Day One minus one
Friday the 8th of Aug was spent packing and showing Sergey about the care of the apartment and the two cats while we were gone for a month until Sept 12th. Sarah had arranged a ride to the Borispol Airport in Kiev leaving from the Apartment at 6 AM on the 9th. We were on Ukrainian Air and it left at 8:10 on time. I purchased a camera in the duty free shop in Kiev.It was a Minolta RIVA zoom pico 38-60mm for 175 USD. It
was good enough for our meager picture taking I thought. Sarah always wants people in the pictures so why wide angle or zooming over 60mm? Shows what I know and we wouldn't find out til our (my) first trip out of Asmara and down over the escarpment.
Day One
We had a pleasant enough flight from Kiev to Frankfort on Ukrainian Air and had our luggage checked all the way to Asmera but the agent we used in Kiev couldn't do seats all the way so we had to check in at Frankfort. The check in was not a problem but we had a three hour lay over so we thought German Beer! Wrong, at least not at the only beer stand at the Airport(we could find) maybe we should have went to the sit down Restaruant that we peered in the door upstairs but decided against white table cloths.What the heck we were going to the wilds of Africa! So I think we had a Becks beer which was ok but we wanted the draft you get at Munich Octoberfiest. Ha!
We were on an Airbus from Frankfort and had to sit in smoking section but it seems
anybody who wanted to lit up wherever they sat. It was awful with all that smoke
for a 9 hour flight. The food was ok and we had two free beers during the flight.
When the movie came on it was constantly blocked by a tall popping 12 year old
that should have been on riddlin. The Movie was no good anyway so we read our books.
We landed in Jedda ,Saudai Arabia and saw a huge water fountain spraying into the
air from the water offshore before landing. I think it was put there to please the
person who owned the big palace nearby. The persons getting off were warned not
to have any Girlie books or anything showing bare shoulders etc. and if they had
alcohol to keep it well hidden deep in their luggage and not to be viewed openly.
Of course these are the people who just watched the movie with brief nudity!
It seems we disconnected the auxillary power that was running the Air conditioning
in preparation to starting the engines but before starting engines, a report of the
weather in Asmara was raining hard and runway holding too much water due to it
having a bowl shape so it's better to wait on the ground in Jedda than circle over
Asmera.So cabin was about 90 degrees F and everybody hot and still no air but during
this time the back door was opened to bring in and take off foodstuff and the blast
of air that came in was still yet hotter! So it was hotter on the ground than in the
plane! Anyway after another hour or two we took off and when we got over Asmara it
was still too bad to land so we circled the puddle for almost an hour and the were
cleared to land if we stayed on the left side of the runway so that's what we did and
it was a fine landing. After we finally left the plane 20hrs from Kiev it was cool and
rain had stopped. We were at 7,000 ft elevation which would take several days of getting used to. While standing in the Customs line our local contact spotted us and took us to the boss of customs there and he stamped our passports with the Visa needed. We of course sent all the info for Visa a week or two before leaving. He looked at our papers etc. then we went to another desk to fill out a form for my Macintosh
laptop so they could write a special note on my Visa that I had a laptop with me and
gave me a paper and told me when I left I better have the paper and the laptop so
they could mark through the little spot on my Visa that said I had a laptop in country
when I left. They were only interested in electronic gear and didn't ask about guns or
anything else. We picked up our bags and loaded into Landcruiser to go to the house
we were to stay in for a month. Of course, being dead tired we came upon the let out
of the final day of the big fair which was close to the Airport and the only way out.
There must have been at least 10,000 people and we had to wait in the car for about
thirty minutes to get clear. We were dropped off to a very nice 3 br home replete with
a cat and maid and a guard outside at night. We were introduced to the guard and went to bed after agreeing to a mini tour of city the next day to start at 1pm. Sunday
Day 2
We got up at 10am which was sooner than we expected. The cat was meowing.
