Things I like

There are some things about life here that are great and make life
easy....
1. When I feel like a coffee at my desk, I can call the nearby cafe and
they'll bring me a fresh macciato. Never mind that the cafe is just
across the road from the college, this is what the other staff do and I
like it!
2. I got my very dirty shoes (rainy season does that) polished on my way
back from lunch today, by one of the many shoeshine boys along the road.
It was funny because this little boy (about 8 years old I'd say - that's
the way of life here for many children) was obliged to charge me the
normal price because there were a few Ethiopians taking shade from the
sun in the shelter he shares with other shoeshiners. I'm sure that if
they weren't there, I'd have been charged more, as I was the last time I
got the same shoes polished up the road. Not that it really matters,
we're talking eur0.15 or eur0.40 here, but still its the birr that count
here!

Anyway, it's these little things that make life easy here.

To make my afternoon even better, I went off for lunch on my own - had
been going to meet with D but was too late, he got hungry waiting for me
:)
I went to a place nearby that I like, Elsa Bar. I spotted 2 ferenji guys
at another table, with 2 Ethiopian girls, and was sure I detected an
Irish accent there . So after I'd eaten and listened to be sure they
were indeed Irish, I went over to them and ended up having a chat for an
hour or so. One of the guys is from N. Ireland, travelling through
Africa on a motorbike, has been on the road around the world for over 2
years. The other from Cork, opposite ends of the country, on the way
home after working in Sudan for 4 years. They were interesting and it
was nice to have company and to meet Irish people, as always. We may
meet up for beers tonight, it is Friday after all!