Itchy and Scratchy - in Addis Ababa

It has now been more than six months since we moved to Addis and I am utterly confounded by a peculiar medical issue. I have crops of allergic papules erupting on my extremities every evening. Let me describe the symptoms in detail first and then we can examine the clues and literature to pin point the source. I notice a ferocious itching in my lower legs usually about half an hour after returning home in the evenings and changing into pajamas. Once I start scratching, of course the itching increases and then what started as one localized red spot has soon mushroomed into a whole crop of papules, scratches, erythema and edema and more itching. Of course I know the whole mast cell degranulation-histamine release-vasodilatation cascade but when it itches, you scratch and mast cells be damned.

Tasteful photograph taken with a view to minimize  the gore and skin show  

Thinking logically and being my fathers daughter and having inherited a fervent hatred of all indoor insects, I first blamed the ubiquitous mosquito. The problem is that mosquitoes are few and far between in Addis and of course, when the mosquito is the culprit you can hear it, see it and DESTROY it. I even contemplated a silent, invisible,ninja-Addis mosquito species for a while but as the problem persisted even with multiple mosquito repellents, I need an alternate suspect. As an aside, liquid mosquito repellents are not available in Ethiopia and you are well advised to carry it with you. I ran out and made my sister bring it in from Egypt when she visited.
Next I contemplated if an army of bed bugs was lurking in my mattress which silently emerged under cover of darkness to suck my sweet blood. So, I had the mattresses and sheets baked in the sun and sprayed the beds with whatever pesticide I could lay my hands on, to no avail. The itching and scratching continued unabated.Also, bed bugs are not microscopic so I should have caught sight of them at some point especially when I started switching on the light in the middle of the night and obsessively picking through the bed linen. My husband was not amused. Oh, and what of my husband amidst all the itching and scratching you ask. Well, he is as affected as I am but as he considers all non - Delhi places infested with phantom itch causing vermin, he is content scratching and grumbling and thinking no further about it.
 At the end of my wits, I called my neighbor, an eight year old Addis veteran, to pick her brains. I had an illuminating conversation from which I gleaned the following - the phantom itch affects most Indians who move here, some more than others.There is a cream called Mos-bit on the market which is of questionable use. No one knows exactly the source of the allergy. It can be reduced by rinsing your clothes in dettol, ironing your clothes on the inside before wearing them ( heat sterilization ) and putting naphthalene balls in the cupboards.
I have instituted all the above measures and shall return from Delhi armed with naphthalene balls ready to renew the battle with the phantom menace. Return from Delhi? Well, yes. We are off to Delhi for a two week break which includes a week in the Andamans where the azure water will cure me of all dermatological defects for a while.You can do the slow burn now.     

Please leave a comment!

I am really surprised that my stats show that with over a thousand page views from Lithuania to Zimbabwe, this blog has merited only one comment till date! One! So this is an open invitation to all you voyeuristic nocturnal blog trawlers from around the world - leave a comment. And of course, if you actually want to know anything about any of the topics I write about - Addis,Delhi, Ophthalmology,Diapers- don't hesitate to ask. 

Addis Ababa for dummies – Part 4/ Crime- II ( or how I got mugged and lost my phone )

Read the last line of my entry on prevalent crime on the streets of Addis here. Am I a regular Melisandre gazing into the flames or what? (Full disclosure – the reason I am writing after a month despite several blog-worthy incidents is because I was too busy working my way through five parts of Game of Thrones. I’ve never been into Fantasy fiction but this....I could wax lyrical for a couple of pages on the sheer imaginative genius and body and soul addictive power of the series but I have just one thing to say – Write like the wind - GRRM !)

But I digress. So, its been almost four months since I started wandering the streets of Addis and predictably my level of comfort was increasing and caution was plunging by the day. We have access to a car with a driver which I usually use for running errands but he has a weekly off day on Saturday. On this fateful Saturday, we were caught without any yoghurt on the fridge and no car. Now the seriousness of the situation can be grasped only by a fellow Tam-Bram. A day without curd rice! Gasp! Shudder!

