Friendship Square
If you read my previous post, you would know that I got myself into a Facebook fracas (certainly not the first time that's happened) with "M". M apparently read that blog entry and was none too pleased with it. Being an aspiring author and screenwriter, with several self-published books to his credit, M took me down several deserved pegs with a brilliant, urbane and witty essay.
No, I'm kidding. His response was another unhinged diatribe that veered from his political obsessions (Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian dissident who was arrested after the plane he was on was forced down by the Lukashenko regime on the pretense of a "bomb threat", is a "fascist") to the usual personal attacks (I'm just a tool for the U.S. government because I work for the State Department) to the just plain bizarre (still obsessing over trivial matters that took place 20 some years ago). His apparent response was to remove himself completely from FB which is a pity, as the non-political posts he shared were often hilarious. I'm sure M will be back (though I doubt I will be sent a Friend request), railing on about how U.S. imperialism is the cause of all the world's evils, and looking for ways to absolve authoritarian governments of any responsibilities for their actions (the Russians never tried to influence elections, genocide isn't being committed against the Uyghurs etc.).
At the other end of the spectrum from M is "T.H.", a Canadian acquaintance from my days in Taiwan. TH is still there; according to LinkedIn, he should be congratulated for reaching his sixth year at the Kid Castle buxiban 補習班 in Miaoli 苗栗, though I'm not sure "congratulations" is the right response. TH unfriended but didn't block me on FB a few years ago, so occasionally I check in on his timeline to see how he's doing, and the news is sad. TH has fallen far down the right-wing rabbit hole, with delusional and ill-informed "observations" that make Tucker Carlson seem reasonable and sane. Lately he's become an anti-vaxxer, with Facebook flagging several of his posts (at least that I've seen) as having contained false or misleading information.
What is surprising isn't the direction that TH has taken, but that he's far from alone within the Taiwan expat English teacher community. I would've assumed that someone who has moved to a foreign country to live and work, and who in many cases is involved in a romantic relationship with (or even married to) a native of that country, would be open-minded, progressive and tolerant, to name a few adjectives. But from what I've seen on FB as well as on Taiwan-based forums like Forumosa, there's a sizeable number of people from Western countries living and working in Taiwan who are the exact opposite, judging by the misogynistic and racist drivel they post. Why they continue to live and work amongst the "mud races" (as a friend once sarcastically described it) is a mystery. And it isn't only Taiwan - I knew an American teaching English (of course) at a university in a rural part of Niigata Prefecture 新潟県, Japan who was a devoted follower of Glenn Beck. At the same time he was married to a Japanese woman and had a couple of bicultural kids. I can't even imagine the mental contortions he went through trying to reconcile Beck's hysterical calls to "defend white culture" with the fact that he himself was helping to dilute the purity of the master race.
I prefer to remain in a world that isn't black or white, or good and evil, where complex situations can't be explained away with talk of government conspiracies, or by attaching an "-ist" to an idea and having that define everything around you despite all evidence to the contrary. So here are some recent photos from the real world that I inhabit here in Addis Ababa አዲስ አበባ (though not for much longer):
My daughter has been learning to play a piece on her mother's guzheng 古箏, a Chinese zither, for her end-of-term project. My wife was inspired one evening to dig out her cheongsam 旗袍, which she had worn when we got married, and have Amber try it on. The results were stunning, though at the same time a sad reminder that my little girl is growing up. As she gets older and physically more mature, I'm sure she will attract attention from certain types of (mostly white) men (either aspiring or former English teachers in China and Taiwan) once they learn of Amber's background. They will try to impress her with their poor efforts at speaking Mandarin, while attempting to persuade her to go with them to an "amazing" Chinese restaurant they know of where the food is "authentic". Over dinner they will try to explain "China and the Chinese", or "Taiwan and the Taiwanese", to my daughter, as if she were completely unaware of her heritage. It's something she'll have to learn to deal with:
Taking the car in for its overdue annual inspection, a requirement for clearing the paperwork that will allow our vehicle to shipped back to the U.S. I hope someday it can be passed down to our daughter, who will be old enough to get a learner's permit this summer in Virginia:
I've often posted photos of the two giant tortoises that live on the embassy grounds. One afternoon, however, I came across this unauthorized visitor:
And here's another trespasser on U.S. government property:
The view from behind
Embwa Creamery. What can't be reproduced here are the smells emanating from the nearby abattoir and cattle market (the gelato is worth putting up with the odors):
Having lunch at Coffee.com, one our favorite area restaurants:
Note the Hangul characters above the wall of this residence:
Unlike in other major African cities, there's a dearth of familiar Western names in Addis Ababa - no McDonald's, no Starbucks, no 7-Eleven and so on (only Pizza Hut and Cold Stone Creamery, with rumors of Burger King eventually moving in). In their place are local businesses that try to use trademarked names - Addis has a Home Depot, for example, that has no connection to the U.S. DIY retailer. There used to be an "In-N-Out Burger" on South Africa Street, but it's since changed its name to In-Joy. Amber and I went there for lunch to celebrate her getting the second Pfizer vaccine shot:
My daughter thought this gate looked "trippy":
We arrived in Ethiopia two years ago during the rainy season, and it looks like we'll be departing during it as well:
I've been trying unsuccessfully to get a decent photo of this bronze replica of the
Sebastopol, an artillery mortar commissioned by Emperor Tewodros II. It sits in the middle of a traffic circle on Churchill Street:
Amber did much better at taking pictures of the
Miyazya 27 Victory Statue, denoting the days when Ethiopia fell to Italy in 1936 and then was liberated in 1941...:
…and the
Yekatit 12 Monument, commemorating the victims of an Italian massacre in February 1937:
Old VW Beetles are a not uncommon sight on the streets of the capital:
A sight that is very uncommon is that of skateboarders. My daughter took this picture of one going downhill on Churchill Street at high speed, weaving in and out among the moving cars. As a parent I strongly disapproved of this dangerous and idiotic behavior. As a former skateboarder, I was hella impressed:
On a Saturday morning I set out in search of shops selling Ethiopian national soccer team jerseys (or kits of some of the local clubs). The trek ended up taking 131 minutes and 12,008 steps, one of the longest walks I've undertaken since returning to Ethiopia last October. My heart started to beat rapidly as I began the climb up Roosevelt Street, but it soon settled down. The good news is that I wasn't bothered by pickpockets, though I did have to fend off some aggressive black market moneychangers. The bad news is that I couldn't find any stores selling football-related gear. The worse news was that I sometimes found myself amidst crowds of people, many of whom weren't wearing masks. I hope I don't leave the country with an unwanted souvenir.
