The first top 10

I have now been in Addis Abeba for 9 weeks ... actually been away for 10 but 1 week was spent in Ottawa. Since it has been 10 weeks since I left, it's probably time for the top 10 reasons for loving Ethiopia; here they are: 10. The interesections; they are like bumper cars at the fair, except no bumping. 9. The traffic lights on some intersections are so small one cannot even see them. 8. The taxi drivers; a breed of navigator that one could only dream of being some day. 7. The rain; you think we have storms in Canada; here it's like turning BOTH hot and cold on full at the same time. 6. The kids (and then some) running amuck all over the streets and sidewalks; kids ... young goats in this case. 5. The currency; it's aromatic from the day it is printed (and dispensed from a bank machine) to the day it ends up in your hand looking like it has been dragged through a charcoal bath. 4. The way the women dress; sometimes you run into a gaggle of young or old females that look like they are on their way to meet the queen of England and they are going to the local coffee shop for a quick croissant. 3. The hot green peppers that litter just about everything they eat; they are jalopena peppers on steroids and delicious in large (like me) or small doses (like many others). 2. The children are beyond cute. They must take cute pills in utero that allow their looks to mature somewhere between birth and 20 (or so). With a little chocolate sauce or honey, they would be more than delicious. 1. The people; they are so kind and helpful. The most important thing is family, THE most important thing.