after two and a half years!! Now we've been here all of five days I finally have a chance to fill you in on what it's like! The first thing is, anything I describe will not do justice to how things actually are here!! After seeing videos, reading books and talking to Ethiopians I thought I was well prepared but nothing can truly prepare you for addis! The color, sounds, smells are amazing.

Firstly the streets. It's rainy season here and even though the sun sometimes comes out in the days it doesn't dry out so the roads are mud, dirt then more mud. There is quite a lot of litter around, and basically everything looks and is filthy. But this is just the backdrop of a busy vibrant place full of noise and color. There are yellows,greens,blues of clothing, tarps, painted iron, all against the brown mud! People are busy, traffic congested and crazy! It seems there are no rules! Horns honk all the time warning cars you're passing or people are in the way, or just hello to others! Potholes the size and depth of swimming pools make things interesting and the main road to our compound has rocks on the side of the road for trucks to put behind their wheels whe they break down!! Then there is livestock that roam the streets with herders behind them. Donkeys carrying heavy loads, goats and sheep everywhere all add to the confusion and chaos. And to think we have a driving test Monday in all this!! Oh I forgot they drive on the other side of the road and the driver is on the left side of car not right!!

Potholes Everywhere!!!!

A bogged car outside the Church we went to.

The noises here are full on. The streets are full of people ( imagine after a footy game walking to your  car amongst the supporters that is how congested it is) and we are the only white ones. We stand out a mile and people openly stare. They look serious but then they smile and it changes their whole face! So you hear voices, sheep and goats, cars honking, Muslim mosques chanting, or in our case our unit is right near a pentecostal church and they sing and sing and sing into microphones turned up full! Nothing is ever silent here!

Goats and donkeys everywhere!!!

Finally the smell. With fresh livestock among the streets it can be a bit smelly. Few people have toilets and use the gutter so that isn't great either although with so much rain it is washed away, so currently is not too bad.

Lucy and I walked up the street near us today to but bread from a small sook ( a little galvanized  shop). When we have been out it is normally in the school vans but today we went by foot. Boys called out wanting to shine my shoes and one cheeky boy said "hey good thing come my way" in English!! Another group of boys yelled feregi (foreigner) and giggled and stared at us and a boy called money money, but accepted my " no sorry" so all in all it wasn't too bad!

Not sure what their hats are made of!

I think that will do for now, but soon I will take photos of our apartment and describe our living conditions and the food here.
Chow (Amharic for goodbye!!)