Buses lined up on Roosevelt Street:
The
Legahar Lion of Judah Statue, unveiled by Empress Zewditu and the then-Crown Prince Haile Selassie in 1930:
The statue stands in front of the La Gare Legahar railway station, designed by French architect Paul Barria and opened by Empress Zewditu in 1930:
The station, once the terminal of a line connecting Addis Ababa with Djibouti, is no longer in operation, but there are some old cars in the back, where there's also a café:
Future plans apparently envision turning the Legehar train station into a high-end shopping mall:
The modern Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway now "operates" from a station on the outskirts of the capital.
This writer tried to ride the train, but without success:
Another Lion of Judah Statue stands next to the theater. This one was created by French sculptor Maurice Celka in 1955 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Haile Selassie's coronation:
Books for sale at an outdoor stand on Churchill Street:
Someone from the South African embassy buys fruit from a street vendor:
Election day is fast approaching (assuming it doesn't get postponed yet again):
A pack of street dogs relaxes in the sun. Quiet during the day, I often hear these curs at night:
This past Sunday Amber and I did some sightseeing (Shu-E as always preferring the comforts of staying inside at home to mingling with the masses and possibly exposing herself to the coronavirus). The recently opened Friendship Square ወዳጅነት አደባባይ is Addis' latest place of interest, and while the opening weekend late last month draw long lines of visitors waiting to get in, we were able to drive in on a Sunday morning and easily find a parking spot. Being foreigners, admission for two was a whopping ETB800 ($18.45) - it appears my daughter was charged as an adult (one of the drawbacks to being tall?):
The park's various platforms offer goods views of the city skyline:
The "friendship" in the square's name refers to that between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the People's Republic of China:
In the middle of the park is a huge square intended to be used for rallies (hopefully once the threat from COVID-19 has receded):
The Cultural Embossed Wall has images of Ethiopian culture such as implements used in the
coffee ceremony:
ኢትዮጵያ - Ethiopia:
The national flag flying proudly in the aforementioned Ceremonial Square:
As nice as the park is, the reality of life for most residents of the capital could be easily seen on the other side of the Bantyketu River:
Looking across Sheger Lake towards Ceremonial Square:
The day had started out sunny, but dark clouds soon began to appear:
The stone painted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed አብይ አህመድ አሊ during the square's groundbreaking ceremony in October 2019 (see sign above):
The minaret of the Tewfik Mosque rises across the road. Friday afternoons on Taitu Street are best avoided due to traffic jams around the mosque during Friday prayers:
Amber looks out over the artificial Sheger Lake:
It's difficult to see, but there's an egret on top of the tree in the center. Such birds are rare sights in Addis Ababa (at least for me):
In case there were any doubts over who assisted the Ethiopians in constructing Friendship Square. The verdict: it's a nice spot, a quiet oasis in a city sorely lacking in parks and other green spaces. However, the park isn't finished - there's another section on the other side of Colson Street that's still under construction, and none of the restaurants in the part that is open to visitors were ready for diners (none of them had any furnishings, for example). It would appear the government timed the opening of Friendship Square so that it could point to this accomplishment in the runup to the elections now scheduled to be held on June 21.
Also, while Friendship Square may celebrate Ethio-Sino friendship, the relatively high admission charge for locals ensures that the park will only be enjoyed by a small segment of the public:
The only business open in Friendship Square was a small stand run by Tutto Gelato (there's a branch in our neighborhood). The ice creams we purchased there tidied us over until we could drive across the road to the Sheraton Addis, and the outdoor Breezes restaurant. Soon after we had sat down and ordered, it started to rain, and then began to pour. Our small table was moved further inside to escape the short but powerful deluge, but it didn't stop my daughter from enjoying her grilled fish lunch, nor I from finishing my pad thai chicken. And I didn't mind our car getting a free and much-needed wash:
Celebrating the
Dragon Boat Festival 端午節,
Flag Day and a certain other special occasion with lunch at the Hilton. That's a virgin mojito I'm imbibing, as Shu-E polished off two St. George's with her meal, while Amber hasn't learned to drive yet:
An unexpected guest joined us for lunch:
The Hilton during its heyday, when it was the place to stay in Addis Ababa. I've got to enjoy these five-star hotel experiences while I can - after I retire and am living on a fixed income, it'll be back to staying at chain motels and 民宿:
We drove by the African Union complex on the way home (and with another downpour brewing). I decided to put my offspring in jeopardy by having her take some illicit photos as we passed by:
What the AU buildings look like under better lighting conditions and with permission to photograph:
Speaking of the Dragon Boat Festival, for dinner we had zongzi 粽子, sticky rice dumplings, purchased from the China market. My wife described them as "ugly and expensive", which isn't the best way to sell the dinner you've just prepared to your husband and daughter:
To be continued...
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