if you were have to told me that my first time I landed in Ethiopia, it’d be interesting, I would have laughed at your obviousnessity.

if you were to have told me just how interesting it was going to be, I would have laughed at your over-dramatics.

but brother, trust. it was everything and nothing like I had expected. on my computer are 7000+ words of those first 12 hours – the 4am arrival
after a flight of no sleep, being detained at customs, the bored lady at the tiny ‘bank’ inside telling me that my Egyptian currency, all the
money I had and had forgotten to change, was ‘worthless’ and ‘would not be changed in this country’. oh, there were police escorts out to the
ATM and back from the ATM and somehow, my card worked for $40 giving me enough for the visa and a cab ride in, but not enough for a room, so I was driven past the intersection where prostitutes arms reach into the cab and my driver just laughed at my recoiling. there was nowhere for me to sleep and I had to beg for 30-minutes to sleep on the couch in the foyer. 13 banks – 13 banks! a black market and kind stranger who took me to a place where I could get about 50% of the only money I had left, I celebrated by taking him to lunch and he celebrated by taking me to a brothel, where, by the time I figured it out, was cornered by the pimp and his ‘associate’. I pushed and I eyed and spoke in a quiet but stern tone and we agreed on $20 instead of the $80 he suggested - this, just for a few beers and lunch. I ran out, still drunk on
betrayal and fatigue and foolishly walked back to the house, waiting on my ‘friend’ to have a word with him. silly, silly boy – two others came
out and asked me why I was still there. I left. I went back to the hotel. I felt silly, but I also had to chuckle.

these were my first 12 hours in town.

and now I sit in a cafe whose power has gone on twice now and so I cut/copy with every line. the generator has kicked on and we all coughed but kept on typing. the women outside with their tale-tale features, the men without. cakes and coffee – Chuck Norris coffee, pizza joints and ‘ciao’ – who knew? there’s a strange sound they make when agreeing, almost a quick breath in – I guess I’ll find out what that’s about. it’s a despondent, but beautiful place, I’ve yet to take a photo because everywhere there’s some sad, but I want to. I have about $150 left and a meeting with an NGO on Monday.

‘it’s Africa, though’, I wrote last night over a few $0.80 beers, probably adding more exclamation marks than my cool attempts at exterior try and fool you with.

but I made it – it damn near did me in, that first 1/2 day, but if I’m honest – it was all in user error – but I made it.

Africa…