There is no toilet paper in the house(of course). However, we brought just enough until we get to the store(an old Russian trick we learned in Vladivostok) We had some cereal and waited for Mike to go on mini tour. Sure enough, Sarah felt to bad to go long trip so we wound up going to chinese place overlooking Asmera . Naturally we didn't get to the store. So later we decided to take the taxi we were told that was 1 bir and turned out to be 10 bir(still a good price) .We took it to the Itialian market which naturally was closed. We were told they have italian sausage. We took another Taxi almost all the way home toward the German Embassy and found a small market (hole in the wall) that had toilet paper,limes,onions,garlec,and some other things. We walked home and then
tried to figure out some things like how to get in to the laundry room and what is wrong with the crazy cat under the guest room bed that won't come out and the maid sets out a bowl of rice for. I don't know which is crazier the cat or the maid? I think a
cat needs more than rice to eat? We mixed up some chicken pieces that were freezer burnt after they thawed and gave them to the cat and it was in hog heaven. But still only came out from under bed to eat after we left the room. Well the TV doesn't work because the antennae is not hooked up and connector is wrong type. The vcr works and we found one tape with a hogans heros and a few mashes on it. There are 100 cd's but no stereo. We looked around some more and kept trying to light the local unburnable incense we found in a burner on the coffee table. The guard showed up earlier and went out to the garage to make noise after our tired heads hit the pillow. We battled most of the night slamming doors and battling to see if we could make more noise than him and I think he finally got the point. We were told later we had good guards because one of the guards that somebody else had would get up and walk on the roof all night. Aren't we lucky?
Day 3
I went to work with Sarah to make sure she took the correct turns since I made it a point the day before to remember the way since we were kind of light headed and not thinking straight due to still not being used to the altitude(7,000ft). I came back and finished the dishes and got some coffee and started on this thing I'm writing and also working on my home page to publish on the internet. Well, it seems like every time I wanted to go to the bathroom or make a coffee or walk outside the floor was wet and the maid was pointing at it like it was a trophy and warning me as to what a great job she was doing. It seems like she only did one floor at a time of course but the one she was currently doing was stratigically planned by her to thwart my next move. Of course the bathroom was cleaned just as I needed it. I finally hiked to the local store and purchased some chlorox to use a teaspoon in a container of water to give us a little extra protection after scrubbing the vegetables and before putting them away. I also purchased a couple of neat towels to go in the kitchen and they had little loops for hanging up in the kitchen. I also got some beer and other things. I got back and the maid was still there and when I brought the stuff in to kitchen she sterted grabbing and putting everything where I didn't want it . Oh well, I thought I could straighten it out later. Well, as it turns out I never did find the towels and the chlorox disappeared. I later suspected the chlorox was in the mysterious laundry room we couldn't get in after trying all the keys possible. I made up my mind I would go to work with Sarah tomorrow since it's easier than this craziness. I never seem to get along with any of the maids we have had over seas. In the first place only one was able to speak english and that makes it difficult because I have trouble speaking and other languages so I can't critize.
Day 4
Today we ate breakfast and went to work and it turns out this is the day to go to Mendefera where the trainees are located. It is an area where you need to take preventative medicine against Malarya. It was quite a beautiful drive and we saw many fields being cleared of rocks and being plowed with animals pulling the plows. We saw only two tractors all day. There were a lot of goats everywhere along the way and many small burrows .The site was about exactly an hour from Asmera. I helped Sarah get the stuff laid out to give forty trainees a needed vaccination. The shots were given and patients seen etc. and a lot of the time I was out watching the several different birds around that I have never seen. One had a black head and bright yellow body and another was pale blue and grey. What do I know about birds? They just were birds I have never seen in Alabama or Alaska so what does that mean? Also I've seen big birds
in pine trees about the size of chickens and they werent turkeys like in Alabama. I
entered a conversation with one of the trainees and we discussed of all things the dreams we have because he brought up the trainees discussing their dreams on Tuesdays after taking their Malarya pill on Monday. It's a once a week pill. Incidently,I didn't start my pill of once a week til Thursday of this week and I didn't have any wierd dreams. The trip back to Asmera way a pleasant drive and we had the windows open. When we started climbing nearing Asmera the air became cooler with the added elevation. We went back to the clinic and disposed of the used needles and packaging material and finished the day at the clinic finding out where things were.
Day 5
Wednesday was a full work day with me running around as a gofer since Sarah got up and stubbed her middle toe on the coffee table at 6am. I went to check email and was really suprised to find out they were running softwindows on the Macintosh just to have dos to do email as UUCP connection through modem to a local provider that was not capable of letting them use Quickmail and System 7 regular Mac software. This was using a power pc mac to use dos for email? Well I think others in town are having the same problem. They need a good internet service provider. The rest of the day was pretty much routine
DAY 6
Day 6 was Sarah hobbling around doing physical exams and routine medical stuff while I went for things and carried mail back and forth. We ate lunch at the Ambassador which had a restaruant that was serving in the traditional way with a big circular plate for the four of us with the tear off kind of bread. We ordered and on top of the bread was served a round of fresh veg salad and then each dish was piled in a separate spot around the bread. You then began to eat with your right hand only by tearing a piece of bread off and scooping up something. You know, just like the Eitheopian restaraunts in DC and other big cities in the US but it was still a first for me. During the meal we were told about the special coffee ceremony practiced by Eritreans where you were invited in to someones house and offered coffee and you must drink three cups and it was customary to wish well the household by the guest and after the first cup you could have a second first cup or go on to the second cup and on to the third final one each being a little weaker than the first. Of course there can be a second second cup etc. Also we were told by the same person that if two people were to be married they must not have any common relatives for 7 generations back. we finished lunch and then went back to office for a routine afternoon of trying to order things needed for the clinic. I had purchased a chicken yesterday so we cooked it when we got home. We are both on Malarya medicine now becaause I took my weekley pill today expecting wierd dreams tonight . Nothing happened out of the ordinary.
