Thought it might be interesting for you to see the people whom I work with! This is the staff photo taken two weeks ago, in the embassy garden. Present is Norwegian diplomatic staff, Norwegian local staff and Ethiopian local staff (programme officers, drivers, cleaners and secretaries) We look like one happy lot, don’t we?:) Anyways, it’s a really nice place to be working, although my last days haven’t exactly been too busy…..I have been reassured that I will be given more tasks very soon, so I’m not worried that I will get bored! It’s nice not to be studying, but I must admit that sometimes I miss it. I feel like all the knowledge I gained while studying is now slowly disappearing from my mind. Maybe it’s because I stopped thinking...?!However, I’m filling up with new kinds of knowledge, so hopefully I won’t be completely empty when I one day leave this place!

BASICS

If you are an Ethiopian there are certain things you can’t live without, and if you are a foreigner in Ethiopia, you quickly learn what these things are, and then you can’t live without them either. The food is one of those things, and when you learn to like it, you really love it! At this time, it’s fasting time in Ethiopia, and most of the orthodox people can’t eat meat or milk products, and certain other things. Ask 10 different Ethiopians about the lent, and you’ll get 10 different answers, all of them equally certain that their answer is the right. (Ethiopians are really stubborn people, but I’ll get back to that later) Anyway, the point is, even if you don’t eat the meat, the food is delicious! The injera, which is the pancake with a sour kind of taste, is not good on its own, but eat it with doro wot, tibs, kei wot, shirro wot, vegetable alitcha – anything - and it’s wonderful! You’ve got so many different types of sauces, meat prepared in different ways and the most delicious vegetables. And of course, you eat with your fingers! No fork and knife! I usually make a mess, especially when I eat doro wot, but that’s part of the whole meal. And when you’re finished, and you’re really full and regret that you took the last bite because your stomach feels like it’s about to explode, then you just can’t do without a macchiato, to finish off the meal with something sweet. Macchiato – a blessing and a curse – it tastes wonderfully with a cup of macchiato at any time of the day, but the sugar…….!!!! The thing is you really have to drink it with sugar, otherwise it’s not that good. I’m afraid it will have serious consequences for the shape in which I will be when I one day return to home. Well, that’s in the future anyway, so I might as well enjoy my macchiato while I can! So this was my introductory lesson about Ethiopian culture! Be prepared for more!

Ethiopia. This is where it all starts, they say. The cradle of humanity, where the oldest known human ancestors have been found. Well, I didn’t start my life here, but I started a lot of other things. This is where I started drinking coffee – black, strong coffee, with no chocolate or sugar (although I must admit that I stick with the macchiato if I have the choice!). It’s where I started dancing salsa (that is, trying to learn how to dance). And it’s where I started my first full-time job! And for the first time I’m living completely on my own! So for me, Addis Ababa, new flower, really represent its name in a good way. Although Addis cannot exactly be said to be as beautiful as a flower, or looking new or modern in any way, it still has this special touch to it which makes it so fascinating. Coming here has given me a lot of new input, new perspectives and experiences, most of them good, and I find myself in new, weird, funny and challenging situations. So this will be the place where I try to relate to you all what I experience while staying here in Addis! Putting myself out here like this feels very weird, and when it comes to the actual act of making the blog this will be a “learning-by-doing”-experience. So don’t expect too much! At least I know how to post pictures, which is nice! Attaching them to e-mails is next to impossible in this country, so this is a nice possibility for me to show you a few pieces of my life here in Ethiopia. Any feedback and response will be heartily welcomed, so feel free to speak out!