articles published in Addis Admass newspaper in Ethiopia
I think in some poor neighborhood in Addis, cats used to be fed by injera leftovers or perhaps a piece of bread. They rarely eat meat and so do dogs, so when they are pampered with meat during celebration time like New Years, I heard some of them will get sick - so do this cat of my friend.
Hello whoever reading this! I hope your life is getting better and happier. I was interviewed by Addis Admass (the most popular local newspaper!) few weeks ago. Here it is. Am I optimistic?
By the way, if you think you would like to do something good for Ethiopia, I would recommend to donate NGOs especially MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (Doctors without Borders)
PS Ah, and I need to apologize for unable to publish my angry article on B people in Ethiopia. I will try to publish it sooner.
1) What is your moral code in relation ot right and wrong?
I try to think carefully to make decision by myself and do the things to come out positively not only good for myself but like thinking the consequence of others, environments, etc. I think many people agree on moral codes but what is important is whether you act or not. For example, I am happy to see the people giving away the seats to elders in minibus. Or I am frustrated when I am cheated in the minibus woyalla (minibus attendant) and other passengers do not help me when I am trying to get back the money from woyalla.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bxxxxxs push others to get into the minibus
Bxxxxxs cut line
Bxxxxxs tease me on the street
Bxxxxxs shout at me on the street for nothing
Bxxxxxs try to cheat
Hearing horrible stories of people hurt by Bxxxxxs
and I will be reporting about Bxxxxxs on Addis Admass soon!
Thanks to current worsening inflation. Now my favorite french fries stand has chosen to close the business on the street. Unable to sell 1 Birr french fries anymore due to higher potato price.
Another of my favorite in Addis has gone….. puwa puwa puwa…..
PS Recent fare adjustment of minibus is terrible, but increasing Ambassa Bus’s fare is horrible as this is the public bus for much lower income people.
No. 1
My friend S’s house. Her family’s daily menu “shero-wot”. (Though I can’t go often. You know)
No. 2
My friend L’s coffee ceremony. Thank you for offering me the precious coffee.
No. 3
My house. 4 Birr Asian noodle from nearby supermarket.
No. 4
Cheap cafes that still sells coffee with milk for 1.50 – 2.00 birr.
. . . Can’t eat/drink out much because of inflation.
Today, I am interviewing the person who has been trying her best to bring more smiles to PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS) in Ethiopia. She is Yumi, a Japanese nurse who came here as JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer) volunteer. She has been introducing the unique exercise for PLWHA.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published in the magazine of Addis Ababa Tourism Commission
I have been hearing the dissatisfactions from many foreign tourists towards the tourist attractions in Addis Ababa such as museums and churches. They would say that there are things interesting enough to visit but their values are degraded due to the poor management, leaving bitter experiences to tourists that even worse result in the negative impression of over all tourism in Addis Ababa.
Read the rest of this entry »
Every morning, I take minibus to my workplace. Read the rest of this entry »
Inflation Figures
Source: My friend whose household income is less than 800 Birr a month, living in a poor neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »
Japanese professional chef, Ryo is a volunteer of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JICA) who came to Ethiopia to teach food preparation. After almost 2 years of stay, he is now leaving Ethiopia where he enjoyed a lot. So, before he leaves us to Japan, let me interview him about his stay and hear his final advices to Ethiopian food preparation professionals.
Jihoe5: Tell me about your experience in Ethiopia.
Ryo: Having traveled different parts of Ethiopia, I was impressed by the beautiful nature as well as how people value their culture. For instance, I was truly moved by the religious practice of people in the North. As a chef, it was interesting to see unique Ethiopian food – totally different from Japanese food. It is also wonderful to see the manner of sharing one dish with 3 to 4 people.
Jihoe5: As how some foreigners feel, were you also afraid of food poison in the restaurants in Ethiopia?
Ryo: Luckily, I have never experienced food poison, but I was careful especially those restaurants or like cafeteria with dirty dining room. I was also careful to see whether the hamburger’s meat is well cooked b because sometimes, the inside is uncooked. I was also careful with salads. Read the rest of this entry »
… and no more New York x 2
Read the rest of this entry »
Hello All,
My recent article on Addis Admass about the social problem of young Ethiopian females and their ’sugar daddies’ is difficult for me to translate into English, so interested Farenji readers, please ask your Ethiopian friends to translate it for you if you are interested in reading it. Sorry!
