I have to say, I am really amazed at how easy it is to meet people here. Like I said, the fabulous Susan hosted a party last weekend and invited many people. This was a great chance to meet a number of expats working in Addis.
Two days ago, I received an email from another CIDA person named Jessa and she put us contact with another CIDA person Felicia. In any event, we all went out for dinner last night at Sangam (the East Indian restaurant I was telling you about last week). It was a great chance to meet them and learn about their work. The wonderful Taribba also joined us. Taribba is a CIDA person from two years ago and is actually now working as a full-time employee with CIDA in Addis. She has a wonderful sense of humour and she is very good at answering all of our questions and making us feel welcome! Thanks Taribba!
At dinner last night, I was thinking how easy it has been to meet a myriad of people here and how welcoming these people have been. Making friends is different for everyone, but I find that in Ethiopia, where so many of us Canadians are so far from home, there is this instant bond created by virtue of the fact that we share a common address (O! Canada!), but also that we have endured the initial separation anxiety that comes with moving so far away from home. We have all endured the search for housing and the elusive SIM card (though I have to say, they seemed to have an easier time of it than I did).
It is like this beautiful cycle (unlike the vicious cycles that are so often talked about) where everyone includes everyone. Information is pooled, experiences are shared, and bonds are created. It is like intrinsically everyone knows that creating this support network is so essential and so valued. It is an unspoken knowledge, something that percolates below the surface, and manifests itself in the innumerable random acts of kindness. I arrived three weeks ago and was welcomed by a community of international expats that had been here much longer. Three weeks later and I am meeting people that just arrived and so the beautiful cycle continues…..
Thank you to my new friends for the wonderful memories so far! I look forward to getting to know you all and exploring Ethiopia!
