My neighbourhood and around

At work, we went on an errand that involved driving through the plush suburbs – large houses set in beautiful gardens, all behind walls and security gates, and with small shopping centres nearby. Virtually next door to these luxurious places though are people living in the most basic conditions.

It seems like, despite the high cost of fuel, quite a few of the expat population drive everywhere (mainly in 4x4s, although that could because most of the roads are untarmacked, some with massive potholes).

At the moment I live close enough to walk to work, while other volunteers in the neighbourhood tend to walk, cycle or take the bus.  So far I’ve rarely seen other white people walking. (I think) that I don’t attract too much attention from the locals, although still more than would be the case in Glasgow! It seems like everyone here walks really slowly, but now I know why – you can start off walking briskly, but by the time you realise you’re getting really hot, it’s too late. After dark (and it can get dark quite quickly), though, take a taxi.

I live just off a main road, which is lined with lots of tiny shops, bigger places like a bank and a garage, and houses. Hardly any pavements, just verges of sand/dirt you pick your way through. There are a few bars and restaurants around too. So far the only one I’ve been to is an Ethiopian restaurant, hidden down a labyrinth of dark alleys, where five of us shared a huge kind of pancake on which was placed mounds of different types of lentils, and you eat the whole lot (lentils scooped up with a piece of pancake) with your hand.

I’ve just moved to a shared flat (a bit like being a student again) just across the road from the hotel I was in. It’s a nice place, but unfortunately the room is only free for a few weeks.  All around are ordinary houses, and quite a few people keep chickens, so you do get woken at dawn to the sound of cockcrows.  Even earlier you can sometimes hear the Muslim call to prayer.

The view from my flat: