So after more than 30 hours, I finally arrived in Addis Ababa. My flights were rather uneventful; everything seemed to go smoothly. I slept as much as I could and watched a few movies on the flights. One of my favorite parts of traveling to Ethiopia was getting a window seat on my final flight from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa. We flew right over Greece and were able to see some gorgeous islands, cliffs, and beaches. After crossing over the Mediterranean Sea, we went through Egypt and Sudan where I saw a sea of sand below. It was amazing to me how much the sand looked like water, complete with ripples and color differentiations. In Sudan, I was able to see the Nile River and the capital city of Khartoum from my little window. It was a bit surreal to see geographical features that I have heard about since childhood.
When we reached Addis Ababa, it was after sunset so there wasn't much to see besides lights (but there aren't really a lot of impressive, well-lit skyscrapers here). After landing, I exchanged some US dollars for Ethiopian Birr at the airport bank. Then I had to wait in a long line to get through customs. Once I finally reached the counter, the process was quite fast since I already had received my business visa. As I walked to the baggage carousel, I saw a man holding a sign with my name on it. He was my driver and assisted me with my two over-packed suitcases (which surprisingly did not get lost in transit with all of my transfers and extra long layovers).
The driver walked me out of the airport to a parking lot where a US government vehicle was waiting for me. I met another girl who was also being picked up by the embassy staff. Her name is Jennifer and she was on the same flight as me. She is part of the Fulbright Scholar Program and will also be in Ethiopia for about 10 months (although she will be in the northern part of the country which is quite far from me). I also was greeted by Semira, my Ethiopian "mother" for the next 10 months. Semira works for the US Embassy and will accompany me when I travel around the country for various teacher trainings and seminars.
When we reached Addis Ababa, it was after sunset so there wasn't much to see besides lights (but there aren't really a lot of impressive, well-lit skyscrapers here). After landing, I exchanged some US dollars for Ethiopian Birr at the airport bank. Then I had to wait in a long line to get through customs. Once I finally reached the counter, the process was quite fast since I already had received my business visa. As I walked to the baggage carousel, I saw a man holding a sign with my name on it. He was my driver and assisted me with my two over-packed suitcases (which surprisingly did not get lost in transit with all of my transfers and extra long layovers).
The driver walked me out of the airport to a parking lot where a US government vehicle was waiting for me. I met another girl who was also being picked up by the embassy staff. Her name is Jennifer and she was on the same flight as me. She is part of the Fulbright Scholar Program and will also be in Ethiopia for about 10 months (although she will be in the northern part of the country which is quite far from me). I also was greeted by Semira, my Ethiopian "mother" for the next 10 months. Semira works for the US Embassy and will accompany me when I travel around the country for various teacher trainings and seminars.
After Jennifer was dropped off at her accommodations, I was taken to my hotel. The room is far bigger than I need for one person for just a few nights. It is a suite with several couches, chairs, two televisions, a little refrigerator, and a decent bathroom (hot running water and a western style toilet). Oh, and there's even free wifi for me to write this blog post! There is a candle a book of matches in case of a power outage. The lights flicker in and out a lot, but I have yet to completely lose power. After arriving, I settled in and fell right asleep even though it was only 3pm central time (11pm local).