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That time of year is upon us again, and members of
the Diaspora have once again swarmed our wistful,
sheet-glassed and quite messy metropolis. Addis is
crawling with imported Ethiopians -as I so fondly
like to call expatriates who make it a point to
spend their vacation here-. They are the kind who
seems to stick out like a sore thumb no matter what
environment you take them to. As gauche and
nauseatingly interesting as they may make our
existence, they also seem to add to the burden that
the locals have to bear.
Had this been one of the traditional Ethiopian
holiday seasons, I would have been more than happy
to accept the fact that there were people coming
home to celebrate with their friends and family. For
many residing here, these are times to splurge and
party. But this season is a completely different
story.
During the summer travel season, there is no
holiday, there is barely any sunshine and to make
matters worse, everything is wet and muddy. Locals
have to grit their teeth and work or do whatever it
is that is their due. What the travel pack fails to
realize is that the world here will not stop simply
because they have chosen to make an appearance at
their convenience.
We-it would be dishonest of me to disassociate
myself from the bunch-in the Diaspora, whether we
have chosen to come home and find our fates or
whether we choose to live abroad and visit every
once in a while, have the loftiest of airs. We
assume that because of our exposure and, perhaps,
even certain advantages and opportunities that we
have been given that we know better. What we openly
fail to realize is that we do not, especially on the
Ethiopian situation.
It has been tough trying to break out of the habits
that you form when you are living abroad, but the
truth of the matter is, as a responsible person, you
have to. The Ethiopian reality is not the reality of
the rest of the world. It would be fatal for us to
assume that it is. The only approach, in my view, to
deal with it accordingly is to appreciate the manner
of living and all its intricacies as it relates to
Ethiopia, discard all the frames set by lifestyles
outside the country and act accordingly.
This is something that many vacationers are not able
to do. They come here with foreign currency and pay
exorbitant prices for the same services and products
that we who reside here could get for a bargain. To
add insult to injury, they do not pay any regard to
the local currency and always want to translate
prices to whatever currency they are used to making
things appear cheap to them.
What they simply fail to realize is that they are
making life more difficult for the rest of us here.
They tip better, so they get better service, no
matter what establishment you go to. They are
willing to fill to the brim places that residents of
the city would not go to because they cannot afford
the prices. Nevertheless, most notable is the sense
of freedom that seems to accompany them. They make
it okay for members of the society to do and
consider things that would otherwise be off limits,
because hey, everything goes.
This is not to lump all expatriates who come home
into this bunch, but those people that are
constructive, working individuals are unable to take
two months off. If you notice the invasion that has
taken place, it is more of weaves and fashionable
clothes than of PhDs and lectures, if you catch my
drift.
Obviously, it is not like we are going to take
measures to stop this trend; it is unfortunately
good for the country in that it brings in more forex
and can serve as an occasion to showcase the
opportunities that are available to returnees.
However, the fact remains that it can be exhausting.
There are people everywhere, all sorts of things are
going on all over the place, and then there is the
simple fact that it is expected of you to keep up
with the Joneses if you are one of the unfortunates
that happens to have a friend or family member in
for a stay.
It is always lovely to see new, or even old familiar
faces, but it would be nice if those faces also came
with a little bit of Abesha mixed in. It
would definitely make life less ghastly for us, and
perhaps even teach a few lessons to people who so
desperately seem to need them.
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