Here is the original article in Amharic.
Wetat cet temariwochna sugar dadiwoch
Ethish addis ababa yahultagna derga temehert betochena yacollage wetat cet temarwoch lamechotna lemaznanat selu abatachwen kemiyakakelu wendoch gare endemiwatu sesema betame new yetagramekute. Read the rest of this entry »
I hope some people enjoyed my coffee ceremony at 120 (ETV) yesterday.
Well, my new article will be about sugar daddies. Please check out the next issue of Addis Admass (published in Amharic).
jihoe5
New York New York @ Bole
Findata, a bit doriye atmosphere. Waiter’s apron. But you do not expect good service.
Garden Paradise @ Sar Beyt
Expensive but satisfaction guaranteed! Must visit for restaurant owners who would like to improve their service.
Rose Cafe & Restaurant @ Magananeya
For dinich tibs (french fries)
RAS Restaurant @ Mexico
Retro ambiance. Better to go after dark.
( just for this blog)
When I first came to Ethiopia 4 years ago, I was wondering about men holding some papers on the streets and shouting, “DV be 1 birr, DV be 1 birr”. It made me curious to see many stopped their busy stride to buy a paper form DV application.
Now, the season’s scenery has transformed to a bunch of “DV 2006″ advertisements on the windows of Internet pops (café). In small not-so-cozy pops, you see a middle aged man with serious face sitting patiently next to the young female typist who fills out his internet DV application form. Holding his ID card firmly, he once in a while bends towards the computer screen to check if the typist is doing it right. He wants to order her just like he does in his office and house. But as he has no idea about the computer, he only has to pretend as confident and relaxed, wishing that this process will be over soon and, praying that this young lady would not make any mistake in filling his information as the USA is too strict.
Most of the people I know say they apply for the DV “to make money” or “for better life”. I consider those who prefer to go USA or Europe, but not to the Middle East, as not desperate since they don’t want to put their life on the line by being a housemaid in the Middle East.
Read the rest of this entry »
I have added more results from the original Addis Admass article. Enjoy!
Dear Addis Admass readers,
How was your recent visit of restaurants and hotels? Have you had any rude waiter who ruined your special date? Did you have food poison after eating salad? Was the hotel room free from cockroaches? Certainly, standards of restaurants and hotels have improved as a result of more competition and higher expectations of customers. However, do you say it is at the satisfactory level?
In 2002, I questioned 50 Japanese about restaurants and hotels in Ethiopia. Now after 3 years, I looked back the result of this survey and found out that this result could still be worth sharing. I think it will add in speeding up the improvement of this sector that will lead to happier faces of both customers, workers, and owners.
The following is the 36 valid results from the paper-form-survey. Most respondents live in Addis Ababa. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Addis Admass readers, a bit late to say, but still, “Melkem Addis Amet! (A Happy New Year)” In spite of all those sad incidents that happened last year, I hope people at last had a moment of relaxation and happiness together with their loved ones.
On the New Year’s celebration, many people complained about high price of feast ingredients. Perhaps some people had to celebrate with doro (chicken) instead of bug (sheep) or limit the number of eggs in their wot (stew).
Even though their table became less crowded than before, those who were able to celebrate are fortunate. I wish their happiness was also shared with others. As Maya Angelou said, “you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back”.
On the New Year’s Eve, I went to a place near Teke Haimanot Church to visit a woman named Yemisrach. It was one of the poorest neighborhoods that I have seen in Addis. As soon as I stepped into the filthy and crowded community, my legs wanted to take a u-turn and escape.
Yemisrach is a poor woman. I met her 3 years ago on my way to work. I used to walk everyday to my office around Mexico, passing by at least 20 beggars, a variety of them.
Teenage boy with skinny paralyzed legs, a woman with an elephant like swollen legs, a woman who had big lump on her throat, a man showing his reddish swollen bellybutton, another man who frantically shakes his fingerless hands, and a half naked tearful woman showing her bust holding Jesus Christ’s icon.