At around six p.m. my mom and I set off by foot to obtain the weekend groceries, leaving Vihaan and Vishal at home. As if that wasn’t ill advised enough, we proceeded to load ourselves  with  more groceries than we could carry. Seven p.m. found us staggering home with a heavy bag in each hand in the gathering darkness. Suddenly, I was accosted by a street urchin peddling the ubiquitous chewing gum and telephone card. I politely brushed past him only to realize that now there were three of them and before I knew it a crowd of ten urchins of various sizes had surrounded me and cut me off from my mother. Some started yanking at my hand and some at my clothes while all of them were yelling at the top of their voices- Indian! Hindu! Telephone card! I was terrified and trying not to show it and trying to politely get out of their clutches all at the same time, I mean I couldn’t hit a child could I? Then as suddenly as they converged,the crowd melted away. I gathered my wits and looked around to see my mother watching the spectacle,stunned and then it struck me. I opened my purse and my beloved iPhone was nowhere to be seen.

 And that is how I got mugged for the first time in my life. Note recipe for disaster – Two inattentive ladies + heavy shopping bags +  darkness = Irresistible target. To our credit, this incident didn’t happen on a dark side lane but on main Bole road, a few yards away from Day to Day and Fantu supermarkets. I didn’t write about the incident immediately because that would have been an angry, bitter entry damning every thieving street urchin to the hottest corner of hell. I fully understand the economic disparity and the lure of easy pickings driving the pick-pocket industry but dammit, I loved my phone! Anyway, after resolving to live with a Nokia 1100 which lasted for about 5 days, I got my Dad to send me a Samsung Galaxy S II because I really can’t afford an iPhone 4 S. ( Bite sized review – Beautiful screen, crappy camera with a long lag time and some of my medical apps don’t function as well on an Android system )

I carry the Samsung only to the hospital and use a cheap phone when I go walking or shopping. But there is no denying the fact that I feel like a walking bulls-eye now and I clutch my bag for dear life and scuttle around on the streets darting suspicious looks at all and sundry.And  I know every street vendor on Bole has a hearty laugh when he views my pitiful-avoid-a-repeat-mugging-maneuvers.      

Ethiopia for dummies – Part 3/ Internet ( And how the Skype ban affects me)

I know I haven’t updated in weeks. This post was written a while back but not completed and with the recent uproar over the ban on Skype and its bretheren in Ethiopia, it seems an appropriate topic to pontificate on.

 When I was web surfing in Delhi for details on internet quality in Ethiopia ( I fully appreciate the irony ) I came across a lot of scary blog entries with facts like Ethiopia has the third worst internet in the world and a number of common social networking sites are banned etc. In fact since this blog is hosted by Blogspot, I actually wrote to their customer support to check whether I would still have access from Addis. They never replied but I have my answer now. I am unsure of the legal issues or the level of government sanctions still prevailing, so I can only write on the current internet situation as perceived by a non-tech savvy foreigner. The first thing to be noted is that there are no private players in the telecom or internet sectors and all services are provided by the government agency, Ethio-telecom or etc.

First – Internet access.

There are two ways to activate personal internet service. The first is by purchasing a plug in modem. EDVO wireless internet was introduced end of 2009 and offers a speed up to 3.1 MBs and you pay per bite. It requires a modem from a computer/phone store or the Ethio-Telecom office and costs around 2000 Birr(112 $ or 6500 Rs). The ‘limited data plan’ EVDO service (400-700Kb/s) provides three options: a 1 GB internet access for Birr 300 monthly payment, a 2 GB internet access for Birr 500 monthly payment, and a 4 GB internet access for Birr 700 monthly payment. In the recent past, Ethio Telecom provided unlimited EVDO that apparently was often used in Internet cafés but this is no longer available.

The EVDO modem

We use the EVDO modem with a 2 GB limit. Practically we need to recharge with 500 Birr at the beginning of the month which suffices for all normal internet surfing. We obviously keep downloads to the minimum but usually set a download on the last day of the month to use up all the credit. Needless to say, any money left at the end of the month does not carry over to the next and a fresh recharge of 300/500/700 Birr is necessary.

