Addis Ababa

People 50-50

Ethiopia seems so long ago. Being white in Addis Ababa was hard. People were very very friendly and about 50% of them probably were just very friendly. But the other 50% wanted something—wanted something from you. And when you are white in Ethiopia you stand out like a sore thumb (or a target)  Usually when I am traveling alone, I’m outgoing and talk to friendly locals but this became tiresome as, more often than not, I was being conned into or out of something. By the last day, I had just stopped making eye contact. And I know that many people were still just trying to be friendly.

US Dollars

The next obstacle in Addis Ababa was getting US dollars. I went from bank to bank and ATM to ATM hoping to withdraw US dollars from my American account. I soon learned that it is actually against the law to distribute US dollars. So the next lesson learned: US dollars reign supreme, bring plenty.

US dollars reign supreme, bring plenty.