tired but can’t sleep

I blame the copious amounts of Early Grey. One of the joys here is attaching excessive excitement to things like overpriced teas and bonbons. Usually I end up buying something that seems cheap but yummy and full of hydrogenated something or rather completely knowing “there’s no nutritional value in this”. But a girl needs treats!

(Good or bad) life resembles normalcy but it’s strange to know that a few weeks ago the country was in crisis and people were hoping for a revolution of some colour. There are no independent newspapers anymore so any information generally is by word of mouth. The CUD leaders are being charged with treason in one mass trial. Barring outside intervention, it’s quite likely they’ll be found guilty and considering it’s a crime punishable by death, the country could explode once more.

I had a frighteningly interesting conversation with an EPRDF supporter who is seemingly swallowing anything the government and/or ETV feeds him. He claims soldiers killed a 7 year old boy because the boy threw a Molotov cocktail at them; Meles is a wonderful prime minister because he’s built roads throughout the country; the CUD leader has never given any money to poor people on the streets and his worst crime - he’s fat. The rhetoric he repeats is beyond believable but he is sincere in his attempts to explain to this fereng the “real” politics in Ethiopia. The man doesn’t even blink when he talks. There’s a strange mentality that only one party is needed in government. I tried to explain that an opposition keeps the ruling party accountable. He doesn’t think it’s necessary. Perhaps he’ll get his wish.