Chapter 14
Bye-Bye Africa
In the second week of January our guests left, and soon I would get a negative reply on my extension. Before I would leave the country, I would know it precisely, how my fate has been decided, but I think it is not relevant here.
First, the agreement on decrease of the expert contingent. Second, results of tender for the new city buses challenged a revenge to the Ministry of Transport, their experts would not have stayed. Third, it was widely known that Thomas and his wife had been saving up for their housing at home, whereas I had had an apartment. This circumstance turned the sympathy of John to the side of Thomas – at least until he discovered that he overruled his authority --, against the argument that the company of FTO applied twice to our embassy for my extension.
And last, but not least, the house, as I have mentioned, would have been necessary for Serghey. The assistant of the defence attachee was more important than a simple aid-expert.
During my second year in Africa colleagues from home informed me about changes in company management I had forecast earlier. With my stay not extended I was to return into a wasp nest. Anyway, I decided to fight for my career at home, and I would not choose the ordinary way of looking for a new employer at once after return.
I could not decide for a long time what to do with my car. It became clear soon that Bekele could not buy it, even if he had had the money, what he had not. I was either to sell it to a foreigner with customs duty privileges as I had been for six months, or to put it on board a ship and take home. This latter had been a reserve solution and it had not been necessary to turn to it. I published an ad in "Ethiopian Herald” and a Mexican diplomat took it. With the money he paid and a further sum from my account I ordered a Honda Civic from Mr Sarakakis, the Honda-agent in Athens.
Since their arrival my family have been frequent guests in tourist offices and they collected catalogues. Now the City Guides of SAS did a very good service. Both in Cairo and Athens, as well as in Istanbul and Belgrade I have ordered hotel rooms, in Athens for five days that we would be staying and a sight-seeing tour, too.
For our stops in those cities we would need visas. One by one I got all and I also had very interesting conversations. A Turkish official informed me we Hungarians were still in the middle of their hearts because of our 150 years we had belonged to the Turkish empire. I bit my tongue and did not say, how much my people like the thought of those times.
A Greek clerk, while she was putting the stamps into our passports, said, the best detergent in Ethiopia was the one produced here on a Greek licence.
The Yugoslav secretary gave me a map of his country fit not only for our homeward trip, but a year later for another one.
Our house has been near to the shopping street of the city and when we drove there, we left the car at the side of the road. In those instants everywhere in the town a group of children from 4 to 10 surrounded us and said: "Zabanya.” It meant they wanted to guard the car.
Once, when we still had the car, a boy of 8 said the customary text. I answered him: "Zabapa.” It is a pun. Zabanya means in Hungarian "the mother of oats” as anya means mother. So, zabapa means "the father of oats”, as apa is father. He did not understand, but said: "O.K., zabapa.” And every time he saw us, he said: "Mr, zabapa.”
After sale of my car the boy saw us walk and said the same. I told him in Ethiopian, there is no car any more: "Makina yellem.” But of course, he has got his 25 cents.
Leaving Addis Ababa has been painful. I was able to understand a compatriot family, who one year before had to be put on the plane by help. They could not go away from the country.
There were many things to arrange before the foreign ministry would give us exit visas. Our last month I spent by eliminating those obstacles. There was one, however, that looked Catch 22. The rules of Municipality regulated that a foreigner cannot get clearance from his housing obligations, before he got his exit visa. At the same time he was not allowed to have his exit visa, until he has been cleared from everything. I could only solve this dissonance by getting a statement from the foreign ministry I am to get my exit, if I had no obligations. The Municipality ’s clerk has been tired of me and accepted it.
About one month before the date of leave I also made an unsuccessful attempt to go to the game country of Lake Rudolf and the Omo river. But it was good, as the plane could not return because of early rains, and for a month – until we left the country – there were no other flights. I would have been locked up there and would have died. It means, one of my dreams could not come true again.
My son has been promised to get a fine ring of Ethiopian gold, before we would leave the country. He has not been an easy customer, he would only accept one with green stone with the Ethiopian Lion of Judah on it, and the stone should have been square, not round or oval. For two months we have not found such a ring. When there remained only one month until our leaving date, I ordered it at the jeweller at the ground floor of our former house. I made it a surprise for the family.
Of course, the intrigue has been unveiled. My wife said: "You will get the same ring, only with ivory.” And I would.
My boss, Bekele, helped me the last day photograph objects in the town, otherwise not advisable for crowd or policemen. He took me into his VW Variant and we toured the town.
He promised me to remain in correspondence with us and, in case he would come again to Italy, to visit us. Not one letter I received from him. I wrote at least five, then after a five-year break, I tried again. I tried last time recently. No answer. Either he has not been my true friend, or something happened to him. I am very sorry for this lack of contact.
We have been helped by the doctors to go out to the airport. I have never had worse leaving from any airport as that last day. All our things have been searched through, and at last in the booth we had to take off even our cloths. The crowd was terrible. A lot of Indians have been boarded to our plane and the sight of young mothers with babies in bad condition was moving.