I am now in our neighboring "big" town (Holeta -- "Place of Sheep") and
just bought some groceries.

Then nasty drama struck -- in my own town (Addis Alem "New World") we
have a crazyman named Berhanu ("The Light (of God). Sometimes he's
almost normal and sometimes mad as a hatter. When he is off-base he is
almost always friendlily towards me or at least neutral. Then several
months ago he got the delusion that I was his wife. Still I kept him
from going hostile on me when we met. Even when, one day, he got into
my yard and my big dog, Dante, went to attack him.

HOw-EV-er, abt 1/2 hr ago I was waiting in my car by the side of a main
street, w the windows mostly open, and Berhanu snuck up behind me,
shouted, and when I turned, he spat in my left eye and nostril and side
of face. I shouted yuo Stupid SH*T and quick as a flash, started the
car and started to reverse, and he ran like a gazrelle. A little later
while I was parked in another spot, he approached fr a side street and
fr across the street started to say something aggressive, and I shouted
F*ck YOU. He shouted something w some satisfaction and left. Here it is
illegal to say "F You" to someone.

I went straight to my doctor -- who was only a few blocks away (this
is a very small place). Dr Addis ("New") said HIV isn't xmitted via
saliva, since saliva carries very small quantities of the virus.
HIV/AIDs is epidemic here. I was so relieved I didn't ask abt TB etc.

So, as you can see, I am losing control, and it is time to leave
Ethiopia. I've been investigating how to do it, and costs of flights,
but the big expense will be bringing my animals back. Plus without a
stopover somewhere the flight wd be over 20 hrs, and I never thought I
wd be bringing the ferrets back to the US. In the other direction, it
is easy to schedule a free 1-day stopover in a "pet hotel" the airlines
use in Frankfurt.

But I must stop somewhere and find a place to stay that will allow
ferrets. Do any of you know anyone/shelter who could give me a hand
in Frankfurt? Or another major European city other than in England?
Or, best of all, in Dubai???????

I am so looking forward to being in the quiet old USA!

[Posted in FML 7571]