Yayyy!!! Good news about our apartments came today! Zelalem pulled me aside in school today to discuss the apartment situation. This is the first time the school is renting apartments for the volunteers. However, since there is only one girl volunteer (until May comes later this year) Zelalem has been meticulously searching for another female teacher from the school to live with me. She gets her housing paid for, which is really nice (especially when the highest paid teacher earns 2000 birr a month (approximately 160USD). Ms. Rosa (or Roza, I haven’t seen it spelled out so I’m not quite sure yet) is a younger teacher who teaches in the other compound (I’m not sure if she teaches nursery or KG). Zelalem looked for a compatible roommate in character. Someone who is clean, will not be throwing wild parties, is considerate, etc. She was the second person he asked and her immediate response was “let me think about it”. This made him more confident in her answer because she was actually putting thought into this decision – which is a pretty big decision. She will live for a year (unless she wants to move out) with a Ferenge (not sure if that’s spelled correctly; it means “White person”), which is something most Ethiopians will never experience.
We each will have our own bedroom with a wardrobe and bed (possibly bookcase), and we have a common living room, kitchen, and bathroom. We will need to discuss cleanliness, bathroom etiquette, cooking/kitchen etiquette, and shower schedules. Zelalem was so careful and considerate in explaining everything to me. He wants to make sure I have a pleasant experience, but I am ok with having some challenges. Also, he said that if it doesn’t work out, she can be asked to leave. So, I’m not too worried about all of this. After all, I did serve as a Resident Assistant in college and I am pretty good at conflict resolution in the whole roommate setting.
The boys (Kyle and Galen) are going to be on the same floor, at (what seems to be) the opposite end of the hall. This is great for safety and convenience. Galen is actually coming tomorrow at around 6PM; I can’t wait to meet him! This year is going to be awesome! The boys’ set up is exactly like ours. I’m not sure what other furnishings there will be, but Zelalem said the school invested a lot of money in the apartments. I think there might be a couch and coffee table, or a table and chairs for eating (or both). The kitchen will have be basic pots/pans, dishes, and cutlery. We move in Sunday afternoon after Zelalem gets back from a NSA (National Spiritual Assembly) meeting. Kyle and I want to go grocery shopping immediately, so we shall see what happens. We know where good import stores are in this area, but we have not been in the area where our apartments are. They are a good 30 minutes (minimum) walk from the school and a 10 minute taxi ride.
Here’s to more Ethiopian adventure; cheers!
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