REBORN

At touchdown in Addis Abeba, after my flight via Istanbul, I was due for immigration. Already now I had my first encounter with the Ethiopian way of handling things. After having exchanged all my brought dollars into Ethiopian BIR, in a somewhat laborious but charming process, I got in line for immigration. The queue was overwhelming and I’d say anything but quick, and after having reached the end of the line, I friendly and politely got told that I had to go to another office first to pay a visa fee. I giggled a bit of myself as I already thought I was in line for that, but I should perhaps have understood that, despite some lack of signage and info. My bad, I thought. Until I saw that 9 out of 10 in the remaining line experienced exactly the same...

Well back where I originally was supposed to be, at the visa-on-arrival office, I was told that the visa fee only was payable in dollars and had to return to the foreign exchange and switch my BIR back into dollars, at a worse rate of course. Returned further on to the visa office and was very fascinated by the four people there who each had their one dedicated task. One was registering names and checking id, one was filling in a form, the next sat and stamped here and there in a friendly but firm rhythm that reminded me of the sound of a freight train, and my passport so on went continuously down the rail, a bit like a milk carton on a conveyor belt, until I at the end of the row cashed out the result: a three-month visa for $ 20.

After managing all the paperwork and having had my rendezvous with my bags, a need for nature called. I was again reminded that I was a good long way from Norway/UK as I either managed to obtain toilet paper or soap, and decided to instead sit down and kick back with a coffee at 1.30 am (continental as I am) and wait for my colleague Aline. Four hours, a couple of coffees and soft drinks later, colleague Aline cheerfully came trotting down the hall with her backpack, but we still ended up waiting two more hours for what should have been our pick-up at the airport. Our greeter never made it on time, possibly due to some misunderstandings regarding the hour, and we ended instead up spending our first night in a guest house near Bole airport.

Some of the biggest challenges we have faced here in Ethiopia, has on the practical side centered around failing and/or non-functioning bathroom facilities, unpredictable network on both internet and telephone and a limited supply of goods / services. This, in the capital of Addis Abeba. In addition I got surprised by the climate in general, but especially of how cold it can get at night and how wet it might be. From a compassionate perspective, there is a lot of extreme poverty to spot and souls you’d like to prosper a better future.

Yet this first experience with Ethiopia has been a meeting with the Ethiopian highlands and of a proud people with strong spines, despite their many obvious challenges. I've learned to really appreciate a once-in-a-while-coming strong shower, and known to appreciate the hours that internet and phone actually works, instead of focusing too much on when it doesn’t – whatever will be, will be, I guess. I have after some initial problems settled for my stint in an ok matter, met many genuinely helpful people, and have quickly built and adapted a daily habit of enjoying what might perhaps be the world's best macchiato.

Our primer tasks right now are to locate and secure internet solutions that will function better than what we have available as of today, and to go scouting neighborhoods and locations together with our broker to find a long term apartment/house for us and our future colleagues.

We'll keep you posted :)