A Weekend in Addis–Still Some Jumpy Nerves

First, the jumpy nerves:  Upon return to Nairobi from our weekend in Addis Ababa, we hit the grocery store for a a mega-shop.  After all, we needed the important stuff for our very important visitors arriving tonight.  Well, Sunday is a busy day at our local grocery and just when we were almost finished, the power died… in the busy grocery store.   It was pitch black.  Considering our recent history of an attack in a mall much like the one we were in and in the exact same store across town… I was freaked.  In retrospect, I’m actually disappointed that I didn’t move quicker.  It took me a whole 3… maybe 4 seconds to pick J out of the shopping cart and start moving.  The lights came back on 6 or 7 seconds later; with babe in arms I hadn’t gotten far.   Thankfully, there was no danger.  What would you have done in a similar situation?

All in all, I’m glad to know that my reflexes work, even if not quite as fast as I would have hoped. 

Second, you may have wondered: what the heck were we doing in Ethiopia for a weekend?  Well, we like the food and wanted to get a more authentic taste!  That is both true and insufficient.  It also happened that our visas were set to expire, so out of the EAC we went in order to renew them.  And we had a really lovely time.  The pool at the Hilton was perfect for J (he dipped twice on Saturday), the food was authentic and fabuloso, and the little bit of the city that we actually saw seemed a bit more approachable than the crazy/hectic pace of Nairobi.  The grass is always greener, I guess.  I hope we’ll have an opportunity to return and learn more about Hallie Selassie and the Lucy discovery – two people (or humanoid, in the case of Lucy) who have made Ethiopia great. 

All is quiet on the home front.  J is down to sleep for the night and DW is taking a snooze before he picks up our guests who arrive at the airport just after midnight.  I was told that my bro would, “never speak to me again” if we aren’t there to get him at the airport.  I reminded him that even if we didn’t get him that his trip wouldn’t be wasted because the lions are very hungry at night….

Don’t worry – we’ll be there barring any unforeseen  circumstances.