An important part of the English Language Fellow program is the Post-Arrival Orientation (PAO). Upon arriving in the host country, it is necessary to meet all of the people with whom you will be working with and those who will be supporting you. It is also a way to connect all of the different organizations that work together to make these fellowships possible (Georgetown University, the US Department of State, the US Embassy in the host country, the host institution, and various other groups). Before arriving in Ethiopia, I had been in contact with many people, but through the PAO, I was finally able to put a face with each name.
Before going to the embassy, I took advantage of the free breakfast again, but this time tried the French toast. I received 3 pieces of rather crispy toast fried in egg batter. With syrup, it tasted just fine! I also tried my first cup of Ethiopian coffee. I ordered a straight coffee (they also serve macchiato and cappuccino - part of the Italian influence left behind after their occupation of Ethiopia from 1936-1941). The coffee was served in a tiny tea cup and was frothy on top. Of course I had to add a couple of spoonfuls of sugar to make it perfect! The flavor was robust and goes to show why Ethiopia is Africa's top producer of coffee.
Semira and a driver came to pick me up from the hotel. We drove to the embassy, but I wasn't able to get in because I didn't bring my passport. I should have known that I would need identification to get in, but I have been keeping my passport locked in the safe in my hotel room. I felt bad that Semira had to use her own car to drive me back to the hotel to retrieve my passport. Luckily, the hotel is only a few miles from the embassy, but driving around here is crazy! There are rules of the road, but few people seem to follow them. People, dogs, donkeys, and other random obstacles are to be expected.
Before going to the embassy, I took advantage of the free breakfast again, but this time tried the French toast. I received 3 pieces of rather crispy toast fried in egg batter. With syrup, it tasted just fine! I also tried my first cup of Ethiopian coffee. I ordered a straight coffee (they also serve macchiato and cappuccino - part of the Italian influence left behind after their occupation of Ethiopia from 1936-1941). The coffee was served in a tiny tea cup and was frothy on top. Of course I had to add a couple of spoonfuls of sugar to make it perfect! The flavor was robust and goes to show why Ethiopia is Africa's top producer of coffee.
Semira and a driver came to pick me up from the hotel. We drove to the embassy, but I wasn't able to get in because I didn't bring my passport. I should have known that I would need identification to get in, but I have been keeping my passport locked in the safe in my hotel room. I felt bad that Semira had to use her own car to drive me back to the hotel to retrieve my passport. Luckily, the hotel is only a few miles from the embassy, but driving around here is crazy! There are rules of the road, but few people seem to follow them. People, dogs, donkeys, and other random obstacles are to be expected.
Upon returning to the embassy, I was able to get in with a visitor's pass (which means I was supposed to be accompanied by someone at all times). Later in the day, I got my official badge which allows me to get in more easily in the future. Semira showed me around the premises - there is one main building with all of the offices, a commons area with free wifi, a workout area, a pool, and a little store with imported American products. The store, of course, was probably the most exciting area for me. I didn't buy anything yet, but the next time I come back to Addis, I'm sure I will need to stock up on some Sour Patch Kids!
I met a lot of people, including my main supervisor, Tahra, the IRC (Information Resource Center) staff, the financial manager, and countless others. It would be impossible to meet everyone who works here and remember all of their names - there are more than 1,000 staff who work in various faculties.
I had to join some other recent arrivals for a security briefing. This is a mandatory meeting for any new staff at the embassy as well as other associates, like me. I am not an official employee of the embassy, so I am not entitled to the same privileges as them nor am I bound to some of the same rules and limitations. For example, all embassy staff are required to receive permission to travel to certain parts of the country. While I am not mandated to do this, I have a bit more freedom and can choose whether I inform my supervisors of where I am going. On the other hand, all employees of the embassy have certain housing standards that I am not guaranteed. For example, all of their housing must have a safe haven and a night guard. My housing will likely not have these amentities.
After the security briefing, I had some free time to explore the IRC aka English library. It is great to know what resources are available here that I might be able to utilize in the future. I grabbed a few free copies of materials, inlcuding books on US history, democracy, Abraham Lincoln, Muslims in America, American literature, and a TOEFL study guide. I did not have time to eat during the lunch hours here, but Tahra saved me a delicious piece of chocolate cake which held me over until dinner time.
