The English Teacher Flying an Airplane for the First Time

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A piece of advice from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/ reads:

“To make your first flight less stressful, it is helpful to have an idea of what to expect.

1. Purchase a ticket. ...
2. Gather photo identification. ...
3. Ensure that your luggage meets airline requirements. ...
4. Pack your carry-on bag carefully. ...
5. Arrive at the airport early. ...
6. Check in at the airline desk. ...
7. Go through security. ...
8. Find your gate.
9. Collect baggage.” 

Immediately after I got my visa from the South African Embassy, on Monday, 20 March 2017, I went to the National Bank of Ethiopia to ask for hard currency. They changed me 200 USD. They said that is the highest amount people would take unless they don’t have a letter from the medical board of a hospital for treatment abroad. Once this was over, I thought of buying a local attire. I feared of being targeted as an Ethiopian in South Africa because of my shirt. However, later, I bought from Shiro Meda. I wore that trendy locally woven shirt.

I rented a good bedroom for 400 Birr around the Bole Medhanealem area, near the airport. In the morning, at around 6:00 AM, I walked to Bole Airport on quiet and eerie roads with haste and fear!

At Terminal two I removed my shoes and belt for checking.  Leopards, a soccer club from the Congo was behind me. They lost 2- 0 with St George of Ethiopia. Every one of them is elegant; all were speaking French, I think. The old guy behind me, who, I think, is their coach, knows English and we talked. I regret having no photo with them.

The check-in officer who served an Australian couple who were ahead of me told me that he serves groups first. I asked how I should wait until all those football players are finished; he said ferenj (foreigners) first. I asked another coordinator who responded nothing. An officer who sat next to the one I talked said he didn’t see me. Yet later he served me when I complained. The post I read regarding the amount of Ethiopian currency one should take out, no more than 200 ETB, shocked me. However, they didn’t ask me how much money I carried. I had 4000 ETB with me. All in all, I passed three checking until 7:00. If you have big luggage, I advise you to get well prepared. I had only one small bag, so I was 1:40 ahead of time. It is advisable to be two hours early anyways. Thank you my friends for the flight information – Saleamlak, Yeshi, Anley, Tesfaye, …

An Inspiring Show

Those of us who finished check in went in and started to watch the show totally new to me. I came face to face with planes and an airport compound. I saw planes landing and taking off. Luggage landed is unloaded and taken care of by drivers of small and long coverless vehicle for loading and unloading cargo. Refuelers and buses were busy zigzagging. Everyone was running and showing and following signals. Pilots and hostesses gracefully walk. In the room I was in I saw an old African man with a crown and glittering clothes and beads on his necklace. A young white man who was wearing a hat was praying. I think he is a Jew. I think I have no inch of heart left for prayer. This must be my first time to see many different foreigners at a time. The haste at the airport let me discover that Ethiopian airlines is going in line with international customs and changing our culture of time. A must! I think it is the working culture that kept us lazy at time management. 

In an Airplane for the First Time

My great grandfather, Nadew, was the first member of my family to fly in an airplane. I don’t remember dreaming of flying so far. A hostess of the Airlines welcomes us passengers at the airplanes door. Flight instruction is shown on the screen. We are told what to do and not. In case of air pressure changes, they notified, masks would pop up. We are advised to remove shoes during an emergency. They wished us a pleasant flight. 

In some minutes the plane was ready to fly. The seat belt, which is like a normal car belt, confused me and I didn’t know how to unfasten it. I had to receive the help of a girl. Some people slept. However, I didn’t want to sleep. I rather wanted to watch each step the plane takes.  When I went to the bathroom in the plane, someone was in. I had to wait outside. When I waited, I saw an endless show of cloud underneath the plane. I can’t tell you how I felt giddy. Cloud as white as cotton – blue sky- was about to eat me. I covered my eyes and turned my face towards the seats. In the plane there was a balanced number of foreigners and Ethiopians. Breakfast was a small sandwich. For lunch I had chocolate, chicken, vegetables and Habesha Beer – very clean and interesting. Humanity’s capacity to feed its kind as such is astounding.

 Pic. Back in Ethiopia buildings pop up
I discovered that I reach the luggage box above me. I thought it was very high as I heard people say hostesses were tall ones. At Ethiopian they speak and write first in Amharic and then in English. Hostesses talk each other in Amharic. I remember notices like, “Life vest under your seat;  Fasten seat belt while seated.” I wondered what people who do not speak English would do if it were another airline. Ethiopian promises to help you if you transit.

My Knowhow before Flight

I never went into an airplane. Narratives of flying my friends related to me were exciting. Tesfaye Teka Tezkaru Tulu (4T) was telling me about the types of seats in aircrafts. He flew to India, Dubai, and the States, where he coveted to for three decades! Abiot, a botanist friend of mine, used to call me Lamebora, an opposite word he coined for diaspora. The experience of flying is regarded by him as a major criterion for labeling people as diaspora. “The diaspora and the lamebora walking together – how are you guys?” he would joke whenever he saw me with a foreign educated staff. After this time, I hope to be a small diaspora. In Ethiopia, people who have been to places outside of their country are called diasporas. Whereas, lamebora is a term used for cows – gibberish?

Recently, at the staff lounge at Debre Birhan University, professors were telling me about the issue of international flights. Airlines (Ethiopian), Emirates, Lufthansa, Egypt Air, etc. were the jewels they illuminated their speeches with. Transiting, procuring hard currency and getting confused under a new environment were discussed upon. Our airliner is said to be expensive, while Emirates is said to deliver a very good service. Lufthansa, on the other hand, is said to be cheaper.
Destination – Oliver Tambo International Airport

We arrived safely at Johannesburg. Then, I went to an officer who checked my documents and gave me the go ahead. After that I tried to find my way to the exit where the taxi driver is waiting for me. Two black officers stopped me on my way and took me to a corridor. They tried to check each document I had. I think they wanted to rob me or ask me for money.

“Why did you come?”

“I came here for a workshop.”

“What workshop?”

“On children’s literature.”

“What is your job?”

“I teach English.”

“Oh, you teach English?”

“Yes. Please let me go. The driver is waiting for me outside. If I delay, he will go.”

“What is his name?”

“Steve.”

“Is he white or black?”

“I don’t know.”

I think they were not sure what to do. I went out. My phone doesn’t work because roaming is not known in my country. I asked a white man to call me Steve. Steve was there and we met. He called another driver, Shabshab, to take me to the guest house. I enjoyed the scene to Village Green Guest House.