Category Archives: Expat experience

Pied pipers

Posted on 24 Apr 2013 by lornaofarabia

Elementary teachers received this message on Monday: Every year we have the privilege of hearing the two pipers that the British Embassy sends to Addis every year. Last year we heard them in the covered area, which was a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat experience, International Community School | Leave a comment

Shameless self-promotion

Posted on 4 Mar 2013 by lornaofarabia

Hurray for me!  Not only have I posted exactly 100 entries in Lorna of Arabia, but I got picked for blog of the month at the website Expat Blog.

Posted in Expat experience | 3 Comments

International Day

Posted on 21 Feb 2013 by lornaofarabia

It’s kind of a cliché to say that every day is international day at a school like ours.  Even so, many international schools around the world celebrate their multicultural character at an annual springtime event.  International Day is an opportunity … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat experience, International Community School, Teaching | 2 Comments

Take two, they’re small

Posted on 12 Feb 2013 by lornaofarabia

There’s a problem with unwanted animals in this city. I’m starting to think there’s a problem with unwanted animals everywhere.  In Damascus it was cats, in Sarajevo, dogs.  Here in Addis, it’s both.  This is a very poor country where … Continue reading →

Posted in Addis Ababa, Animals, Expat experience, Home life, Sarajevo | Tagged | 5 Comments

The commissary

Posted on 11 Feb 2013 by lornaofarabia

The commissary. The place Americans in Addis love to hate. US embassies around the world run commissaries for their employees.  These places are shops, usually on embassy grounds, offering American consumer goods (food, toiletries, and alcohol) for sale to soldiers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Addis Ababa, Expat experience, Food, Shopping | 2 Comments

Adventures with Wolfy and Balto

Posted on 7 Feb 2013 by lornaofarabia

My daughter Alekka is away this week on her Grade 10 “Week without Walls” experience in northern Ethiopia.  Alekka took a camera on the trip; if she comes back with some good pictures, I think I’ll ask her to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Around Africa, Expat experience, Family, Home life, International Community School | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Sounds like a problem to me

Posted on 4 Dec 2012 by lornaofarabia

From: ABDULKADER Kedir Date: Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 2:07 PM Subject: Omega transit To: Andreas dear Andreas     this is inform you that we send all relevant document to Djibouti but there is a system problem on Djibouti customs … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethiopia, Expat experience | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Stuck in Djibouti again

Posted on 18 Nov 2012 by lornaofarabia

This is our car. Nice, eh?  It’s a brand new 2013 Toyota Hilux, Africa’s most popular car. Ours is the extended cab model, loaded with plenty of features including a bed liner and canopy. If you’ve met me in person … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethiopia, Expat experience, Shopping | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Doing the happy dance in Ethiopia today

Posted on 6 Nov 2012 by lornaofarabia
Posted in Ethiopia, Expat experience | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Election day

Posted on 6 Nov 2012 by lornaofarabia

We had an “external threat drill” at school the other day.  As the director explained to the students and staff gathered in the designated building, “this gives us all a safe haven where we can be in situations like we … Continue reading →

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