Somewhere Between Somaliland and America- Ethipoia

                 It wasn’t my first trip to Ethiopia. I went to Addis three years ago. But this time, it was completely different. In this trip, I went with my roommates. Before leaving Abaarso, we were super excited. I had to share rooms with them. So it felt little bit like Abaarso. But, this time, I even had to share beds with them. I hate bus rides. During my last trip there, I flew there. But this time, I had to ride buses. They were extremely boring and tedious, well at least for most of them. I had to remain seated for 11 hours, NOT COOL! When we got to Dire Dawa that was when the actual fun began. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called RAAS. My three stooges and I were very tired and hungry. When we got to our room, where there were only two beds, we immediately fought over the bathroom. One wanted to shower, two wanted to brush their teeth, and I wanted to use the toilet! After three hours of bickering, we came into an agreement. We decided that Najib takes his shower, Abdilahi and Ryder brush their teeth, and I do my thing; at the same time! It didn’t work out so well, but we were all satisfied. With Ryder’s leg on my face and Abdilahi’s snoring, it was impossible for me to go to sleep that night.

               Next morning, we woke up at 4:45 in the morning and took another 11 hours bus ride to Addis. This bus ride was way more fun than the other one. It had a small TV which was entertaining and they provided FREE snacks. The road from Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa was very smooth and downy. Ethiopia has the most beautiful landscape views I’ve ever seen. The view of lakes adjacent to dimly green grass where horses were at rest was a spectacular observation for an eye. 

                Finally at Addis. “Addis looks more like a place between Somaliland and the US”, said Mike. The tall skyscrapers next to lofty giant trees were extraordinary.  Our first night there was amazing. We had to go to sleep early because we were taking the SAT next morning.

               The moment of truth; the SAT. Something that shocked me was that I wasn’t nervous, not even a bit. I mean why I would be nervous, I practiced for the SAT only million times. I treated it the same way I would treat it any other practice test. It went very well. I was glad that the effort that I’ve put in for the past three years paid off. Let’s hope the scores satisfy the hard work that I’ve put in.