First movie in Addis

The first thing you need to know is that shifting to Addis is entirely my idea, so of course if anything goes wrong,then the responsibility is completely mine,at least in my head. As Vishal has very few requirements to keep him happy, I was hoping at least part of his list would be available.Before leaving Delhi, I went almost crazy trying to dredge the internet for details on internet speed ( I get the irony) and which, if any theatres would be playing Hollywood movies.So, weeks before arriving in Addis I knew about the Matti Multiplex which had opened a few months back and screened three different English movies at any given time! They even had a website where I checked out what shows were playing while I was in Delhi. Vishal was mightily relieved to realise that John Carter was on and which meant that every cheesy, special effect crammed, nonsensical, big budget extravaganza would be seen in Addis pretty much as soon as it was released.

Yesterday, we went to check the quality of the popcorn. Matti multiplex is located in the Edna Mall near the Bole Medhnalayam church. We took a taxi which cost us 60 Birr ( 180 Rs)but needn’t have bothered as it is actually a pleasant  15 min walk. The tickets cost 40 Birr (120 Rs ) on weekdays and 45 Birr on weekends. The theatre was small but with comfortable seats. There were barely 15 people in the theatre which was expected, considering that it was a weekday afternoon and the movie was a sappy chick-flick with a rating of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. The only thing which was different was that the trailers of forthcoming movies had subtitles in both Amharic and French although the main feature didn’t. Disconcertingly, the upper third of the screen was fuzzy and blurred during the trailers but cleared up soon thereafter. Maybe someone cleaned the projector lens. A good time was had by one and all although the movie was on the awful side of the spectrum. And the popcorn? We didn’t get to try it because there was no interval.

On the subject of popcorn, we brought about half a dozen packets of Act II microwave popcorn with us and of course, we don’t have a microwave. Yesterday evening,it rained and was perfect popcorn weather so I popped the corn in the pressure cooker and what do you know, better than when microwaved. No charred paper and burnt bits at all, although I did have popcorn flying all over the kitchen when I opened the lid prematurely.You live and you learn.
P.S. The popcorn and Pepsi at Matti multiplex are decent and tickets for 3D flicks cost 90 Birr (270 Rs) with an additional 50 Birr deposit for the 3D glasses. You have to return the glasses and collect your deposit at the end of the movie. For real.    

First Addis Ababa post

Also second non Delhi post and first post from Africa, not that anyone cares as after the brief blip of popularity when Vishal posted a link to this blog on his facebook page (60 views!) it has managed to slide back to comfortable anonymity.

We arrived in Addis on Thursday at 7.30 a.m. local time. The airport is decent, maybe comparable to the Chennai one.

When you reach a new country,especially somewhere like Ethiopia which is far removed from our cultural conciousness, there are so many aspects to write about. I am only going to mention the overall impression of the city and the people now and save the specifics for later. I have been diligently trawling the internet for information about Addis for three months now like a lonely single haunting the dating sites and found precious little information. I came with low expectations and 106 kgs of baggage mostly consisting of rice,dals and masala. Well, I needn't have bothered. So far, Addis has far surpassed my expectations and I am sure things will only get better once we are actively at work.

The overall feeling is pretty much the same as if I had moved to a city in India which I know of but have never visited and has a language I don't speak, like Bhuvaneshwar. Like being in a Bizarro version of India, the same beggars and potholes but with subtle differences.

For example look at this mushroom and onion pizza we ordered at a Pizzeria close to home. Standard base,tomato topping, cheese and onions ? What distinguishes the Addis Ababa pizza from the Big Chill one is that bowl of green chilli paste served with it which the Ethiopians slather on generously before taking a bite. Also, how cute are those knives with 'pizza' cut out in them?

Same,same but different. 

5,4,3,2,1,1,1,1

I've been telling everyone that I'll be leaving by the 15th of March once all our certificates are attested and bank formalities completed. We got the all-clear from the bank on the 16th of March and asked our company to book tickets for the 19th, so we could arrive in Addis on a Monday. They took some time to confirm but finally  called to tell us that the first available tickets were for 20th (Tue) We were thrilled to spend another day wallowing at home but spent all day Monday in a final frantic round of repacking and getting last minute attestations. However, just to prolong the anticipation, we didn't receive the tickets till 5.00 p.m. And what I saw was this.