The Ethio-Telecom website is advertising that ADSL connections are now available with a 6 GB limit and up to 2 Mbps speeds. The pre-requisite is an available landline. I think they have just started offering this service and I don’t know of anyone availing this service at the moment.   

The second way to access the net is on your smartphone or notepad with a 3G Sim card. Though normal mobile Sim cards are dime a dozen  and regularly thrust in your face by hawkers on the street, 3G Sim cards are difficult to obtain. I first tried one out loaned by a friend, realized it worked well and then bugged my office until they obtained one for me. To the best of my knowledge,3G Sim cards are available only from the Ethio-telecom office at the Piassa. Normal Sim cards cost around 25 Birr (80 Rs/1.5$) while the 3G Sim cards cost around 200 Birr (650 Rs/ 11$)

The internet connectivity is good on most smartphones, I am using an iPhone while my husband has a Samsung Ace. I also have various news and entertainment apps ( Fashion Police, anyone?) to surf the web other than Google, all of which are fast enough to be functional. I think it goes without saying that we don’t have too many patients and I have far too much time on my hands.   

I have a prepaid connection so I have to recharge by buying a 20/50/100 Birr card and entering the relevant code. I don’t think the 3G Sims are used very commonly because it is working out to be really cheap.      

Update – In case you have no interest in things Ethiopia, you may have not heard this piece of stunning news. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18461292. I had downloaded some now unmentionable apps which let me call any phone number in India for a small fee. A payment of 13€ (20$/1000Rs) enabled unlimited calls to any mobile or landline in India. I was able to send a continuous stream of photos and videos of Vihaan to appease the grandparents. I could even send clinical photos to colleagues for a quick consultation. 

Hourly updates on the Vihaan channel

Now that these easy breezy means of communication are a thing of the past, a feeling of glum depression is settling in. Freedom is a right appreciated only when denied. Homesickness may be a palpable reality now that I can no longer call my mother at the drop of a hat to confirm a Sambhar recipe or a senior to ask the best way to sterilize iris hooks. Suddenly the scorching heat of Delhi doesn’t seem so bad and Ethiopia seems much more remote from home than a six hour flight.  

Reading,Riting and Rithmetic

I can’t believe this day is here already but my baby starts school tomorrow. Admittedly the day of leaving the nest, even if only for a couple of hours, has been preponed by our Addis Ababa move. Back in Delhi, I might have waited till he turned two before unleashing Vihaan on the world. Although I used to feel rather guilty about not providing him more company his age there as well. One of the advantages of living in huge housing boards is that your kid can create his own band of brothers just by stepping into the common playground, an advantage denied to me both in Delhi and in Addis. So basically I am going to pay a huge amount of money to get my son the companionship which I could get 30 years ago by venturing into the colony and my mom could get 60 years ago by venturing out of bed. Just to give you an idea of scale, my medical education was cheaper than Vihaans playschool.

Time to braid his hair

A few sentences of defence. Yes, Vihaan is too terribly young to actually start school but he really enjoys the company of other children or “Beby” as he puts it and I hope he will miss the 1001 people pampering him at Delhi a little less if he is busy. Also his social skills are a trifle cave man like at the moment consisting of random poking and shoving and hoarding of precious “taupies”. I am perfectly willing to send him to a clean ( and cheaper ) neighbourhood crèche but unfortunately, the number of establishments willing to take a child this young are few. Also, we really, really, really  liked this place. Also my school fees was Rs.5 a month so I have to compensate to the universe in general.We’ve decided to let him attend this playschool for a few months and to take a call on shifting him to a less premier institution once he turns two and more socially acceptable. 

I will detail more on the playschools I have explored in Addis Ababa once the experiment is underway. To the next eighteen years of education !

Too early for the arclights

Footnote : The first day was a huge success. Vihaan immediately waded into the toddler melee clutching his tiger soft toy and did not look back till it was time to leave three hours later. I realized that it was the first time he has ever been out of sight of a family member for any length of time and the first time I couldn’t get a detailed account of his activities. My nanny is lovely but has limited English skills. I could elicit that both of them had fun, that there were children younger than Vihaan as well in his group and that he pulled a child’s hair during the course of the morning. So, we will be back in school on Friday if they are willing to have him. Maybe the fee isn’t too steep after all.  

