Dreams...
Door: Jeroen
15 Oktober 2006 | Ethiopië, Addis Abeba
The last evening at Lake Tana Dani and I start boozing. With a couple of ouzo's we talk about our dreams and the important things in life. Dani tells me about a book he read, "Beach of Dreams". I will ask Fanny to lend it to me.
We decide to not try to make the long drive to Addis in one day, so we leave the next day and spend the night in Debre Markos. Thursday early afternoon we arrive in Addis Abeba. Just when we get there the truck is without diesel, right at the gasstation the motor stops. After taking diesel, we are now down to our last 23 birr (a little over 2 euro) between the five of us. So we need money. Not an easy thing to find in Ethiopia. Inspite of what we were told before there are just two places in the whole country where you can get money with bank-card. At the airport and at the Sheraton you can get money, but only with a Visa-card. Well I won't go into details, it's enough to say that my mood was gone. I exchanged some nasty words with a bankclerc, a taxidriver and even an internetcafe girl. Addis Abeba just didn't agree with me!
The next morning I finished "Beach of Dreams" and said goodbye to my Austrian friends. I went into town, and it was a totally different town now. But the only thing that had changed was my attitude! I walked with a smile on my face just being curious and trying to be open. I tried to spend some time at the beach of dreams. And even if I succeeded just part of the time, it made a world of difference. I gave something to a few beggars, but that also meant I had to say 'no' at least a 100 times. A girl came to me and asked for my help, she had no place to stay. It confuses me and I fail to understand what she wants. Much later I thought it would have been nice if I'd just invited her for lunch and listened to her story. (And later again I started to think other things too...).
In the evening, while I was eating a lasagna, a Dylan song stuck in my mind. New morning...
This must be the day that all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
And even if it is now evening, I realise there is a new morning every day.
We decide to not try to make the long drive to Addis in one day, so we leave the next day and spend the night in Debre Markos. Thursday early afternoon we arrive in Addis Abeba. Just when we get there the truck is without diesel, right at the gasstation the motor stops. After taking diesel, we are now down to our last 23 birr (a little over 2 euro) between the five of us. So we need money. Not an easy thing to find in Ethiopia. Inspite of what we were told before there are just two places in the whole country where you can get money with bank-card. At the airport and at the Sheraton you can get money, but only with a Visa-card. Well I won't go into details, it's enough to say that my mood was gone. I exchanged some nasty words with a bankclerc, a taxidriver and even an internetcafe girl. Addis Abeba just didn't agree with me!
The next morning I finished "Beach of Dreams" and said goodbye to my Austrian friends. I went into town, and it was a totally different town now. But the only thing that had changed was my attitude! I walked with a smile on my face just being curious and trying to be open. I tried to spend some time at the beach of dreams. And even if I succeeded just part of the time, it made a world of difference. I gave something to a few beggars, but that also meant I had to say 'no' at least a 100 times. A girl came to me and asked for my help, she had no place to stay. It confuses me and I fail to understand what she wants. Much later I thought it would have been nice if I'd just invited her for lunch and listened to her story. (And later again I started to think other things too...).
In the evening, while I was eating a lasagna, a Dylan song stuck in my mind. New morning...
This must be the day that all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
And even if it is now evening, I realise there is a new morning every day.
-
17 Oktober 2006 - 10:53
Lunchclub:
He Jeroen,
Volgens ons heb je het erg naar je zin, kun je trouwens ook iets in het Nederlands schrijven anders moet je straks weer integreren als je weer terug bent.
Wanneer zien we nu eindelijk eens wat meer recente foto's want het lijkt er nu op alsof je nog steeds op Schiphol rondzwerft.
Succes met je reis en tot ziens......
Groeten van je oudcollega's uit Veghel -
19 Oktober 2006 - 12:36
Monique:
Hoi ben weer even bijgelezen. Inderdaad graag meer foto's dan zien we wat je beschrijft. Ben zelf afgelopen weekend verhuisd en zit nu weer op het werk gelukkig maar 1 dag dan weer aan het werk thuis valt toch tegen al die dozen uitpakken Wat een spullen verzamel je toch. Jij niet natuurlijk daar want je moet alles meeslepen Nou tot de volgende keer groetjes
MONIQUE
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