“Omelette? Scrambled? Sunny?” The waiter approaches my table, ready to take my breakfast order.
“Oh, scrambled, please.”
“One side or two?”
“Um, scrambled? Like an omelette, but ...?” I make a hopeful stirring motion with my hand.
“One side or two?”
“Ah. Two, please.”
This is not the only time I will encounter a communication gap during my business-mixed-with-pleasure trip through Ethiopia. One of the compelling things about travel is that it knocks one a little off-kilter, out of the comfort zone, sometimes right into the “why did I think this was a good idea” zone. Patience is required. But all’s well that ends well: My eggs arrive scrambled, more or less as expected.
The Globe and Mail
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