Thirteen months of sunshine

In the biting cold of a November morning in 1984, I stepped into the grand Reception Hall of the Ethiopian Embassy in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, for an interview for an English teaching position advertised by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education. A striking poster on the wall caught my attention: “Thirteen Months of Sunshine.” Puzzled, I wondered what it meant. I would soon find out.

During the interview, a panelist casually asked, “Mr Khan, are you married?” I replied in the negative. Without missing a beat, he said, “Do you have children?” Amused, I responded, “How can I have children without marriage?” The elderly interviewer smiled knowingly and remarked, “That may not be possible in India, but in Ethiopia, it is.” I dismissed it as a joke — only to later realise he wasn’t entirely wrong.

A few months later, I arrived in Ethiopia and was assigned as an English teacher under the UNDP. Excited to explore a country rich in history, I was fascinated by its beauty, traditions, and language. My first challenge came at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa when one of my bags was missing, only to be found later en route to Lagos. After a brief stay in the capital, I was posted to a school in Gojjam, about six and a half hours away by bus.

I booked my ticket for Dabre Markos and was informed that the bus would leave at one. Assuming it meant 1 pm, I arrived at the station well in time, only to discover the bus had already departed at 7 am! Unknown to me, Ethiopians follow a unique time system where their day starts at 1 am, not midnight. Fortunately, my ticket was rebooked for the next day at no extra cost.

My time in Ethiopia was filled with surprises, including an incident that reaffirmed the honesty of its people.

During my vacation, I stayed at Hotel Awraris in Addis Ababa. After a shopping spree, I took a taxi to the bus station, inadvertently leaving behind my bag full of purchases. Months later, when I returned to the hotel, the receptionist greeted me with a knowing smile and handed me my lost bag - untouched.

Ethiopia’s history is as captivating as its people. One of Africa’s oldest civilisations, it was ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie until his overthrow in 1974. Ethiopians celebrate Christmas eight days later than the rest of the world, a tradition dating back to when the news of Christ’s birth reached Abyssinia by horseback.

And the mystery of “Thirteen Months of Sunshine”? Ethiopia follows its own calendar - 12 months of 30 days and a 13th month of five days, a system once devised by a king to collect extra taxes. Having lived there for years, I can say Ethiopians are among the most genuine and warm-hearted people in Africa.