Awakened at 7:00-ish feeling much better than I did last night.
I was almost ready to go out for breakfast-reading-writing when my electricity went out. Oh, well. Hopefully, it'll be back on this afternoon, as I have a date with Oprah. I must know what happened between her and Iyanla something-or-another!
One agenda item for Awassa is to rent a boat to go out and see hippos in the lake! Another agenda item for today is to get more cash.
I did conduct a little banking via email yesterday. I'm very happy that, before I left the U.S., I stopped by my credit union, where a teller and I worked out an arrangement where I can email her (and a fall-back staffer) and ask her to conduct some transactions for me. All I need to offer is some key info that we agreed on. This means I do not have to risk accessing my account online in an insecure environment. In yesterday's case, I was able to facilitate the payment of a bill.
As far as tools go, the hands-down most useful item I brought with me was my flashlight. I used it on the flight to Ethiopia and almost every day since to:
I know the headband lights are popular, but I'm just as happy with the tiny, one-battery, hand-held light I brought.
The things I most wish I brought are:
I did finally get some cash today, but took several abortive visits to the bank, as the ATM was experiencing technical difficulties. Plus I guess it ran out of cash at some point.
I was almost ready to go out for breakfast-reading-writing when my electricity went out. Oh, well. Hopefully, it'll be back on this afternoon, as I have a date with Oprah. I must know what happened between her and Iyanla something-or-another!
One agenda item for Awassa is to rent a boat to go out and see hippos in the lake! Another agenda item for today is to get more cash.
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| Dashen Bank ATM in Awassa piazza. Photo credit: "Abnet" at skyscrapercity |
I did conduct a little banking via email yesterday. I'm very happy that, before I left the U.S., I stopped by my credit union, where a teller and I worked out an arrangement where I can email her (and a fall-back staffer) and ask her to conduct some transactions for me. All I need to offer is some key info that we agreed on. This means I do not have to risk accessing my account online in an insecure environment. In yesterday's case, I was able to facilitate the payment of a bill.
As far as tools go, the hands-down most useful item I brought with me was my flashlight. I used it on the flight to Ethiopia and almost every day since to:
- Illuminate dark rooms in historic buildings and a cave
- Provide me with security when I walk "home" at night
- Expose the diverse bone breakers, such as gigantic, yawning openings in pavement (usually into a storm drainage system), unexpected upward or downward ramps, narrow and shallow drainage trenches that are inside many businesses, and sudden curbs
- Read in bed
- Provide light when the power goes out (a frequent occurrence, regardless of where I've been in Ethiopia)
- Read menus in dark restaurant lighting
- Look for the correct bus at 5:00 in the morning
I know the headband lights are popular, but I'm just as happy with the tiny, one-battery, hand-held light I brought.
The things I most wish I brought are:
- Bandana (for the dusty, dusty, dusty side streets)
- Beverage heater (immersion coil)
I did finally get some cash today, but took several abortive visits to the bank, as the ATM was experiencing technical difficulties. Plus I guess it ran out of cash at some point.
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