wedding season (1)

July 20

its funny how most things in Africa move at a pace as slow as molasses, but at the drop of a hat things can happen like lightening...

plans to meet friends for pizza quickly foiled as I show up to the blue top restaurant and its closed. Silly me. it's monday. All by myself at rush hour.yes car traffic, but more so people rushing to catch the next form of public transit. Shoulder to shoulder at times. Can’t help but stand out. So as not to become an easy target- I walk. “look like you know where you are going,” I rehearse in my head. “Firenje!” kids shout as I walk by. Little ladies shriveled by the side of the road. Alms for the poor. Shoe shine boys line the streets—they want my business—I’m wearing flip-flops. Students bustling to and from the university. Sidewalk cafes filled to the brim. Smell the roast of Ethiopian coffee beans. macchiatos. Trash-filled potholes line the muddy streets. Fresh rain. I round the block to pass by once again. Head up. Eyes forward. Hand on bag. Be wise. I turn many eyes, but only catch a few. Big grin. blue top is still closed- yes, it’s still Monday.

No sign of my friends. Busy intersection. Back into a corner so I’m not such a spectacle. Safe haven. Watch the world go by. Thank heaven for cell phones. You can talk on them even if no one is on the other end and look like you know what you are doing. Time to plot plan b. sweet little girl offers me a kernel off of her cob of “bokolo;” a precious gift. tickled I know the Amharic word. Older brother scolds her- she is supposed to be begging. Instead she offers me her hand. We smile. Time to leave my spot I suppose."