TIA-This is Africa:

So I have arrived at Bingham Academy’s gorgeous campus! I apologize for not updating this blog sooner to inform you all of this; however, you must understand something: TIA. I tried sending out e-mails last night at 10:00pm (1-2-09) when I arrived at Bingham…but by the time my e-mail finally loaded the computer lab was closing for the night so I could only manage to send out one (just barely). I slept in and tried again this afternoon after I got back from lunch and grocery shopping…but it took over an hour simply to load and read ONE of the five important e-mails in my inbox…and I could not reply because the connection was too poor. I couldn’t compose any messages what-so-ever.

Allegedly, a ship sailed out 2 days ago off the coast of Africa with its anchor still down and, as a result, the main internet line connecting Africa to the rest of the world was cut. So, even though the connection is always bad here, it is especially bad now. But I was told that the Internet connection here is normally only sufficient late at night or early in the morning anyways…so I gave up and figured I’d try again tonight. Well…TIA. While I was at supper the power cut and it’s been out for over 6 hours…and counting. We also have no water. So I’m typing this blog up on my lap top (that my wonderful brother so generously bestowed upon me) by candlelight. I intend to use my last bit of battery power to write out this and a few e-mails that I hope to post/send tomorrow.

Now, on toward an update: I ran into no trouble with my flights here. I was able to get my luggage put straight through from Portland to Ethiopia (an impossible feat, I thought), and all of my luggage arrived here just fine with nothing missing. Well, one of my perfume sprays opened up and leaked all over my luggage bag but, luckily, there were no clothes in that bag so nothing was ruined. One of the wheels also fell off my bigger luggage bag, which made it a pain to carry around, but what can you expect from $40 Wal-Mart luggage?

Cary, my cooperating teacher, met me at the airport and I got to experience driving in Addis Ababa for the first time. Driving in Addis Ababa is a story in and of itself. There are no traffic lanes here, no one uses their blinkers, and one-way streets tend to turn into two-way streets rather suddenly. Let’s just say…Cary honked her horn more than several times. In addition to all this, there are homeless people running dangerously across the streets seemingly trying to get hit and there are crippled beggars aligning the streets in every direction who don’t hesitate to stick their heads in the windows of those cars stuck in traffic to ask for money. It’s certainly a big change from Maine.

We finally arrived at the Bingham Academy gate and the guards let us in. The academy is completely surrounded by a wall and barbed wire, and guards patrol the campus 24/7. Only SIM personnel and SIM students are allowed to enter. The campus is beautiful inside—much different from the city. It is covered with flowers and trees and the campus is pretty large. I’ll try to post pictures if I can…but TIA. No promises with this darn Internet connection.

I live in an apartment with two other girls: Christina and Steph. I was amazed by how big the apartments are. I have my own room furnished with a laundry hamper, a dresser, a safe, a shelf, a closet, a bed, and a mirror. My roommates and I share a large living room, a dining room, a pantry, a bathroom, a walk-in storage closet, and a kitchen…all entirely furnished. We also have our own fireplace. It’s really nice. Again, I’ll post pictures if I can.

Today (1-3-09), the SIM single girls took me out for lunch at a small American family restaurant known for its infamous family juice (pineapple juice with frozen watermelon ice cubes=delicious). Actually, I have a tight schedule already. A bunch of single girls and couples signed up to host me for meals before I even got here so I’m covered for meals for the next two days. Everyone here is so nice and so generous. I know I’m going to enjoy spending my time here with them. But anyways—After lunch at the family restaurant we went grocery shopping so that my pantry would be adequately stocked. Grocery stores are so different here. Milk comes in a little plastic bag, similar in comparison to…nothing in the USA. Cereal costs an average of 9-15 American dollars (90-150 burr) Meat is also very different to buy…and the men don’t wash their hands before touching it. Any fresh fruits and vegetables have to be soaked in bleach water for 20 minutes and then rinsed with purified water before consumption. I just bought a few necessities knowing that we would be going back into town later this week. I’ll have a better idea of what I need for groceries then…especially now that I know we have our own worker! Bingham Academy hires one worker per an apartment. So we have a worker that comes in three days a week. She will wash our dishes, do our laundry, clean our house, and do anything else we ask her to do INCLUDING…. cooking! :) So I can pick out anything I feel like eating, buy the stuff, and my worker will cook it for me. TIA. Hehe

Well, this update is plenty long enough. I’ll keep the updates a little shorter from here on out…but I just couldn’t help myself with this one. It’s my initial update. If you fail to hear from me for any period of time, please don’t worry. Just remember: TIA. Power outages are fairly frequent here in Addis Ababa, so I’ve heard. And the Internet is bad as it is. There are also no Internet cafés close to this side of town…so I’ll just have to manage without. We’re really spoiled in America. I do have an address so I’ll leave you with that. Till next time…

Nicole Normandeau
Bingham Academy
Box 4937
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -East Africa
**Don’t send packages larger than 10 kilos—however that translates into pounds—and anything over 2 kilos will be opened and searched before I get it