Blogging the Nile | Illegal Alien, Sleeping in Addis, and Arabic

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – Finally, the trip has begun.

As I lie here in my poor-excuse for a bed in my poor-excuse for a hotel room, listening to the poor-excuse for arabas drive up and down the street, I can’t help but smile. Three hours ago, I was in an airplane over Kenya. Five hours ago, in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Eight hours ago, I sat in the VerSteegs living room at Maxwell, nervous and excited about my flights and beginning my journey.

Even more – one year ago, and I’m at home, enjoying another simple Christmas break in Junction City, Kansas. Fast forward a year, and I’m in Hotel Jerusalem, Addis Ababa, because Ethiopian Airlines felt guilty about me waiting 12 hours for my next flight. Cool.

Three early observations:

1. HAHA, YOU WERE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN! It’s a point in faculty worship to brag about your political status – or lack of status – in Kenya. Most of the staff are residents or resident aliens; some are still living off their visas. Some have visas that have run out (and their resident cards haven’t came in) so they’re simply living “illegally” in the country. It’s generally understood that, if you are in this situation, that you are to STAY WHERE YOU ARE. A quick jaunt to another country, even for a few days over the holidays, can leave you unable to return home. For this reason, Honey, who (like Elvin and I) is yet to get her work permit had to stay in at MAA instead of going home to the Philippines for Christmas break. While I was truly sorry she couldn’t go home, I made a point of rubbing her non-existent Kenyan status in her face.

So you can imagine my surprise after checking into Ethiopian Airlines flight 492 that my visa, still good for another 2 months, only allowed me to be in Kenya for 3 months in a row. Furthermore, rather than declare I was going to be staying for the maximum time, I’d somehow stupidly told them “one month.”

I’d been an illegal alien in Kenya for over 3 months.

Lucky for me, however, an angel was in charge of immigration at NBO today. After a halfway-teasing schooling from he government worker (usually comparable to blood-thirsty pit bulls), I was stamped with a 3 month extension! Safe till February 11^th!

2. Luckier break! Lauran and I had been loathing not the 2 hour flight to Addis Ababa, but the 12 hours we’d have to wait before going to Cairo. Our flight to Ethiopia, while very smooth and quick (with meal service and a movie – on a two hour flight!) was just the fist part of what was bound to be a long night.

We arrived a few minutes early, at 9pm, and being in no rush, we allowed other passengers the privilege of escaping the plane first. Lauran got talking to a guy nearby who’d mentioned he was looking forward to getting a good night’s rest in the hotel provided by the airline. Come to find out, Ethiopian Airlines was giving him a room and 2 free meals. Were we able to get this deal too? We agreed to check it out at the first Ethiopian Airlines desk we saw.

Turns out since Ethiopian offers only two flights from NBO and Cairo to Addis every other day, all the travelers were waiting 12-16 hours as well, so we were all to be given transit visas and be put up in hotels for the night. Horay! We get to sleep for freeeeeeeee!

3. Arabic Primer, Lesson #1. While we waited for our bus, I got into a conversation with Abu, a Sudanese engineer on his way home from a convention in Nairobi. Abu (“father” in Arabic) took me under his wing, leading me and Lauran to our transfer bus to the hotel, offering me the seat next to him, and teaching me how to write “teacher,” “Chris,” and “Webb” in Arabic. Even more fun, on the way to our Jerusalem Hotel, he taught me Arabic terms for pedestrian (seyara), car (araba), and bus (lorry). In return, I taught him to punch people in the arm when he saw Volkswagen Beetles.

It was nice to make a new friend, but even nicer to shake the timidness I feel in new situations. It was rewarding to get the chance to learn about another culture (Muslims get Christmas day off, but don’t celebrate anything on it), and really, isn’t this what this trip is all about?

Ok, off to bed. Bus comes at 6:30am, and I’ve got a complimentary breakfast to eat. Later!

-cw, (or in Arabic, )