Tena yisTilign

Time for a first blog update. I'm not labouring under the misapprehension that I have anything interesting to say or that I can write well so updates may be sparse to none existent.

I've been in Addis now for just over a week and I depart for Bahir Dar in 3 days time.

We have been staying in comfortable seclusion at the red cross training centre. Each day has been packed with a combination of adminstrativa, political and cultural education on Ethiopia and Amharic language training. The latter is brining back bad memories of high school French lessons, only more so. So far I can (just about) count to 100, buy fruit and vegetables, order at a restaurant and talk about my family. Hopefully tomorrow we won't be learning to talk about what we did during our summer holiday!

One of the most bizarre experiences was a trip to a private clinic to get a mandatory health check in order to be licensed by the ministry of health. After a cursory but friendly once over from the doctor I emerged clutching a sheaf of coloured pieces of paper for tests which to my surprise included an ECG, CXR, fasting lipids and ESR. Some might say this was a bit over thorough (cynics may have other explanations).

The weather in Addis reminds me very much of home, cool and rainy with lots of clouds. There are even beautiful roses growing in the garden here, not something I expected so close to the equator! Only during brief breaks in the cloud cover does the strong sun remind you that you are in Africa.

This week I've also been reacquainted with two old friends. It was lovely to catch up with Million who was a schoolboy in Gondar when I last met him, now he has graduated university and works for a tour company in Addis. My other, not quite so positive, reunion has been with injera, the staple carbohydrate in Ethiopia. Made from teff, a local grain, it resembles an old grey flannel or pancake, has the texture of a crumpet and a vinegary taste not unlike sour dough bread or perhaps spoiled milk.

It's been a busy and very useful week but it has also at times left me feeling a bit like I'm imprisoned behind a bubble with only brief glimpses of the real Ethiopia. I'm looking forward to heading off and starting my placement. Next stop: Lake Tana.