9/17/06

September 17?
I finally have a house!!! After two weeks at Bole International Hotel- I have a home.
I live with Steven, the curriculum and instruction director. He is my flamboyant, Southern boy- He's oh so American. He really misses Arkansas, Wal-Mart and McDonalds... Fortunately he keeps a clean house, loves to cook and has some major plans for redecorating the house.

The house is on one of the nice dirt roads off of Ethio-China Ave., one of Addis' major roads. I'm a five minute walk to work, and ten minute walk to one of the major mini-bus stops. We're close to coffeeshops (bunnabet) and tea shops (shaibet), restaurants, internet cafes and Rockbottom- the poolhall/ fitness gym/ dance studio/bar.

Neighborhoods here are all gated. There is a massive cement wall surrounding my house. Instead of barbed wire on top of the wall, like most homes, broken glass bottles beautifully and threateningly line the top of the wall to scare away any potential thieves... There is a little window in the front wall through which the landlords sell common household items like pasta, gum and cigarettes. Most homes have guards, but since the landlords work the little store for 12 hours a day its not really necesary.

Inside the walls: There is a large mud area. Sometimes cars are parked there, sometimes tef is left out on tarps to dry there and sometimes the owners kids play there. Today chile peppers were left out to dry in the morning sun. To the right is a patch of grass, flowers all around and a vine beginning to grow up the front porch. Straight ahead is my house.

We have a dining room (with a hutch full of dishes- that are all locked up) that opens up to the living room. There is a strange poster of a Victorian style house hovering in a neon colored jungle??? And of the Last Supper. We have a sofa and chairs that are covered in shiny red unfitting slip covers. The sofa is a bit tricky... depending on where you sit you might be quite comfortable or may feel a stick up your bum. We have a TV with over 200 channels- 197 of which are in Arabic. My room faces the front, it is light. Our bathroom is no more than 4 square feet yet fits the sink, toilet and shower! The shower head doesn't work, so we have a hand held shower head that barely reaches your head- but the water is at least hot! The toilet leaks water so we have to mop several times a day! We've only got a stovetop to cook on, no oven... but its working just fine. Our fridge is miniature, but sufficient. We have no hot water in the kitchen, so doing the dishes is getting tedious (have to bring hot water from bathroom).

Behind the house, the owners live in the servant's quarters- four rooms in a row. There is a room with the kitchen and three other rooms. I'm still not sure how it is set up or who exactly who lives there, definately 4 adults and 2 kids. We have an outdoor sink for the laundry and a clothesline that divides their home from ours. We have a dog with three pups, a three legged cat, there was a goat but it was eaten for New Year's, chickens, a rooster and pigeons- presumably for dinner also.

The family is friendly. I want to befriend them, but still am unsure how... hopefully that'll happen over time.


BOOGERS
Everyone picks their noses. It is bizarre. They pick their noses walking down the street, during conversation... it just doesn't matter here.
Oh...and my boogers are all black…cuz of the pollution.