This blog entry is not about the 80s sitcom with the characters of Balki Bartokomous and Larry Appleton, but instead chronicles a few stories of some wonderful people and interesting characters that I met this weekend.
On Friday, I left the office and was walking to the bus stop. En route, a 20-something Ethiopian guy came up beside me and said “Hi Friend!” I turned thinking it might be someone from the office or someone I know only to see a complete stranger who proceeded to walk beside me and ask about where I was from and what I was doing. At one point, he told me, “You know friend, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get!” I know. Forrest Gump on a Friday afternoon in the middle of Addis Ababa. I practically had to pinch myself, because while ridiculous stuff happens to me almost on a regular basis, this little anecdote almost seemed too perfect – like an episode of Seinfeld or a skit from SNL.
On Friday, after dinner, I went to the bookstore in Edna Mall (one of the big malls in Addis) to look for a book on English grammar for my colleague at work who asked me to find him a good resource textbook. While at the bookstore, I met Hariprasad, the owner (or at least the manager) of the shop, who gave me the full scoop on all things East Indian in Ethiopia. He told me about the good restaurants and the Deepavali party (Diwali Party) that the Indian Embassy hosts in a few weeks! He was super nice and promised to give me the full low-down on all of the good finds in Addis! I am glad I met him!
On Saturday, we went shopping in the Piazza area of Addis (you might note that a number of the names of areas in Addis are Italian, stemming from the Italian occupation of Ethiopia) – there is Merkato, Piazza, Kassanjis etc. In any event, while shopping in Piazza, one person said to me, “Hi India! Come and visit my shop.” Another person, tried to catch my attention from behind by yelling “Hey China” and then realized I was not Chinese when I turned around to face him. It seems like calling out to people based on their nationality is a common trend used by vendors or people on the street. A friend of mine has told me this happens to her regularly.
