this week i

woke up in addis ababa. arrival without an agenda meant i had to rely on the kindness of strangers, a safe bet. a ticket agent at dulles airport armed me with her cousin's number, but i ended up hitching a ride with some friends i made on the plane. the ethiopian-born, hopkins-trained dermatologist among them insisted i tag along as they

toured a leprosy hospital (http://www.telecom.net.et/~tdalert/about_ethiopia.htm). its mission extended to post-treatment employment, maybe a lesson here for western medicine/hospital administration.


caught a minibus north.

hiked along waterfalls. overdosed on spongebread. ambled through slums. napped like crazy. hopped between twelfth-century island monasteries. rediscovered the source of the nile. flew through the countryside.

unearthed...

sweet addiction in every home

hydroelectricity or magnificence, never at the same time

roadside choirs

baths

more foosball tables than street dogs, no explanation.

realized that the obama-supporter pejorative, "kool-aid drinker," originated from the jonesboro, guyana mass-suicide cult. a little extreme, but not without company.

12/25/08