Blog Challenge Day #7
The nice thing about living in Ethiopia is that it can very inexpensive here (in comparison to living in the states). One USD is equivalent to somewhere between 20 and 21 birr (the local Ethiopian currency). In my community, I am able to live within about 100 birr per day. That would be around five USD a day.
Here's a list of items and about how much they cost:
A cup of coffee at a cafe: 6 birr (1/4 of a dollar)
A cup of tea at a cafe: 2 birr (1/10 of a dollar)
A kilo of bananas: 16 birr (4/5 or a dollar)
One weeks worth of...
Tomatoes: 10 birr (1/2 of a dollar)
Potatoes: 10 birr (1/2 of a dollar)
Onions: 10 birr (1/2 of a dollar)
Garlic: 5 birr (1/4 of a dollar)
Other things things I get on a regular basis:
1 kilo of popcorn: 40 birr (2 dollars)
Candles: For one ~ 5 birr (1/4 of a dollar)
Toilet Paper: 12 birr (a little over 1/2 of a dollar)
It's amazing to me how inexpensive this country is. To be honest, it is one of my favorite things about living in a developing country. It also makes me realize how expensive it really is to live in America. I really have to remind myself not to convert birr to USD sometimes though. There are times when locals will try to overcharge me because I am a foreigner and it can be easy to convert in those moments when I do not know what the right price should be. It's important not to convert because sometimes something may convert over to only five or ten USD and may not seem like a lot, but I have to remember that I am living within the equivalent to five USD a day.
Its amazing to me how much of a big deal money is in the states. Having lived in Ethiopia now for about two years, it has been a great reminder that money is not everything. It's not what ultimately makes a person happy. Of course money is important when it comes to having an income to live on, but money is not everything. It has allowed me to really focus on the most important things in my life, the things in my life that make me the happiest.
#BloggingAbroad
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