Day 7
The maid has been terminated and we are getting a new one next week on Monday,Wednesday and Friday mornings only. i stayed at the house today and did dishes, laundry and some light cleaning before going down town to get motserela cheese at a special store. I was able to get in a cab with other passengers taking the regular route and with cab full I only paid 1 bir? It doesn't make sense. The cab driver gets 4 passengers times one bir for a grand total of 4 bir for the same trip they charge 10 to 15 bir if i'm not in with others. It should be 4 bir for one passenger, 2 bir each for two passengers , and still 2 bir each for three passengers. So the best deal for the taxi would be to haul three people at a time and still make his 4 bir but no, he can find a sucker like me and get 10 bir for one passenger! Anyway I had to sit down and wait for the cheese to arrive (from Itally I guess?) So I bought 4 post cards and sent them to three of the kids not knowing the ones address that just moved. After writing the post cards and putting stamps on I talked to a guy next to me and he said he was Tony and he had just moved back to Asmera with three other guys . He said they were living in Europe while the war was going on here and decided to move back and didn't like Europe. They are all renting a single family dwelling here and sharing cost and cooking etc. four ways. Another guy named Gemal joined in and told me he worked in the stone and marble business but was from outside of Asmera and where it was between 30 and 40 degrees celcius all year round. In other words hot. he said he liked it there but was working here. I had to leave and when I got back to Wikianos the cheese had arrived. Sarah has been wanting Motserala cheese for a long time since we couldn't buy it in Vladivostok for the past two years and not so far for the four months we were in Kiev. Maybe I can find it when we get back but Sarah is considering taking some back on the flight next month?. If permitted or not caught! I got a 10 bir taxi back and put up the cheese. I received a call from Tim the Country director here and confirmed Sarah and I would be over for dinner at 7pm along with a couple of other invites and his family here from the US and ending their stay in a few days. So I've updated this document and waiting to see if Sarah gets back from Mendefera in time for dinner at Tim's. We walked to Tim's and had a good time and their house was big and had a separate maids quarters like Paul's where we are but also had a detached playroom for the 3 yr old of theirs. He has more toys than you could imagine and a neat mosquito net square that attaches by velcro so he can be watched without someone being in the room full of toys. We walked home and Susan came along thinking her house was our way since she just got here from Washington DC. Of course, when we got to our street(dirt alley) she doesn't recognize anything so Sarah had a bad foot so we left her off and we agreed I would walk with Susan since she wanted to go back to the circle in front of Tim's and start over the way she knew. Well , we went to Bologna Hotel and turned left and she said ok it's a half block so I know we were directly behind our house so I keept going to the next corner to turn right but I didn't see a corner for a half a kilometer and then I went right and two blocks I turned right onto our street and walked a half kilometer and there it was so picture going in a two block circle with the two sides 1/2 kilometer long. Of course there was a huge muddy area I could have taken with my new white Reboks. Anyway I got back and the guard on our house told Sarah it was about a kilometer while I was gone so she waited and wondered. Oh well a new Country and stumbling in the dark!
Day 8
Got up at seven and Sarah asleep. Started laundry after going to store for detergent and enough beer to get it done. Spent the day cleaning and doing laundry bed stuff and all. After that about 4pm I cleaned the entire front porch and plastic furniture and about a half hour I was sitting there watching the clouds build and of course within the hour it came a downpoor that washed the whole front porch and all the plastic furniture again! But at least I had time to take the cushons off the rattan chairs and take inside before they were soaked. Played cd's on small boom box loaned to us by Tim. Went to bed.
