RAIN IN THE VILLAGE

The rainy season is here....I have been dreading it since I came, and now it's a fact. However, this is just the small one, so hopefully it will only last for a short while. And I'm going to South Africa next week, in order to escape from everything wet. Well, that's not quite right, because I'm going to the Okavango-delta in Botswana, which is swampland, so I might have to prepare myself to get wet, anyway. In any case, it will be nice to get away for a while. And I'm really looking forward to going to Cape Town again, it's been a while since last time I was there. To remind myself of what Addis is like when it's not raining, I'm posting some picures of the city, for you to get an impression of what it is like. In many ways it's like a huge village, as many well-known features from the country-side can be found here. Don't be surprised if a herd of donkeys comes galloping towards you, sometimes with 2 meter high loads of hay on top of them. Or you might meet a cow or two, or maybe even 50 goats or sheep. Vegetable-fields may also be found, although you might have to look more carefully to discover them. There are of course a lot of cars and city-like buildings also, which makes you remember that you are actually in a city. Having said that, I want to underline that even if Addis is not the most cosmopolitan city you can find, it's still a very nice place to be, and it is relatively easy to move around here. (not in the rainy season, because you will get extremely muddy from walking, and extremely dirty if you take the minibustaxies....all because of the roads that are under construction). It is also very safe, and that is one great advantage, especially for a white girl! So I have to prepare myself for a change of mobility when I get to Cape Town. Well, every city has its advantages and its disadvantages. Let me conclude with that. And from my office, where I'm now sitting, I can see the sun shining. So it's not raining all day long!