My First Trip to Africa

Playing soccer with Ethiopian children in Addis Ababa. 

        A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Africa. More specifically, I traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The trip was booked completely on a whim and 8 hours before my eventual departure time. I had no idea what to expect nor did I know a soul there. Given that I am generally more deliberate in my approach in life, it was both out of character for me and even somewhat puzzling.  However, I had a strong feeling I needed to be there.
       After booking my flight, I decided to reach out to a few friends that have either traveled there before or have lived there while working in diplomatic missions and/or NGOs. It turns out some of my friends in the foregoing classification were traveling there the same weekend that I planned. Score.
      My excitement grew. So much so, that I hardly slept. After making it to the plane and undergoing the flight departure exercises before take-off, I fell asleep and woke up 3 hours later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addis is a place that is noticeably underdeveloped compared many other places in the world, but such underdevelopment did not takeaway from its special charm. The people are incredibly friendly, warm, and hospitable. I lowered my usual guard and socialized more than I usually do.
      Rather than living in one of the touristy hotels such as the Sheraton, I decided to live as close to the local population and its people as much as possible. Who wants to be that guy who remained couped-up in some luxury hotel away from the people taking very rehearsed tours and living in a very controlled environment? See, if you're heading to Africa, go to Africa the right way and meet the people directly away from the trappings of most tourism spots.

Local neighborhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo taken by Jamar Johnson.

       In my first few hours in Addis, I picked up a simcard, arranged to have a driver take me around the city to get a strong sense of the place, and later I met up with a friend for dinner. We shared our initial impressions of the city, picked the brain of our driver who second as our third pair of eyes, ate delicious firfir, and decided to visit a traditional Ethiopian musical performance. Following the performance, I told my friend I'll see him tomorrow with the rest of the guys.

      During my second day, more of my friends arrived. But before meeting them, I decided that I wanted to visit the mountainside (Mount Entoto) to catch the sunset from the highest peak of the City of Addis Ababa. The views were breath-taking and peaceful.

Mount Entoto, the highest peak in Addis Ababa. Photos taken by Jamar Johnson. 

        After making it back to the compound, I took a nap for a few hours. Upon waking up, I called my 5 friends who finally touched down and we went out a lounge popularly known as Oh Canada. Wonder how the name of the lounge came about? Well, simple. The owner of the club, who enthusiastically greeted us upon our entry, happens to be Canadian of Ethiopian descent. She shared with us her personal story, offered us a few drinks on the house, and then the DJs amped the ambiance of the place to where everyone was transfixed to the alluring sounds emanating from the speaker system. Eventually, I walked over to the owner and commented that the DJs were so good that she should release their music via social media channels to raise awareness of the club and its atmosphere. Her reception of my comments gave the impression she thought it was a good idea.

Hanging out with friends in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

          Eventually, I grew tired and decided to head back to the compound and rest. Before dozing off, I decided to check Facebook. I was rather surprised to see more than 15 messages from friends asking if I was alright. Snarkily, I replied to a buddy of mine, "What, am I supposed to be dead or something?" He then sent me a link to click on and said that my building was fire. Then it registered: had I not booked a flight to Addis, I would have been asleep during the fire which affected a large majority of my building. Close call. I replied to all of my friends informing them that I was alright and out of harm's way.

Fire in the Torch Tower, Dubai Marina. 

          Fortunately, there were no major injuries reported, but it was still too close to home (no pun intended).

In closing, I had a great time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It's a place I can certainly see myself visiting again. In fact, the trip might have saved my life.