Day 9
Sunday 17th August
Got up and ate breakfast while Sarah slept. Got a phone call from Mike and he asked if we wanted to go to Keren for a day trip and he had a landcruiser checked out so we decided to go and had one hour to get ready. I took the camera along and we started at 10am. First mike took a wrong turn and we we off in dirt road in middle of Asmera. After finding the road we had a two hour trip on winding roads but Mike did stop a few times each way for me to take a couple of pictures of disabled tanks along the way left over from the war with Ethiopa. The trip was through mountains similar to the ones along the Agean coast of Turkey . There were fields and fields of rocks piled in a terraced fashon all the way. There were small children waving and saying what I later found out was money, money!. Some actually held hands and formed a chain across the road and we had to blow the horn and play chicken til they moved. We say many villages with the traditional round houses with thatched roofs. Some were made of stones cemented together and some even had stucco on top of that to make them smoooth. Most of the streams were bare but a few had fresh mudddy water from a rain and one was clear and all with water had some bare boys swimming or playing. we saw orange groves and a lot of different fruits and vegatables near Keren and I think it's the sort of bread basket area. It was much hottter at this lower elevation and we arrived only one half hour before the shops closed. Sarah got one pair of gold earrings and then we went to the resturant to eat. After eating we went out to the Church that was part of a huge berber tree. The tree was at least 12 ft in diameter, yes diameter! The church was a cement opening about 16ft by 8 ft high that led about 10 feet back to a small doorway which led inside the tree to an altar and all the locals think the tree is blessed because it survived the war even though at one time about two hundred Eritrean soldiers were hiding inside and around the church when an Eithopean mortar shell hit the tree and nobody was hurt. You can go back around the church which is nothing but tree and see a big cement patch about two ft. square where the hole was patched. we had a nice uneventful ride back to Asmara up through the mountains.
Day 10
Monday 18th Aug.
Up at 6am to prepare for Sarah's trip to Mendafara for more vaccinations and training sessions that required an overnight stay so I went to the office and helped til about ten thirty and went to back to the house to get the keys straightened out with the maid and see what she needed. She needs a new mop and a new broom by Wednesday when she comes again. She was due to leave in about two hours but didn't have much to do because I had the dishes done and the place was pretty much clean except for the floors needed the layer of dust mopped off the terrazo floors. we like open windows and this place is very dusty due to the many side streets like our that were still dirt. I marvel at these really nice houses and still a dirt road out front. I looked in and she made up the bed and had cleaned some ashes off small table with glass top where I had burned a mosquito coil last night and had done about all she could til Wednesday . I left at eleven am since I didn't want to go and spend the night in Mendefera I went downtown to look for bay leaves (fat chance of finding them here but who knows?). I got in a Taxi with two already in and I couldn't see the front seat from sun glare so I jumped in the remaining back seat by the outside door. The driver wanted to know why I didn't take the front seat and I said that I couldn't see if it was empty right away but saw only two in the back and I knew they alwas wanted three in the back and one in the front for a full load so I took the back since I couldn't see the front. Since there were two women in the back maybe I did something wrong? Who cares ? We later picked up another female with an important looking package and she was up front. I decided to sit back and keep my mouth shut until we got to an interesting looking spot and hop out so when I did he said one bir was fare for each so I finally got a one bir ride. One bir is only about fifteen cents but it's the principle of the thing you know.I had been getting Taxi's for the three mile ride to town and paying ten bir each way because they didn't pick up anybody on the way because I blurted out my destination right away and that's a signal I guess to them for 10 bir. (about a buck and a half and probably the cheapest Taxi ride in the world) For the same distance ride in Kiev I hace to pay ten Hyverna or about six bucks. So I found the main grain,corn,spices,etc area and got five ears of corn for four bir and a half kilo of beans for four bir. I then found a film place to develope a 36 roll of 35mm for 60 bir or about nine dollars. They had a good looking Fugi machine so I decided to turn a roll in and get it back tomorrow.
