Well, this past weekend marked the first graduation ceremony for DebreMarkos University. In anticipation of the event, a few aspiring entrepreneurs arranged to have a truckload of flowers shipped up from the South. (The South is home to numerous Dutch-owned flower enterprises.) The irony is that the flowers didn’t sell well. People here are practical and like a lot of bang for their buck…or more accurately birr. They want something that lasts…they want ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS. The artificial flowers sold like hot cakes and I’m sure will adorn tabletops and bicycles for decades to come.
I, on the other hand, love the real deal. Flowers aren’t meant to be dusted! Regardless of the price, I knew I was going to buy a bunch. I nearly fell over when Gigi quoted me the price of 5birr for 10 roses! For less than 50 cents, I walked home with a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses and a big smile on my face. I so love a GREAT deal!