Last minute chaos

Vihaan and Vishals mom are due to arrive tomorrow by Ethiopian airlines. The trip has been planned for weeks, the tickets bought, a three month visa obtained and endless packing and re-packing done. And now we are keeping a midnight vigil and biting our fingers to the bone because Vishals mom packed the authorization letter for travelling with Vihaan in her suitcase which has been checked in.She can't clear immigration without the letter so we have mailed her another copy which Rahul is taking franctic copies of, as I type. The best laid plans of mice and men...... 

Addis Ababa for dummies – Part 2 / Crime

It is probably not fair for me to comment on the crime levels in Addis after being here for less than a month. What I write is mostly based on anecdotes of long time residents and how safe I feel walking on the streets. I lead an extremely sheltered life here, we live just off Bole Road which is Expat Central and the hospital we work in is one minutes walk away.

I feel reasonably safe walking around the main streets during the daytime. I don’t get harassed too much by the begging kids either because I am not obviously faranji. The constant advice we have received is to be wary of pickpockets and mobile-jackers. And to never talk on the phone on the street. The common technique is for a man pillion riding on a bike to shove you hard from behind and then to grab the mobile which falls down from your hand. Unfortunately, this has meant that I have been able to take very few candid street photos till now. Maybe we are being too cautious but obviously don’t want to take a chance. Recently I heard of another mishap – two Indian guys were returning home from a party around midnight. They parked their car outside their house and one of them got out to unlock the gate. A man hiding in the shadows jumped out and assaulted him, grabbed his laptop and phone and fled. The victim had to be rushed to a hospital in the middle of the night for stitches on his scalp. This was probably a one off incident but still scary.

The Indian community in Addis seems to be well settled and set on rapidly augmenting their numbers both by breeding and importing family members from India. The ladies also have tales of visiting the dreaded Merkato market to hunt down elusive Indian ingredients.Though Ethiopia is a virgin market and business oppurtunities are numerous, I am sure this would not supercede their concern for personal safety, so overall,that is a good indicator of the safety profile.

My sorry-ass photo of Merkato taken from INSIDE  the car

I went to the Merkato as well. Unfortunately my escorts were as lily-livered as me and we all pussy footed around the periphery, ran our errand and were back before you could count to ten.

Ethiopian women also seem to have a great deal of freedom, they travel by public transport and are walking and driving on the streets even late at night. Public transport, especially the ubiquitous minibus seems really safe, if cramped and are extremely cheap. I haven’t experimented with late night taxis till now but they are supposed to be a good option. 

  

I have heard it repeated again and again that serious crime is rare in Addis and only petty thefts are common. However, all the houses have a high stone compound wall topped with barbed wire or glass shards. I assume they are there for a reason. Also I am not terribly comfortable with the ubiquitous chat shops in every neighbourhood. I am of course, more used to the Indian attitude towards intoxicants of all types – it is indoctrinated in our systems that alcohol is an evil consumed by bad people which makes them do bad things – like wife beating ! Horror! Shudder! And the liquor shops comply by having forbidding  barred windows whence they stealthily dispense unidentifiable bottles securely wrapped in brown paper. {( Whence? Really?) and who passed the colour coding laws – Alcohol in brown paper and feminine personal hygiene products in black plastic packets} And the customers comply by approaching the shops in an appropriately furtive manner, obtaining the aforementioned wrapped bottles and slinking into a dark basement “ Government licensed Permit Room with A/C” – And the villagers throw stones at them! 

Compare this to the Addis Ababa way where come sundown you gather at the neighbouring watering hole for a few hours of meditative chewing and gentle hallucinating while watching the world go by. No wonder my gentle Hindu soul shudders. Kidding, love the 8 Birr beers which are EVERYWHERE.   

For now I am going to continue with the routine precautions, give a wide berth to the chat chewers and I bet I’ll still lose my phone six months down the line once I let my guard down.