Day 11
Got the pictures back today and they were good. Got a one bir taxi each way. Met a local english teacher who told me there was a Mr. Allen teaching a course at the University who is an American. I think it's a two week course in something? Anyway we talked a little and he wanted to know about Russia. Found a place two blocks from Paul's house where we are staying that rents videos so I joined for 25 bir and checked out one movie for 5bir good for three days. Well, it turns out Mike's TV which is at Paul's house is not a multisystem TV it's an american TV. The VCR will play the tape but the TV won't sync the picture because it also won't sync the local TV station. That is the reason I purchased a Toshiba 21 system ( pal,secam,ntsc etc) It will display anything like Russian TV is mostly secam and it worked there and it works fine in Kiev and I'm sure it will show anything in America. Also we bought a multi system full featured VCR in Vladivostok that will play any tape and extended play. It's not smart to bring anything from america even though this house of PAULS HAS 110V. Also it's 50HZ and 110v motors expect 60HZ if their made in america. You have to read all voltage and power rating on equipment before plugging in over here. CD players and VCR's work because the motor is DC derived from the input power. For instance our Bose stereo is American made (not the european verson) but I called Bose before we shipped to Russia and talked to a technical rep and he assure me the LIfestyle system we have would work fine if I run it on at least a 300Watt Transformer 220 to 110V stepdown. The transformer is heavy and about 6 to 8 inches square overall size but works great. We have a CD and Tape player hooked to it and also run the VCR and TV through it to take advantage of the better sound when watching a video. Now here is the irony of it. We can rent english movies here but Paul's TV will not show them but in Kiev when we get back next month our system will play anything but we can't find a place that rents english movies. Kiev and Russia have Russian or Ukrainian dubbed over the sound of all the english movies but you can still hear the english faint in the background and it's really stupid not to just put Russian or Ukrainian sub titles and let the original sound of the movie come through. Well, apparently it's too expensive! How many foreign films have you seen with english subtitles? It works, both speaking people can enjoy. But oh no! the Russians and former Soviet Union really know how to cut the destroy them!
Day 12
Wednesday 20th august.
Maid day
Went to work with Sarah and worked in lab packaging medicine all morning. Went home at 1pm and got there at 1:20 and maid still there I guess because it was sure to rain so I left and walked back to work to wait til the rain stopped and the maid went home. It was raining all the way back so I got soaked instead of the maid. I hung around until the rain stopped and went home. I spent the rest of the day catching up on this and the main reason I'm doing this is to give a general idea to the kids as to what goes on in our lives living overseas. When and if I put this on the internet it's easier for people to click from one hypertext page to the other reading only what they want. So today is coming to a close.
Day 13
Thursday 21st August
Went to work and found out how to print a hard copy of email which is something none of them could do. Their email is coming in from the service provider UUCP and since they have Power Mac's they had to buy a copy of Softwindows just for the DOS to send and receive email. So this may be boring but the way to do it is to format a diskette in DOS and after going to softwindows and getting in DOS and reading mail you have to do a copy command to the superdrive a:/ in their case. When you have the email on diskette go back out of soft windows and at the Mac desktop do an eject disk. The a:\ drive is now switched back to a Mac diskette because you are not in Softwindows anymore. So, just put the diskette right back in and the Mac can read the dos diskette but you need to have a translator like MacLinkPlus 7.5 to translate the file. After it's translated to Microsoft Word (The one I chose) then it can be printed on the laser printer. Ha! what a mess. The reason they are not using Quickmail is the local ISP can't handle the Mac's? Anyway, I proved they could get hard copies but I'll have to train a local user. went downtown and bought a heating coil 220V to heat coffee water 35 bir. Tested it at home and it heated fine.
Turned in the movie that wouldn't work because it was recorded in PAL. I asked if they had any recoeded in NTSC and it turns out all the american ones are in NTSC and they had the originals and would rent them to me if I had a good VCR and no children. I thought to myself that they were smart by doing that but at the same time wondered to myself if it was illegal that they were copying the originals in PAL and renting the PAL ones out(copyright?) anyway I guess they did that because the poor quality of peoples VCR's here and children tearing them up. Anyway I was able to get an original and took it home and it played just fine with the american set up. So I guess we will try and rent a few tomorrow Friday for the weekend 5 bir per movie keep three days! In other words 72 cents (USD) a movie. The selection is only about 20 US movies and the rest are British and whatever all recorded in PAL format.
Day 14
Maid day Friday 14th August
Went to work proudly carrying our new 35 bir heating coil to have instant coffee and hot water for tea. Well, I might have known the heating coil does not work anymore!. So I took it back to original shop and exchanged it for a good one. Went back to work and at lunch Sarah and I got a one bir taxi to the Ambassador hotel to eat lunch at the same place we went before but we ate in the non Eritrean side. It was very nice with white linen tablecloths and napkins and not crowded. I had grilled Red Snapper and Sarah got the lamb kabob. We drank two bottles of mineral water with the lunch and it was all good. total price was 51 bir including 4.50 service charge and tax. Which is slightly over seven dollars US. So Sarah said she was going to order lobster when we go back Saturday night for those prices. here a tall coka cola is 1 1/2 bir and if you don't have a bottle(all are deposit bottles and you don't see much laying around here) its 1 1/2 bir for the bottle. Or a coke is twenty five cents if you have your deposit bottle. We took another one bir taxi back to work and shortly after I walked home. On the way home I was pulled in by the store owner on the corner (can't remember or pronounce his name) he was in front of his house and wanted to show me in so I went in and inside the wall around his house was his little world. All the houses and villa's here seem to have a wall around them. The common poorer folk don't have the wall or any privacy. Well guess what? there were about five or six three to five year olds there and they all came out dressed very nice and I got their picture and one with him with the kids. This was after I had to see his chickens and his big prize rooster that was hiding some were walking around the yard. He also had a sheep in a small pin and a grape arbor and a few stalks of corn and some cats all within a 25ft. square. They keep animals in town and they have pins in the yard but they steak them out or take them around the neighborhood to eat down the vegitation. The other day I saw out front of our house grazing in the dirt road a horse, two burrows, and five cows. I was home a couple of hours before Sarah and when she came home I said "did you see the animals out front" and she said " yes there were several sheep out there. so I guess the really rotate the animals through the neighborhoods where the choice green grass is growing. Anyway when I get the roll of film developed I'm giving the old man the picture of him and the kids and I'm keeping the other one.
