Farenji Price

Farenji Price

The currency here is the birr. I'm getting paid in birr and thought I would be making a considerable salary. Not so... first off, my salray is taxed 35%, then I soon realized that I must pay the farenji price for most everything. What is the farenji price? That means that because I am a foreigner I must pay roughly double what Ethiopians are charged.

For example, A taxi that costs 10 birr for Ethiopians costs me 25. Rent is about half my salary ( but I have a toilet and kitchen- something some people in Addis don't have). Even the beggars expect more! They ask for a couple of birr- enough to buy a kilo of vegetables or enough to get take the bus for a week, enough to get a beer.

I don't object to this system, it makes sense. Addis is full of diplomats and NGO employees who earn a lot of money even by US standards- here they are filthy rich, roaming around in Land Cruisers. A flat fee shouldn't apply to everyone b/c then Ethiopians wouldn't be able to participate in the same activites as foreigners.

However, I'm getting annoyed. I want to be able to be able to travel outside of the city- I came to Addis to work, but I also hoped to see Ethiopia.