General Observations on Ethiopia

The people are very nice. The currency, birr, is rounded up or down to a whole number. The exchange rate is around 16.75/1. During the week we counted 27 people peeing by the side of the road. (After seeing a few we started counting for entertainment purposes....) I saw one port-a-potty but don't know who uses it, if you have to pay, etc. Not many flies. The smog is horrible. I-wish-I'd-brought-a-mask horrible! Temps range from 50-70. Perfect weather in my book! There are berms in the center of roads going a long way so you have to u-turn a lot. If you pick a mission and focus, you will be successful. If you think too broad, and start out too big, you will burn out and fail. Health care is very inexpensive but tough to negotiate. Rich & Melissa are helping a little girl get medical treatment. They were sent to a place to get a test only to find that the machine has been broken for 4 months. Addis Ababa means new flower. The city is only 70 years old. The government owns all land. Everything is leased from them. There is construction everywhere. Scaffolding is eucalyptus -- steel scaffolding was the rare exception. There must not be any form of OSHA there! Painted corrugated walls around town are where the govt reclaimed land for new construction, displacing people. They have tried to find new housing for those evicted but it isn't always ready on time. A "squaty" is a toilet in the villages and probably some places in Addis. There are billboards around town. Some are more public service, like the one showing the merits of marriage. Interesting reflection of social issues.