Day 15
Not much going on today
DAY 16
Not much going on today
Day 17
Monday ,Aug. 25th.
Went to work . A lamp in the exam room blew and I had to get a 10amp glass fuse from Paul's house where I saw there was an extra one with a Voltage Regulator there. It seems the power is very dirty and varies up and down so they use voltage regulators with a servo motor and they will correct a ten volt variance within a half a second and I guess it's good enough for here. We have power and water everyday at least . I went downtown and bought a pack of clothspins and went to Wackiano's grocery store and got 1/2 kilo of ham and turkey sliced for futer lunches. While there I was approached by many silver dollar sellers (mostly Eithopean coins or Itialin). I paid one dollar over spot silver price or 35 bir each and now I have two of them at $5 each. I would buy them at that price because I have some American silver dollars in storage for just the bulk price of silver and I paid $6 each for them. So, I may get a couple of more later. I met a man named Abraham sitting at a streetside table today who was here from Norway and he said he was here talking to the Government about water. The Eritreans are working on their roads and many things since the 30 year war ended but have limited resources of course. I noticed disabled people who were getting around on a motorized vehicle similar to a four wheeler but with bicycle type wheels and I was told they were disabled in the war and the Government gave them these vehicles to get around which I thought was nice since a lot of war soldiers get forgoten soon after any war. The children all hit me with similar scams but I can't donate all the time. One of the popular ones is a young boy approaches and asks where I'm from etc. and then wants money for a football or dictionary or study book. One day I got into a lengthly discussion with a kid and said " you know some people ask for money for a football or a book or something honorable like a dictionary and then they use the money for something else. " He looked at me kind of funny like how did I figure out his game. I said I like games and I like to figure them out all the time. He left. Most of the kids are nice even if you turn them down. I got a picture today of three little girls about 5 to 7 years old and one of them had a bongo type drum and would tap it a few times and they would all reach out their hands. They all know the word "money" You will be walking down the street and hear footsteps fast approaching from the rear and you know it's time to put your "money all gone" act on. The frequency of being hit up is about 10 times per visit to town and some of the pro's are starting to leave me alone. Especially when I whip one of my silver dollars out and try to sell it to them for 100bir. The visiting Doctor arrived today and we may be going out to eat tonight since it's a sort of tradition to go out and eat the first night. We didn't do it because the Dr. was too tired just as we thought but Tim still wanted him to go so Sarah begged out and said we could do it some other night this week to give the tired Dr. an " out "
Day 18
Tuesday 26th August
Medical unit going to Mendefera today and I've been there once. I'll teach the Exec. secratary how to get a hard copy of email this morning and see if John Jr. has answered my email sent last week. Zewdi was not there again today so I'll teach her tomorrow or whenever. No email yet. Went home while the storm troopers went to Mendefera. I really would like to log on to the internet and check my [email protected] email and check the stock market and the ball scores etc. Well, I'll just have to wait til I get back to Kiev on the 12th of September. Here is where you forget the world except when the State Dept. issues warnings to not go beyoud Keren (where we went) due to the Sudanese border fly overs and some more land mines found out that way.
It's the third day of my eithopean revenge or whatevr you want to call it. We have been scrubbing vegetables and soaking them in a light bleach solution and rinsing good and I only eat meat well done but we have eaten out at the Ambassador which I don't suspect and two other places but Sarah doesn't have it so maybe I picked it up from having tea at one of the sidewalk cafe's
Day 19
Maids day August 27th.
went to work and separated and counted medicines and put them in proper dose bags with each of the thirty eight individual names and instructions. It took two hours and then I went downtown and had a coffee at sidewalk cafe. Met a guy from Sweeden named Nells and he is here at University of Health and Sience working with them on their Nurse and Doctor program. Came back and then Sarah and I went to lunch downtown at the Ambassador. I came home afterwards and am still having cramps and you know what for fourth day. Did some laundry and read some til the work day was over.
