Detour to Addis

By the beginning of week 2, I finally figured out what time it was, i.e. I did not wake up at random hours and ravenous. I also had to go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend to my mom who had surgery and therefore, could not be left alone (She's fine now). Addis is about a two hour flight from Nairobi. (Insert sarcastic tone) Yeah, more planes!

Anyway, since I was all the way there with nothing scheduled research-wise, it was an opportune time to get a new visa. I am in the U.S. on a student visa which expires every two years. That means that I can come and go as I please for 2 years after which I must apply for reentry if I am outside the country and need to come back in once the visa has expired. Things have changed since 9/11 in terms of how the visa application process works. Basically, everything takes twice as long and there are a lot more papers involved. It was with much trepidation that I approached the visit to the Embassy because even if you have all your ducks in a row, you can never be certain of the outcome.

I daresay, the Embassy in Addis has had some major upgrades since the last time I was there. You still have to get there super, ridiculously early (people start lining up at 6:00 a.m.) but at least you don't have to sit in the cold because a new and improved waiting room awaits....after you go through a number of security/document checkpoints, have been relieved of your cellphone, and have been fingerprinted. Security is taken very seriously. Fail to heed instructions and I suspect you would be unceremoniously tossed out.

The waiting room was full of people and one of the most interesting things is playing "Name that language". There is a large international community in Addis so there could be quite a diverse crowd. I also saw several kids who had been adopted by Americans coming in to get their final paperwork.

I got there at 6:30ish, cleared security by 7:30 and didn't get out again until almost 12:00 p.m. The moral of this story is that you should always take a book with you because you are going to be waiting for a while. Luckily, my interview with the (surprisingly) polite person at the window went well and I was told to come back the next day to pick up my passport.