The next two days were filled with informative and inspirational activities and ideas. I learned so much about what my colleagues are doing around Africa and am hoping to try many of them out in Ethiopia. We had sessions on managing large classes, technological initiatives, material development, teaching through literature, and service learning.
In addition to these sessions, we had an evening excursion on Thursday to the Ambassador’s Residence. This was probably one of the fanciest houses I have ever been in. We were warmly greeted with free drinks and a plethora of hors d’oeuvres (pesto and cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes, smoked salmon sushi, shrimp wrapped in fish, mini slider burgers, chicken wings, mini quiches, and tiramisu for dessert! It was enjoyable, sociable evening. But once again, we were all tired out by the time we got back to the hotel at 9:30pm.
In addition to these sessions, we had an evening excursion on Thursday to the Ambassador’s Residence. This was probably one of the fanciest houses I have ever been in. We were warmly greeted with free drinks and a plethora of hors d’oeuvres (pesto and cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes, smoked salmon sushi, shrimp wrapped in fish, mini slider burgers, chicken wings, mini quiches, and tiramisu for dessert! It was enjoyable, sociable evening. But once again, we were all tired out by the time we got back to the hotel at 9:30pm.
The last day of the conference was bittersweet. The Regional English Language Officer (RELO) for southern Africa made a touching slideshow of photos from the previous couple of days. We covered a lot of information in a short period of time, but I came away re-energized and excited to try out some new ideas. At the same time, I was ready to get back to Ethiopia. I wanted more time to explore around Dakar and Senegal, but every day that I was away, I was missing classes that would have to be made up. We all enjoyed one last dinner together at a very delicious Lebanese restaurant.
The next morning, Jamie and I both had to wake up at 4am to finish packing and catch our 5am ride to the airport. I spent the last of my CFA on some chocolate at the duty free shop and played with a friendly, little kitten in the terminal. There was some confusion upon returning to Ethiopia though. In Dakar, Ethiopian Airlines had given me a voucher for a hotel since I had an overnight transit in Addis. I was super excited because this would save me a lot of time, money, and hassle. I really didn’t want to have to find a hotel room at night in Addis with all of my stuff (my luggage doubled in size).
The next morning, Jamie and I both had to wake up at 4am to finish packing and catch our 5am ride to the airport. I spent the last of my CFA on some chocolate at the duty free shop and played with a friendly, little kitten in the terminal. There was some confusion upon returning to Ethiopia though. In Dakar, Ethiopian Airlines had given me a voucher for a hotel since I had an overnight transit in Addis. I was super excited because this would save me a lot of time, money, and hassle. I really didn’t want to have to find a hotel room at night in Addis with all of my stuff (my luggage doubled in size).
When I got to Addis, I stood in line to exchange my voucher for a good 20 minutes. When I got to the front they asked for my boarding pass for the next flight. I didn’t have one. They looked into it and realized that I was flying to Dire Dawa. It was then that I found out that I would not be provided with a free room or free transport since my layover was domestic. I argued with them and said that I had canceled my airport pickup and hotel room reservations (which I actually didn’t have) and now they were going to leave me stranded at 10pm? I argued that it was their mistake – they should have never given me the voucher in Dakar. They kindly told me to go talk to the office. So, I stood in line for another 20 minutes only to have the lady take my voucher and rip it in half. She offered no sympathy, no consolations, or anything. I was furious! I had wasted an hour of time holding all of my stuff for nothing! But then again, I was back in the original position I thought that I’d be in.
I found a shared taxi in the parking lot, but was told that it would be 100 birr. I laughed and walked away. They came after me and said 50 birr. I still laughed. There was no way that the other 10 Ethiopians inside were paying that much money for the ride. I kindly asked the other passengers (in Amharic) how much they were paying. No one would answer me. I was so frustrated. They were basically aiding the driver in ripping me off. Finally, I gave in and paid 30 birr...probably 20 birr too much. But hey! It was less than $2 USD...I’d be paying so much more in the U.S. or even in Senegal!
I got out of the taxi near a hotel that I was familiar with only to find out that it was full. It was now getting close to 11pm, I was hungry, tired, sweaty, and homeless! The guy at the hotel felt sorry for me and called his friend. His friend came and helped guide me to another nearby place. But first he offered his own house. He said, “You could stay at my class if you want.” I was so confused. His “class”? Is he a teacher? He said we could share. That’s when I said “No.” I didn’t want to be sharing a room or a bed with a complete stranger! He accepted my refusal and pointed me in the direction of the other place. Finally, I made it there and they had open rooms. The room was about $17 USD which is decent for Addis Ababa.
I went next door to get a quick bite to eat and then was ready to sleep. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep very well. I had to get up every hour or so to use the toilet. I had been suffering from diarrhea the whole time in Senegal, but it seemed to get worse that night. I was happy to be returning to my home the next day where I could eat foods my body was more familiar with. Long story short, I had diarrhea for about 17 days! Finally, the third medication I tried was effective, but it took a few days to kick in. Looks like my intestines picked up a nasty, little parasite in Dakar. Good riddance!
I found a shared taxi in the parking lot, but was told that it would be 100 birr. I laughed and walked away. They came after me and said 50 birr. I still laughed. There was no way that the other 10 Ethiopians inside were paying that much money for the ride. I kindly asked the other passengers (in Amharic) how much they were paying. No one would answer me. I was so frustrated. They were basically aiding the driver in ripping me off. Finally, I gave in and paid 30 birr...probably 20 birr too much. But hey! It was less than $2 USD...I’d be paying so much more in the U.S. or even in Senegal!
I got out of the taxi near a hotel that I was familiar with only to find out that it was full. It was now getting close to 11pm, I was hungry, tired, sweaty, and homeless! The guy at the hotel felt sorry for me and called his friend. His friend came and helped guide me to another nearby place. But first he offered his own house. He said, “You could stay at my class if you want.” I was so confused. His “class”? Is he a teacher? He said we could share. That’s when I said “No.” I didn’t want to be sharing a room or a bed with a complete stranger! He accepted my refusal and pointed me in the direction of the other place. Finally, I made it there and they had open rooms. The room was about $17 USD which is decent for Addis Ababa.
I went next door to get a quick bite to eat and then was ready to sleep. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep very well. I had to get up every hour or so to use the toilet. I had been suffering from diarrhea the whole time in Senegal, but it seemed to get worse that night. I was happy to be returning to my home the next day where I could eat foods my body was more familiar with. Long story short, I had diarrhea for about 17 days! Finally, the third medication I tried was effective, but it took a few days to kick in. Looks like my intestines picked up a nasty, little parasite in Dakar. Good riddance!