<cite> @Holac said:</cite> Where is my Saffs? Saffy, tells us more. What is exciting in Ethiopia. I can't wait for your next story. Sorry Holac, not having regular internet access has really gotten in the way of my travel updates I've also stopped carrying my DSLR around, since the areas I go to daily are known for thieves and I'd rather not risk losing my expensive camera for a good photo. So I'm afraid I won't have as many photos to share when I get back like I did last year. Will have more time to post later in the week. Apparently they've uncovered some Al Shabaab suicide bomb plot in Addis, and the US and Canadian embassies have put out warnings for their citizens in Ethiopia. Probably a good idea for me to tell them I'm here, lol.

Thanks Libaax

Injera three times daily, to be exact I'm ticketed to leave August 27th, but I think I may leave a month earlier than that since I've decided not to go to kililka shanaad late in the summer like I initially planned. We'll see. Also, I take back what I said about adults not peeing in the streets. I see it several times a day in Addis.

Mooge, I'm back for research but this time I'm focusing on learning Amharic well, so I'm mostly in Addis. <cite> @Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said:</cite> Shirkadda diyaaradaha ee Jubba now has a semi-modern airplanes. At least the ones that serve Nayroobi to Xamar to Berbera waa diyaarad weyn oo wanaagsan, inkastoo aanan raacin. That's the plane that flies from Dubai to Djibouti, then over other long distances like Djibouti-Xamar-Nairobi. It still isn't a great plane but it's not the one from Djibouti-Hargeisa/Berbera, which is an old turboprop that's been retired from the civilized world for decades.

Saalax, like any flight it depends what time of year, peak travel periods like July and August likely cost more ... my roundtrip was around $400something (Canadian), I believe. <cite> @Holac said:</cite> Saffz, what is the Somali population in Addis? Is it big? I would be nice if you could tells us some of the intriguing things you find there. I've never been to Addis, but I heard all adults there take a piss on the roads. Could be Somali propaganda. I forgot one A in bilaa, I meant I'm 'without' internet Ethiopia is far behind Somalia and Somaliland when it comes to telecommunications technology. Most people use the crappy connections on their phones to surf the web, wi-fi spots are virtually non-existent and poor where you find them, and banks regularly close early for the day because their systems are down. I go to a slow broadband internet cafe a few times a week to catch up on my emails and news. I think a lot of it has to do with the government monopoly over these industries and not wanting its population to have full access. When I was in kililka (outside of Jijiga), mobile networks would regularly shut off in the late evening, I'd imagine out of fear of whatever organizing/activity may take place among anti-government groups at night. There's some truth to the pissing in the streets -- I've seen it, but I don't think it's widespread. Addis is an interesting mix of urban and rural, modern and traditional... you have light rail construction taking place and roads that look like some of the highways we have in Canada and the States, but at the same time someone will try and cross that highway with their herd of goats and cows. The city also has a very different vibe from a place like Hargeisa, it's just overflowing with people and people you can't trust, even when you think you know them. I've never had to feel so on guard in any other city I've been to. It's been great that I blend in perfectly and don't have to deal with the BS most foreigners (ferenj) deal with here. The Somali population here is quite large, mostly concentrated in an area called Bole. I think there are also historical Somali areas that I'll have to do some digging about... I pass by one daily called Somali Tera (tera means area/neighbourhood), near the Piazza. The oldest mosque in Addis is located there as well.

<cite> @Alpha Blondy said:</cite> hi Saffz, i know we're no longer on speaking terms but if you come to Hargeisa, i'll make it up to you, ruunti. come through and who knows maybe your poor Amharic gag reflexes would improve. I was in Hargeisa for a week, and I'm sure it's no surprise that I did not want to see you. In other news, I was on the same Hargeisa-Addis flight with Edna Aden and we had a lovely chat sitting next to each other at the airport. She was on her way to receive an award and honourary degree at the University of Pennsylvania. I was too shy to ask for a photo with her, but we did exchange cards

<cite> @Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said:</cite> Saaxiibkey and his family shalay raacay diyaaradaas (Ethiopian Airlines) on his way to Nayroobi from Toronto. I don't know about others, but I would never use diyaarad Xabashi regime leedahay, even if some of their ticket prices is pretty cheap. The alternative would be to take the Soviet-era death traps used by Daallo and Jubba (both airlines are also banned from European airspace btw), and often tripling the time of your trip because of all the transit time. I remember my first trip to Hargeisa was a KLM flight from Toronto to Amsterdam to Dubai, then Jubba Airways from Dubai to Djibouti to Hargeisa on a plane with cracks in it and no seatbelts or AC. I was also in Dubai's airport for some 10 hours because of a diplomatic issue between Canada and UAE that made getting a visa to enter Dubai for the layover nearly impossible for Canadians. Ethiopian Airlines is a fantastic airline that meets international safety standards, and the only one I use to fly to the Horn.

