Faranji! China! Faranji!

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B-E- AGGRESSIVE. ! It's the only way you'll get on to the local transportation. I wouldn't say there's a stop post, you sort of just wait somewhere (only known to locals) until a mini-bus pulls up. When it comes towards you, someone will stick out their head and call out a stop, but by then you should already be crowding the door and pushing your way onto the bus. It's insane. There was no way all 6 of us could get on one bus together, so we split up to make things easier. After some pushing, shoving, and having a guy try to pull me back, we stuffed onto this bus heading towards Mercado. The air was dense with the smell of body odor and smog. I didn't know I could hold my breath for so long, but desperate times call for desperate measures. At the cost of 1 birr (~8 cents) each, I would have no problem doing this again and again, though a scarf would help with this.

The market was overwhelming and we barely went through a section. It was actually more developed than I imagined, similar to the shops at the market in Da Nang. I bought some postcards because I love sending snail mail (and I heard it's the cheapest in all of Africa here). We plan on going back another day, most likely with the hotel managers who have befriended us.

We ventured back to the Piazza area for lunch (we had dinner here the night before - Ethiopian pizza which is hardly worth mentioning) for more injera, shiro, and doro wit. My traditional Ethiopian meals keep getting better..the meats more exotic. I've never had sheep before..and there's something really nice about eating off one plate with multiple people. Course the whole multiple hands in my food deal is interesting, but with the lively discussion, laughing, and good food, who notices? Afterwards, we went to the 'BEST' coffee house in Piazza, "Tocoma" for coffee. I can't even describe how incredibly satisfying each cup of coffee is here..I'll have to bring some back for everyone.

More wandering around, then back to the hotel for some rest, followed by dinner on Bole Road. We found a Mediterranean restaurant in my book called "Aladdin" - completely random and so unexpected. It's hard to imagine you're in Addis when you walk into a room with drapped ceilings and twinkling candles on each table. The menu was filled with everything from hummus to falafels to kebabs - and absolutely delicious. I am meeting the most interesting people along the way...each with amazing stories I'll remember for years to come. I feel a bit disconnected to life back at home and my parents sound quite worried in every email. It's hard for them to understand and I have little assurance to offer. It makes me feel guilty at times, but this feels right at this moment in my life.

Selfish on my part? Not sure..maybe something I should evaluate more when I get home or at least work on some compromise. We get cell phones from the office on Monday, so I suppose they can ring me then. Arat Kilo tomorrow...so maybe I'll be able to send my postcards too.

Dehna Eder.

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