Ethiopia vs. U.S.A.

I landed back in the U.S. yesterday, so this will be my last post. I've been comparing Ethiopia to the U.S. a lot, and here's a summary of my thoughts.

Favorite things about Ethiopia:
1) 8-cent tea, 15-cent minibus rides, $1.50 meals... the birr-dollar conversion is glorious (at least, it is for Americans)
2) The prevalence of mangoes
3) Textiles (if you haven't been subjected to one of my odes to hand-spun, hand-woven cotton, consider yourself lucky)
4) Shiro
5) The fact that nobody cares or notices if you wear the same outfit more than once a week
6) The scenery
7) The history
8) The fact that heterosexual men are perfectly comfortable holding hands with each other

Favorite things about the U.S.:
1) Fast and reliable internet
2) Pasteurized milk
3) Warm lighting (again, if you haven't been subjected to a lecture on the depressing fluorescent lights of Ethiopia, consider yourself lucky)
4) Food variety
5) English
6) The fact that would not be acceptable for Americans to point and shout "foreigner!" or "Hey you hey you!" at Ethiopians walking around in the U.S.
7) Distinct and varied seasons
8) The fact that homosexual men are perfectly comfortable holding hands with each other (er, in some places...)

Thanks for reading!