Day 20
August 28th
Stayed home and taking Cipro for my "condition" for at least three more days.
Day 21
August 29th Friday
Sarah went to Mendaefara for the day to hand out trainees medicine for them to keep with them when they get to their home sites throughout the country. They will be back in six months so they have a six month supply of Malaria and other medicine. It was to be TGIF somewhere but I didn't want to go.
Day 22
Stayed home read books made pizza. worked on this. All last night a shrill loud beep was heard intermittently all night. Sarah thought it was the phone but I wondered about the hand held police type radio we keep in the living room for emergencies. We thought the guard outside was keying his mike and somehow setting it off. Finally Sat night we decided to unplug everything and take the radio outside to guard in garage. Well, it still happened but only at night? Wierd! I happened to look on top of a glass case in the living room and saw a small smoke detector and it was the 9v battery type and I surmised the battery was low and it was intermittently letting out it's low battery warning beep. I guess only at night because it was cooler at night and during the day it was warm enough for the battery to recover and not send it's warning beep! Being in a strange house this is what you get. Now it's back to quiet nights again and not like the main drag in Kiev that we are returning.
Day 23
Sunday-laundry and reading day. Also rented some movies.
Day 24
Monday-Sept. 1st Eritrean "Martars Day" holiday.
Sent maid home and watched movies and read books. Sarah called out for person with a busted shoulder and had to stay for xrays and also got a call from Rodger at Mendefara about tomorrows activities. It took a few hours for the call so the holiday was over when she got back.
Day 25
Tuesday 2nd Sept.
Sarah went back to hospital and reviewed X-rays etc. and then had to go to mendefara. i read more of my book and did housework and then went out for some sugar for Tea and Coffee. So far we have purchased an espresso maker and a new Hair blow drier after the one we brought played out. I took it apart and found loose wire but will wait til I get back to Kiev to fix becaause that's where my soldering iron is located. i didn't bring any tools .
Day 26
Wednesday 3rd September
Mosquitoes particularly bad last night. Maid coming today. Going in to clinic for a while today while maid is here. Worked at clinic til noon. Sarah and I went to Ambassador and it took 45 min for order of grilled red snapper but it was good. They didn't have Red Sea lobster today. Nothing open so went back in a 10 bir taxi to avoid hassle with others. Turned in movies at 3pm. There is a charcoal smell every day at this house and it's coming from somewhere else but it only smells like charcoal and not food on charcoal so I don't know what it is but it's coming from blocks away. I guess it could be a restaraunt not too far away?
Day 27
Thursday Sept 4th.
Went to Asmara downtown and looked at nice lambs leather jacket for 1,0050 bir or $150 and it had a detachable hood. Also went to buy fish for cat and ham and cheese for lunch at the clinic. Took 24 roll of film in to have prints made. Got four little sort of pizza things that were round a little bigger than a hamburger bun and they had some type of topping like a very thin layer of tomatoe sauce with a few flakes of something which could have been pepper? Anyway, I ate one and left the others in the clinic. On the way home my old friend that's starting to get on my nerves hit me up for three bir and even tried to recruit me a woman on the way but I wasn't interested and told him not to follow me home. He followed me home with more sob stories and this time he wanted me to give him clothes and showed me a hole in his shirt so I showed him a hole in the cuff of my Levi's and said "so what". I went in and boiled the fish for the cat who is now spoiled rotten. Even the cat at the clinic is getting spoiled so it's time to leave Eritrea.
Day 28
Friday Sept 5th
Went in and sent email to Chrissie Stacy for Sarah and went in to town and bought a leather jacket with detachable hood. Picked up prints and bought two frames for the pictures of the Italian man and his grandchildren who lives down on the corner from the Peace Corps corner I turn walking everyday . He seemed overjoyed when I gave him the "going away" presents of two framed pictures. He was proud of the one with him in it and it was a good picture of him. The leather jacket is lambs leather and made in Eritrea. We had a lunch catered at Peace Corps and it was Eritrean style. Eat with your right hand only! It was very good with vegetables and lamb ribs that Sarah didn't like but I thought they were good. Also, we had some spicey meat in sauce which I asumed was lamb. We each had a Coca Cola in the bottle. They don't have the little Cokes in the original "cokebottle" shape like they had in Turkey. You know the really strong formula I could get in the 1940's and 50's in America before they started watering them down.
While I was downtown earlier I met a man from near here who was retired from the local Government but who was raised in Somalia until 21 and he came back here. He has children in Chicago and LA. He said he visited both places but got homesick right away.
