findafrica

1. Addis Abeba, is mostly cold throughout the year with temperatures oscillating between 9-25 Degree Celsius
2. Ethiopian airline is the most prestigious and successful of all Africa 
3. You can get a Ride (the same as Uber) which is priced by kilometres 
4. Ethiopians eat Injera with all their meals (staple food)
5. Hairdressers can only do Ethiopian style and not 'African' as other parts of the continent
6. All banks are Ethiopian because the country does not allow foreign banks 
7. Among countries in Africa where the national language, Amharic, is used to teach in universities
8. They are the proudest nationals you would ever meet. 
9. There are far too many homeless people
10. In my opinion, their women are not the most beautiful in Africa, as the some say
11. Ethiopians consider other Africans to be 'Africans' but them. There is no sense of pan-African ideologies among most of them 
12. There is no plantain, I repeat, there is no plantain (not even imported). This is a crime 😳😅👁
13. One of the most diverse dance cultures in Africa, which I love!
14. Their calendar is unique and roughly 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. Right now it’s 2013 in Ethiopia and almost 2021 in most parts of the world. The New Years is celebrated in September 
15. You can get a train from Addis Abeba to Djibouti City, which takes approximately 15-20h for $30 one way 
16. Ethiopia is the most used stopover in Africa for flights worldwide 
17. If you don’t speak Amharic then it’s not easy to navigate around, however it’s not impossible. There are main buses companies from the capital to other main regions. Otherwise your next option is a mini-bus (called taxi). Remember that the word “STOP” doesn’t work here in public transport. The right one is “Warajala or Waraj”. If you forget them, then forget your bus stop lol 😂! 
18. Sexual harassment is a sad reality the streets! Even though they stress that they are open-minded, still you can’t wear anything short or revealing. Be minded of what you can wear without calling much attention towards yourself.
19. A small dictionary: thank you (amaseginalew), ok/you’re welcome (eshi), meat (seghar), fish (asa), bill (hisab), there is (alem), there isn’t (yalem), right (kâin), left (gera), water (woha), how much (zent no).
20. There is police patrolling in most streets, however most don’t speak English. If you get robbed, which is super common, then shout “leiba” = robber
21. Be ware of dogs, there are countless homeless dogs mostly friendly but others are a bit hungry 😋 
22. Ethiopia has one of the best pizza you can eat around the world . 
23. Be careful with online hangout (e.g. Couchsurfing) as it could end up being an unexpected and expensive date 
24. Ethiopia is among the top 3 African countries with most African heritage sites. It holds 9 sites, alongside South African and Morocco. 
25. A country where Jesus is not white but rather black African. This is wonderful!
26. The first country to receive Islamism (Ya, Prophet Mohamed sent his followers to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) seeking asylum)
27. A landlocked country, which means there are no beaches. Nevertheless, you can visit Kenya (Mombasa-beaches) for the weekend.  
28. You cannot send money via western union like most of us do. You can only receive it from out of the country.
29. Poverty is very relative. Ethiopia, according to myself and other expats or travelers, shows sign of chronic poverty. There is a beggar in every corner. 
30. Despite its poverty, lakes are one of the biggest touristic points in Ethiopia. The country is bathed by all size lakes from north to south. Some in which you can swim. 
31. Ethiopians are really keen to help in case you are lost in the streets but don’t expect them to be as helpful in public institutions 
32. Addis Abeba means the “new flower” in Amharic. Finfinne in Oromo language which means “natural spring” 
33. Housing: Be minded that there is a national and foreign price. A one furnished bedroom house would cost a National birr1000 ($30), on the other hand birr12000 ($300) for a foreign (black/yellow/pink,etc). We are on the same boat mates. 
34. Buying: bargain please! Nothing has a fixed price over there unless u are in a restaurant or supermarket. 
35. There are always fruits being sold everywhere and at a very affordable price. 
36. They have excellent natural juice/smoothies made on the go of avocado, banana, watermelon, sugarcane, papaya and orange. They are divine. 
37. To avoid expensive restaurants, there are fruit salads or spaghetti salads being served in the fruit stands for no more than birr 30-60. 

38. Habesha crisps produced locally sending a message of uniqueness across the world. They are forever my favorites

39. If you think castles can only be seeing in Europe, then you haven't seen castles built in Ethiopia by Ethiopians. They hold their history to a grand standard and preserve most of the artcrafts. 
40. My favorite thing are the movie houses. These are places which sell any movies at birr 3 and series at birr 1 per episode. Sounds great right? Then just take your memory stick and they will do the magic.