Thursday, December 31, 2009
What a concept
I have been on the T-Mobile pay-as-you-go internet server in FRA for the last 15 minutes and WHAT A PLEASURE ... a usable bandwidth and think I have transported more data in this mere quarter hour than I did in 5 months in Ethiopia ... Burhan checked for me and when I return to Addis February 2 we will dig up an ETC card that works with the Mac.
Saving the best for last
I think of all the classic debacles since I have been in Ethiopia, the absolute best happens my last full day in Addis. The Dulcian clan gave me a framed picture of an Addis blue taxi with the time-lapse blur of a blue van in the background. So I decide I will ship it back rather than carry. Some 2 hours later, I return to work with guess what in tow? A framed picture exactly the same as when I set out.
The first stop was EMS, a world-wide shipper that in most countries would be happy to ship a beaker full of lithium (:)). In Ethiopia we are simply told they would not accept the responsibility of breakage. I was under the impression that someone created bubble-wrap, cardboard, etc., and why not fleece the ferenge for the appropriate packing material, and ship. No such luck.
Next stop DHL. They have packing materials in the outlets I have frequented in the USA and Canada that could wrap an Airbus. Nothing here and they as well will not accept responsibility for breakage. They suggest returning with the pictire suitable protected and they would be happy to ship.
Next stop merkato. Dereje feverishly speaks with someone on his cell, then we arrive in merkato in a familiar location near the grey mosque. We obtain some bubble wrap, styrofoam, and cardboard for 110 birr, a platry $10 CAD. They tie it with twine and we happily trundle off to DHL. They process the order and it takes 15 minutes to print the waybill ... the cost ... a mere 1,004 birr which is ridiculous. I know someone who shipped a blanket and a few other things to the USA for less than half that. Ok, so I take the Mac stuff out of the box and suggest they ship that alone, the size of a handful of letter envelopes weighing less than 3 pounds. The cost for that must be reasonable ... a mere 445 birr. I give up. We head out for parcel post in the basement of the EMS building, then I realize I do not have the energy and we return to work I will check the picture which is now wrapped to sustain an explosion.
I realize as I leave Addis on Lufthansa about 2:45AM that I have forgotten the picture in Dereje's truck. Now hat's a debacle if I ever heard of one :). I am camped out in Frankfurt until my flight home at 1:45PM. I was in the middle group of seats from Addis to FRA and a woman beside me slept 75% of the way using her seat and the 2 empty between us. I did manage to stretch my legs and establish my rights to at least one of the vacant seats as soon as she woke up.
There will be a few more posts to this BLOG then I will say gooten nacht and await the start of the new BLOG at this location ...
The first stop was EMS, a world-wide shipper that in most countries would be happy to ship a beaker full of lithium (:)). In Ethiopia we are simply told they would not accept the responsibility of breakage. I was under the impression that someone created bubble-wrap, cardboard, etc., and why not fleece the ferenge for the appropriate packing material, and ship. No such luck.
Next stop DHL. They have packing materials in the outlets I have frequented in the USA and Canada that could wrap an Airbus. Nothing here and they as well will not accept responsibility for breakage. They suggest returning with the pictire suitable protected and they would be happy to ship.
Next stop merkato. Dereje feverishly speaks with someone on his cell, then we arrive in merkato in a familiar location near the grey mosque. We obtain some bubble wrap, styrofoam, and cardboard for 110 birr, a platry $10 CAD. They tie it with twine and we happily trundle off to DHL. They process the order and it takes 15 minutes to print the waybill ... the cost ... a mere 1,004 birr which is ridiculous. I know someone who shipped a blanket and a few other things to the USA for less than half that. Ok, so I take the Mac stuff out of the box and suggest they ship that alone, the size of a handful of letter envelopes weighing less than 3 pounds. The cost for that must be reasonable ... a mere 445 birr. I give up. We head out for parcel post in the basement of the EMS building, then I realize I do not have the energy and we return to work I will check the picture which is now wrapped to sustain an explosion.
I realize as I leave Addis on Lufthansa about 2:45AM that I have forgotten the picture in Dereje's truck. Now hat's a debacle if I ever heard of one :). I am camped out in Frankfurt until my flight home at 1:45PM. I was in the middle group of seats from Addis to FRA and a woman beside me slept 75% of the way using her seat and the 2 empty between us. I did manage to stretch my legs and establish my rights to at least one of the vacant seats as soon as she woke up.
There will be a few more posts to this BLOG then I will say gooten nacht and await the start of the new BLOG at this location ...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Done done done done (deal)
The new contract is in place. Ferenge is returning to Addis on Tuesday February 2 and starting work on Wednesday February 3. We are pleased to be coming back to Addis though some day as the economy improves I am looking forward to working in Ottawa and hanging out with friends and family.
MacAbbey
That name reminds me of a term of endearment Glenn McLeod used for me at the OAG when I worked there from 1989095 ... My Cabbey. That was a takeoff on an old "profession" of mine in the 70's as a taxi driver then dispatcher.
The Mac world is brand new to me and I have not had my hands on one since I worked for teh Carleton Board of Education the 1983-84 school year and then it was an Apple IIE. How times have changed, and he married a Jewish girl at that :)
The Mac world is brand new to me and I have not had my hands on one since I worked for teh Carleton Board of Education the 1983-84 school year and then it was an Apple IIE. How times have changed, and he married a Jewish girl at that :)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Almost sayonara ...
It is supposedly Mac minus a few hours. I am having people from work and the likes of Melaku and Hiruy over to Blue Drops tonight for a party to say thanks for "looking after me" in Addis over the past 5 months. It's also Ottawa minus just over 2 days and Sweet Thing about 1 more day on top of that. I saw the final draft of the new contract today and we will be signing tomorrow. There were punches thrown at the garbage wagon today outside Bilo's. It looked as though a guest picker jumped rank and tried to claim an empty plastic bottle before a more senior picker had a chance to scour the refuse beforehand. This went on for about 10 minutes until the fellow pickers separated the two adversaries.
This is to be my last night at Deker as I do not need accomodation Wednesday night due to my leaving at 2:30AM Thursday. I have a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt and am toying with going into town for a few hours. We shall see. I am leaving at 2PM today and will get the driver to visit all my haunts around Addis to take some photos. We went to a club to see jazz last night. The first set was the standard 4 piece then a different drummer and two reed instrument players made a din for about 30 minutes and we welcomed its end. The drummer was great and very very very busy.
This is to be my last night at Deker as I do not need accomodation Wednesday night due to my leaving at 2:30AM Thursday. I have a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt and am toying with going into town for a few hours. We shall see. I am leaving at 2PM today and will get the driver to visit all my haunts around Addis to take some photos. We went to a club to see jazz last night. The first set was the standard 4 piece then a different drummer and two reed instrument players made a din for about 30 minutes and we welcomed its end. The drummer was great and very very very busy.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The new kid in town
Met with Ato Mussa and Demisu regarding the new contract. For every 10 weeks in Addis I will be back in Canada for 6 or 7 days then return to Ethiopia all at MoFED's expense. This is good ... I should have my MacBook Pro in the AM and am getting the Dell ready to sell to Hiruy. Sweet Thing/family minus about 4 days.
Working too
The MacBook purchased for me in Dubai will be in my hot little hands tomorrow. It's a 15" pro with 4Gb of memory and the 250Gb hard drive. Sweet!
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