Addis Ababa has been my home now for 10 days, more specifically the Holiday Hotel in the Haya Hulet district of the city.\u00a0 Fortunately I arrived with minimal expectations and haven\u2019t been disappointed so far.\u00a0 Addis, as cities go, has very little to endear itself to the casual visitor \u2013 unless of course you consider half constructed buildings to be architectural masterpieces.\u00a0 It is as though the builders got so far and then got fed up and started somewhere else.\u00a0 I understand that it has more to do with several constructions running out of funds.<\/p>\n
They may still be in that state when my time in Ethiopia comes to an end in 2 years\u2019 time, but you have to hope.<\/p>\n
I have a feeling that hope is going to be really important during my time here along with an ability to deal with frequent changes to what is planned.\u00a0 Towards the latter half of the training week, my placement in Adola was confirmed. However, there remained an issue over where I would be staying.\u00a0 There was a possibility of a house with water that belonged to the hospital, but this was later adjusted to something on the college site. This seems likely to consist of a small bedroom, a kitchen and a long drop out the back somewhere.\u00a0 VSO have a list of furniture that they provide.\u00a0 50% of this won\u2019t fit. I’ll know for sure when I get there, and keeping hopeful it will exceed my expectations.<\/p>\n
Water is not a part of the deal.\u00a0 It is brought to the college by donkey.\u00a0 I suspect that I am going to appreciate it all the more.\u00a0\u00a0 I have been informed that this will be resolved in two or three months… they just didn’t say which two or three months.<\/p>\n
Wednesday 24th<\/sup> September is date for departure.\u00a0 Four volunteers will travel down to Hawassa \u2013 about a 4 or 5 hour drive, and then I shall abandon them to continue alone to\u00a0 Adola- I was told another 3 hours\u2026 I\u2019ll buy the logistics man a beer if we make it that quickly.<\/p>\n I’m told there isn’t much (apart from a gold mine) in Adola.\u00a0 Hawassa sounds a positive beacon of entertainment by comparison.\u00a0 I have the feeling that I am going to be spending a lot of time in Hawassa.<\/p>\n While I will be glad to get out to my placement, and suspect I won\u2019t particularly miss Addis, I know that I will miss the good company I have had over the past 10 days (yes, even Ted \ud83d\ude09 ).\u00a0 Most people seem to have been heading out to various challenges from half-finished homes to lack of water.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to try to focus less on what I don\u2019t have, and more on what I do – I’ll let you know what that is when I find out myself…<\/p>\n The real adventure is about to begin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Addis Ababa has been my home now for 10 days, more specifically the Holiday Hotel in the Haya Hulet district of the city.\u00a0 Fortunately I arrived with minimal expectations and haven\u2019t been disappointed so far.\u00a0 Addis, as cities go, has … Continue reading