Millie
The year is 2013, well 2006-According to the Ethiopian Calendar. So my good college friend, Eric, emails me and tells me that he got an ESL, English as a Second Language teaching job in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He leaves me his Ethiopian number, and tells me to call him back. I get myself some credit and make the call.
"Hi Millie," He greets as soon as he picks the call. He still has my number, good boy.
"Rick, long time, how have you been?"
"Long time, Millie...we last met during the graduation back in Campus."
"True, how is life treating you in Addis Ababa?" I ask
"Pretty good, I am having quite some fun." He responds.
"I should join you." I state.
"You can, the salary is good, and the school offers accommodation. It will be fun!"
"I will think about it," I inform him. My credit gets depleted so the call disconnects.
Anyways....so, I decide I am young, and free, and I want to go to Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa is the Amharic name for New Flower.
I email the school my application, and three days later, they invite me for the interview. I attend the interview, there is like 140 of us, fun. The venue is in a conference hall somewhere in Upper Hill.
The interviewers are a white lady, the School's MD, and her ESL coordinator, a Kenyan. She seems nice. Yeah, I have been judging books by their cover since back then. I want to delve in to how wrong I was but that episode will come.
Two weeks later, the school emails, I and 5 other ladies have been selected to join the school for the 2013-2014 Academic year, yaay!!! I should mention that in Addis Ababa, the school year starts September and ends in June
So the rush begins, I have to get a passport in a week, and hassle for a return ticket between Nairobi, Jommo Kenyatta and Bole. Bole is the name of the main international airport in Addis Ababa. The ticket will cost me 26K; I have roughly $20 in my pocket when I get the news.
I have an article writing account. These are the platforms where someone employs you to create content for their website and then they pay you. I am a determined Kenyan. In less than two weeks, I have managed to amass close to 40,000 Kenyans shillings, which is roughly $400. The passport cost me $80, 32 pages-got it after a day. We all have corruption moments we aren't proud of, aye? By the way, are those cartels still in operation?? I surely hope not.
So, on the 24th of August, after some tearful goodbyes at JKIA, I'm off to Addis. 23, never left the country before...am I scared? Not even in the least bit.