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> Saff is in Gondar heading soon for Gambella. :D Hehe, I wish! I'm in Addis Ababa and unfortunately bila internet for the most part, so checking in today from an internet cafe in my neighbourhood, Mekanisa. On the plus side, not having internet means I am going out and talking to people a lot more, so my Amharic has improved quite a bit. What's good, SOL? It's been a busy last few months so I haven't been around so much.

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> Saffs, why do you guys keep this guy in office? You Canadians. Unfortunately the only way he can be removed from office is for him to be charged and sentenced for a crime, but city council stripped away most of his powers as mayor a long time ago. The only way to get him out of office is to elect someone else in October.

Ladies and gentlemen, the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, smoking crack. I've been waiting for this for a while.

He's half Tutsi, half Somali. His Somali is funny but this is a really amazing life story.

Heartbreaking interview with his mom on BBC Somali: http://www.bbc.co.uk/somali/maqal_iyo_muuqaal/2014/04/140424_usa_stowawayboy_mother.shtml

Poor kid His father and stepmother sound terrible, who doesn't report their 15 year old missing after 36 hours? What type of father tells his children that their mother is dead? Just awful.

<cite> @Allyourbase said:</cite> I see your Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot and raise you Neil Degrasse Tyson's Disturbing Thought: That was great. I quite like his Most Astounding Fact as well, which makes me feel less small compared to these others We are stardust.

<cite> @Khayr said:</cite> What it does is makes our values pejorative. All is relative because we are a spec of dust. Well, that is an absurdity that takes away our accountability factor. The Earth is "our center", our reality and the rest of the world revolves around that for us (psychologically and ontologically speaking). You have the strangest interpretations, Khayr. The Quran itself regularly invokes the scale of the universe and of Allah's creation (the lord of the worlds), yet when the same information is given to you by an American scientist, you react with moronic and archaic geocentric babble.

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> What a steal. I can't wait for the bariis. Oh, catering sounds like another headache But my biggest anxiety of all is invitations/guests (our people just show up at weddings, even if they don't personally know the bride and groom) and estimating attendance numbers and planning accordingly. The ajnabi weddings I've been to are all so organized, and you are assigned a seat at a table during the reception. How would it work at a Somali wedding? Just let people sit wherever they want and hope you have enough seats? Eloping sounds better by the minute.

Haven't decided that yet, but not for a year at least, mostly because I like living alone in my apartment too much right now. In fact I'm getting a bit ahead of myself with this topic, but planning makes me anxious so it's something I can't help thinking about.

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> Saffz, the ones I have been to were a mixture of DJ and Somali singers. Half of the women I normally see at the weddings wear Diracs and the rest use Western clothes. Men wear suits. Good to know. I, I mean my uhh... friend... will probably go this route, with traditional dancing and buraanbur in the mix too.

Wow, read about this story when it happened but I didn't know he was Somali. Amazing he survived.

<cite> @Miyir said:</cite> saxansaxo only buraanbur/jaandheer? no niiko? This probably depends on where you're from, but niiko (especially in a mixed wedding) would be far too scandalous for my waqooyi relatives lol

http://vimeo.com/51960515

I like both!

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> And who is the son-of-a-gun-lucky-mandingo? I'm asking for a 'friend,' dee So in the mixed weddings you've attended in VA, do the women still do their traditional dancing and all with the men present? Or do they skip that and go for a regular DJ/Somali singer?

Thanks for clarifying that, MMA. It's not true to custom anymore but I've seen shaash saar done at bridal showers/women's wedding parties along with buraanbur and all. Holac, I don't attend many weddings but the ones I've been to in Toronto have not been mixed. There's a men's event earlier in the day, and the women at night. I'm curious to hear whether that's an anomaly or the general trend these days.

I started to type something out, but I don't think I have the time or energy to participate in the inevitable 10 page backlash.