His name was Woldeab that means son of the father and he said many names start here Wold... of whatever? this and that with different meanings. He said his Government retirement wasn't much at all after working 45 years (he's 68 but could pass for early 50's. Also his friend sat down who was dressed in the traditional dress for here and had a small ornate stick about 18 to 20 inches long and big around as a pencil. I wondered if it was a pacifier stick I see the old men carying since they spent their life with a much bigger version tending animals etc. never being without it all their lives. I asked Daniel (one of the peace corps staff) who is local to tell me if I'm right and he said they don't want to be without it like I thought but as they get older and older the stick becomes smaller and smaller. Why not! Why carry the big stick when the smaller easier to carry one gives them as much comfort. You know It's a lifelong habit. We are invited to the Embassy Deputy consulates house for dinner tonight but I'm not feeling up to it. Having a little bout with my osteoarthritis in rt knee and I've walked about three miles today already.
Day 29
Saturday 6th.
Sick today but still went downtown and Sarah got a gold necklace but we had to come home early due to my stomach cramps. Only after Sarah bought a shawl.
Day 30
Sunday 7th Sept.
stayed home taking pills.
Day 31
Monday 8th Sept.Maid's day
Today is the day Sarah's relief shows up from Uganda . There will be a three day overlap for her to get used to things here. The trainees will graduate to be volunteers Wednesday and we leave Thursday. There is reported to be 350 people invited to the graduation in Mendefara. I guess everybody from the Ambassador on down? I am taking a long stick with me today and going on a home visit to help Sarah inspect a volunteers house she lives in. The long pole is to push up on the roof from the inside where the volunteer says the roof flaps in the wind. If it's a corrugated sheet metal roof they will probably have to nail it back down with the lead-head roofing nails. No big deal!
We will see. I've decided I could do these things for myself if I was a volunteer but then again, I'm not 23 years old with no experience patching my own homes and out buildings. Ok, just back from 2.5 hrs round trip to Dekseb which is 10 miles of paved road and at least 10 miles of rockey 4 wheeler road and the problem with the roof is some loose corragated sheet metal and all it needs is some of the lead head nails put in at the right places and one small section of metal roofing. A half hour job once the materials are there. Well we got word the relief person was not allowed on the Eitheopean Airlines because she didn't have proof of a Eritrean passport. The way they did it for us was to give us the visa when we got to the Asmara airport here in Eritrea so coming in from Germany we had no problem. Must be a lot of Eithopeans trying to sneak in to Eritrea? Who knows ? so maybe she will be here tomorrow?
Day 32
Tuesday 9th Sept.
Went in to work and cashed fifty dollars to bir , printed a couple of things for Sarah and then walked to Aloha store and bought one kilo of ETHIO COFFEE a brand name of Ethiopian coffee Sarah wants to take back to Kiev. The store still didn't have milk but said they should receive a delivery in an hour. So I walked back to Paul's house and finished hanging out the laundry and ate breakfast and finished cleaning up the kitchen.
Made the cat some cut up boiled hot dogs to go with it''s cut up hamburger in the tupperware dish labled "cat food" I got a picture of a couple of burrows loaded down on the next street over to go with my other snapshots of everyday life in Eritrea. About four pm a steady drum beat started outside Boom Boom Boom etc etc about one beat per second exactly. Has war started again? I don't know? It's going at least an hour now and it only let up for a few seconds once! It's 5PM now.
Day 33
Wednesday 10th Sept - Graduation day for trainees in Mendefera .
Went in to work and printed an email for Sarah then went looking for a fort but never did find it. Walked about three miles and gave up. Went to have a coffee in park and read book then walked downtown and had a couple of beers. Walked back to the park after a bathroom stop at the Ambassador. Had a hamburger and Pepsi then walked back to the house and it was one thirty so I sucessfully spent five hours and the maid was still there when I got back because she thought I went to Mendefera with everybody for the ceremonies!. One more day to go here and no maid tomorrow!
Day 34
Thursday 11th - tonight at 11:30PM we leave.
The driver to take us to the Airport showed up at 9AM . Why am I not surprised? Spent the morning getting clothes clean and cleaning kitchen. Today or last night was Eritrean new years. They are on a different Calander. Maybe that was what the drum beating was all about the other day. Reading books til time to go.
Day 35
Friday -12th Sept Travel day Frankfort to Kiev to arrive 1600 PM Kiev time which just happens to be the same time as Eritrean time.
Please use your Browser back arrow/button to return to my home page or otherwise, it's the internet for you.