Semira took me back to my hotel around 5:30pm. I changed into less professional attire and walked over to Romina restaurant again. The food I had the night before was so delicious that I wanted to try again. I also liked the fact that there was outdoor seating available where I could people watch. I got a table to myself this time and ordered a macchiato and alicha fir fir. This was another kind of stew (wot) made with grilled sirloin, onions, hot green peppers, and injera bread; it was yellow in color because of tumeric and was not as spicy as the quanda fir fir that I had the previous evening.
As I was eating alone, a man from the United Arab Emirates joined me. He was vacationing in Addis for one week, but was not enjoying his stay. He did not like the food and thought that Ethiopia was unsafe. I did not enjoy his company because he was very closed-minded and pessimistic. I was too friendly though to tell him to leave. In the end, he paid for my dinner and left me alone. Not a bad deal!
I met a lot of people, including my main supervisor, Tahra, the IRC (Information Resource Center) staff, the financial manager, and countless others. It would be impossible to meet everyone who works here and remember all of their names - there are more than 1,000 staff who work in various faculties.
I had to join some other recent arrivals for a security briefing. This is a mandatory meeting for any new staff at the embassy as well as other associates, like me. I am not an official employee of the embassy, so I am not entitled to the same privileges as them nor am I bound to some of the same rules and limitations. For example, all embassy staff are required to receive permission to travel to certain parts of the country. While I am not mandated to do this, I have a bit more freedom and can choose whether I inform my supervisors of where I am going. On the other hand, all employees of the embassy have certain housing standards that I am not guaranteed. For example, all of their housing must have a safe haven and a night guard. My housing will likely not have these amentities.
After the security briefing, I had some free time to explore the IRC aka English library. It is great to know what resources are available here that I might be able to utilize in the future. I grabbed a few free copies of materials, inlcuding books on US history, democracy, Abraham Lincoln, Muslims in America, American literature, and a TOEFL study guide. I did not have time to eat during the lunch hours here, but Tahra saved me a delicious piece of chocolate cake which held me over until dinner time.
Semira took me back to my hotel around 5:30pm. I changed into less professional attire and walked over to Romina restaurant again. The food I had the night before was so delicious that I wanted to try again. I also liked the fact that there was outdoor seating available where I could people watch. I got a table to myself this time and ordered a macchiato and alicha fir fir. This was another kind of stew (wot) made with grilled sirloin, onions, hot green peppers, and injera bread; it was yellow in color because of tumeric and was not as spicy as the quanda fir fir that I had the previous evening.
As I was eating alone, a man from the United Arab Emirates joined me. He was vacationing in Addis for one week, but was not enjoying his stay. He did not like the food and thought that Ethiopia was unsafe. I did not enjoy his company because he was very closed-minded and pessimistic. I was too friendly though to tell him to leave. In the end, he paid for my dinner and left me alone. Not a bad deal!
Before leaving the restaurant, I chatted with two Ethiopian men around my age sitting at the next table. They were the nicest, most genuine people I've met so far. Yefat is an art student studying interior design and Yacob is a teacher at the same art school. We talked for more than an hour, shared many laughs, and hope to meet up again in the future!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that a minor tragedy occurred today (Monday). As Semira drove me to the embassy, we passed by the zoo on Churchill Avenue. This zoo houses many lions that used to live on the palace grounds of Haile Selassie. In the morning, less than an hour before we drove by, a zoo worker had been mauled to death by one of the lions named Kenenisa. More info here:
http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/zookeeper-killed-by-lion-1.1578400#.UjgRFdIwo2c
Oh, and I forgot to mention that a minor tragedy occurred today (Monday). As Semira drove me to the embassy, we passed by the zoo on Churchill Avenue. This zoo houses many lions that used to live on the palace grounds of Haile Selassie. In the morning, less than an hour before we drove by, a zoo worker had been mauled to death by one of the lions named Kenenisa. More info here:
http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/zookeeper-killed-by-lion-1.1578400#.UjgRFdIwo2c