There were also those invisible sufferers from children to grand parents sleeping or sitting on the street. With the various expressions of misfortunes, the place was like a display of suffering, certainly abnormal scene I had never experience until I came to Ethiopia.
Yemisrach was among them sitting on the street holding her baby completely wrapped with her natala. She caught my attention being hilarious and energetic above all those depressed looking beggars. I wondered if she was really suffering from something. Read the rest of this entry »
I have been writing articles for Addis Admass about the poor services of restaurants, pointing out unfriendly, inattentive, and inefficient waiters, dirty menus, filthy toilets, absence of sugar pots on tables etc.
All these things after all are not results of customer-oriented restaurants. Such restaurants do not appreciate their customers. They do not care if customers are irritated or disappointed after dining in their place. They completely forgot that their business is sustained by the customers who pay, come again, and even more, bring more customers, recommending their friends and neighbors.
Fortunately, some restaurants, particularly in Addis Ababa, have started to work on satisfying their customers with better service, improved sanitation, seriously considering customers’ complaints etc.
They have begun to see their business from the customer’s point of view to win the ever-increasing competition from new comers. At the same time, I believe the increasing number of customers who demanded better treatment and service changed the situation. So I hope this customer-oriented mind will soon become a norm in the restaurant businesses.
However, is this only the issue of restaurants? No. Various businesses especially those having a direct contact with customers such as boutiques, beauty parlors, banks, sega beyts (small meat shops), even small suks (small grocery stores) and shoes shine businesses, all these businesses better operate in customer oriented manner. Read the rest of this entry »
Tenaystligne! I stepped on the land of Ethiopia for the first time 4 years ago and had 2 wonderful years in Addis Ababa. Of course, the loyal Addis Admass readers may instantly recognize me as a contributor of articles about the hotels and restaurants in Ethiopia.
My writings focused on the poor restaurant service including unfriendly, almost rude waiters and waitresses and those who never take note when taking order, bring something that you didn’t order to your table, and never apologizes about it. I touched the sanitation of restaurants, dirty table, filthy menu, unclean sugar pot, and waiter’s uniform, and sometimes even about an insect or hair in your food.
I also mentioned about stingy restaurant owners who would not place toilet papers in their latrine, underpay their employees, take all the service charges into their pockets, and those who tries to cheats tax by not presenting receipt to the customers.
After 2 years, I am back to Ethiopia and I think this trip has proven for me how much I like living in this country. When I returned to Addis, I was astonished by the rapid changes in the city. Taller buildings, more cars, more people, plenty of billboards on the roads, many goods to buy. Of course I was very excited to see more appealing restaurants and cafes that I had to rewrite my ‘list’ of favourites.
I noticed more people enjoying eating out meaning their tongues become more acute and they become more sensitive toward bad service. In order to satisfy these matured customers and to survive this ever-increasing competition from rising new restaurants, the owners must be forced to offer better service and good quality food.
Indeed, this is a good sign of the development of hospitality industry in Ethiopia. Among all these exciting changes in Addis, what has really surprised me was the dramatic decrease of jeers or “farenji calls” on the streets, which had been the only thing I really hate about this country. I once wrote an article on Addis Admass on this issue.
I like strolling around the town because when you walk you can feel the town itself with your five senses that you would miss out if you are only passing by a car. However, walking around Addis Ababa at that time was a nightmare. Many foreigners were reluctant to take a walk on the streets because they could not do so without being harassed.
As I walked down the street, people made fun of me by shouting in various ways. Typical ones were farenji, kayu (white-skin), China, Korea or Japan. They just expressed what they had seen. Or I will be often called for “money!” or “sister, I am hungry”, or I saw people placing their right hand to the mouth to show they want something to eat they thought foreigners are simply rich people. I could understand if beggars did such things. Amazingly, it is both adults and children who did not look poor ask for money. Read the rest of this entry »
Here is the English translated and a bit modified version of my recent articles published in the popular Amharic newspaper “Addis Admass” in Ethiopia.
The articles published before 2006 are not planned to be appeared here as I am a bit lazy.
Amsegnahlow (thank you)
