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| My Green Card! |
Both my residence and work permit are here and not a day too
soon as my one month Business visa expires today. Strangely enough the
Ethiopian embassy in Delhi issues visas starting from the date of application
for the visa and not the date of arrival in Ethiopia,so you have to time your
departure well. For example, my mother in law and Vihaan arrive in Addis on the
3rd of May ( Yay!) and she returns on the 26th of May.
Therefore, I’ve asked them to apply for a visa after the 26th of
April so she will be well within the specified period. The other option is to
of course, get a visa on arrival which is possible for Indian citizens. But I
don’t want her to stand in an additional line with Vihaan who will definitely
be uppity and jumpity and probably poopity pants by then. The visa on arrival
is definitely an option I’ll explore when my mother arrives as she will be
travelling alone.
In other news, tomorrow is the Ethiopian Good Friday and the
following Sunday is Easter. This would also mark the end of the fasting season.
Selfishly, we were rather grateful that we arrived when the general populace
was fasting because getting vegetarian food was easier. And we never had to
explain what vegetarian food was, we just asked for fasting food. This actually
consists of vegan fare as it is dairy free as well but works well enough for
us. Come Sunday it is going to be every man for himself. Our social calendar is
surprisingly full as we are invited both to an Easter lunch and a Tamil
Sangamam event to celebrate the Tamil New Year.
I still haven’t figured out why there are so many Tamilians
in Addis Ababa. Geographically, it is more distant without even a direct flight
and yet..I did read that the erstwhile Emperor Haile Saillasie recruited
teachers from Kerala to work in the state government run schools and
Universities, so are the Tamilians part of that connection? Currently, I have
to admit they are utilizing the business oppurtunities well and are rushing to
meet the demands of a developing economy. Most people have established business
interests other than the salaried job for which they originally came here. And although they complain about the living
conditions and food, they have also relocated entire extended families here. It will be interesting to find out the rest of
the story. As for the Easter lunch, I am steering clear of the kitfo.
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