January 9, 2013 Arriving in a city under cover of darkness is always fascinating. The city is planning a surprise party. I arrived in Tehran at night, or rather, the very early morning, to barely glimpse a city that looked abandoned. Quiet, peaceful. I arrived last night in Addis Ababa at nearly midnight to find a city still well populated. Merchants closing down shops, taxi drivers parked and gossiping, people everywhere. I can see nothing of the city beyond the hotel's front door - I keep thinking that when I will wake up, when the sun comes up, I will get to see where I am. What I can do now is hear it. The night is full of dogs barking, horns honking, life. The morning will bring with it not only a view of the city, but birds singing, construction beginning, and loud lobby music piped into the hotel. A different kind of life. At the airport an employee strikes up a conversation with me, asking me where I am from, what do I do? I tell him, American. His face lights up, the
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