Flight Information

22 Mar 2012 Ethiopian Air Lines  (ET)  687 Economy (V)   Ethiopian Air Lines Confirmation Number: FGLODC   Depart: Delhi Indira Gandhi Intl (DEL) , Terminal 3 2:45 AM *Baggage: 40 Kilos Fare Basis: VEERTINA Arrive: Bole Airport (ADD), Terminal 2 Addis Ababa 7:10 AM *Contact airline to confirm  baggage allowance. So,of course we promptly stopped all the packing and commenced yet another round of farewells. The brilliant thing is Vishal and Rahul both got to celebrate their joint birthdays together again ( 21st) Also, I contacted a friend of a friend of a friend who is travelling on the same flight and he graciously agreed to take some of our baggage. You would be surprised how less 80 kgs actually is when you are attempting to transport six different types of  dal along with six different textbooks across the Indian Ocean. This is really my last post from Delhi. I swear. See you on the other side.

Goodbye Delhi, Hello Addis Ababa !

I and Vishal are flying to Addis Ababa by Ethiopian airlines tomorrow morning. So, this is my last post from Delhi for a while. I am not sure when and where I will be blogging in Addis because it is going to take a little time to get the internet up and running. Also access to blogspot may be restricted in Ethiopia so I may have to shift to a different site.
The last three months ,since we decided on the move , have been a whirlwind of passports, vaccinations, shopping and more shopping and endless chakkars of government offices for certificate attestation. Now that we are ready to leave the nameless, middle of the night fears have started. First of all, I need to take responsibility for the whole Ethiopian venture. Face it, as enthusiastic as Vishal has been, the whole deal is completely my idea.
I might feel a little better if I had someone available to answer my dozens of mundane queries. But there are still dozens of details I am hazy about.

Exactly how slow and reliable is the internet? I have read pages and pages on the net about ethernet and the new evdo service, broadbands and plug ins. But I am still unclear about the exact situation or maybe I am hoping against hope that the situation is better than it seems. It is exteremely scary to a Google addict like me and a piracy promoter like Vishal to realize that we may have to make some serious lifestyle changes. I think what scares me most is that I may not be able to run to the internet for help for all those funny cases which you just can't figure out. Especially as we are able to carry only a couple of the most vital textbooks with us.

How cold is it going to be ? I know all the temperature charts but will I need a heater ?

What T.V. channels will be available and exactly how expensive is it going to be ?

How freely available are Indian groceries and will I get idly batter anywhere? This is almost as essential as milk because Vihaan sometimes goes for days where he refuses all food other than idli or dosa.

I have been repeatedly advised to carry all required clothes with me. Does that mean no shopping for a year? And can I wear salwar kameez to work or would that be hugely out of place ?

I guess all will be answered in a day. To new beginnings ! (I will complete the toast with St.George's beer tomorrow)

Weddings!

When you have two weddings in quick sucession in the family, then your life becomes a mad whirl of saree buying, blouse stitching, parlour visiting and jewellery matching. If both the weddings are out of town and you are squeezing in a conference in between, resigning your job and orchestrating a trans-continental move, then your life is on steroids.

Roshni, my younger sister got married on the 30^th of January in a traditional Tamil Iyer ceremony. The festivities started   on the 28^th with a cocktail party, followed by the Nitchyathartam or engagement on the 29^th and the wedding on the 30^th. 

Who shines brighter ?

Roshni’s wedding was a far cry from mine because the financial strain was much less. At my wedding every saree and beauty parlour visit was budgeted and accounted for. I remember long discussions over Roshnis sangeet lehenga which cost 5000 Rs at that time. This time you had Appa swanking around like a nouve riche Russian splashing out on hotel rooms and chauffeured taxis. Good times.

Necessary audience participation to maintain interest

Her wedding photos are absolutely sensational because she had two full time professional photographers covering all events as well as a horde of wannabe friends with SLRs and zoom lenses. One of her best friends, Khushi, was wonderfully focussed on documenting every moment of all three days. Sometimes you couldn’t see the homam smoke for the paparazzi !

Introducing the bride and groom

Rahuls wedding was a much more intimate affair. While Roshnis wedding had a predominantly firang flair to it thanks to her and Balajis classmates from Columbia University and Oxford respectively. Rahuls wedding party consisted chiefly of close relatives which meant he had an exceptionally pretty baraat. And Vihaan danced. At the sangeet, at the baraat, and everytime the music played in between. He is definitely over compensating  for parents with two left feet. 

All dressed up

The sangeet at home

When the bridegroom is really happy to get married

Vihaan had an absolutely great time with his cousin Sahil running around, throwing things and taking his first steps towards turning into a little boy tornado. I need to find him more kids his age to play with.

Learning to be a boy

And of course, the wedding