Friendly Fire

Tonight we met a Japanese friend of mine, P, who is working in Addis Ababa on a year contract with Ethiopian Airlines. He has actually been working for Ethiopian Airlines for about 30 years, but usually is stationed in Tokyo, so this is his first long-stay in Ethiopia, but he knows this country well. Not only is P extremely well traveled, he is a fellow Toastmaster and he knows how to "work a room" whether it be 30 people or 3; he had us laughing til our sides hurt more than a few times during the evening.
We met in our hotel lobby and chatted for a while before deciding to take a taxi up to Top View, one of the finest restaurants in Addis, known for its spectacular view of the city from atop a high precipice. On the way, the taxi driver asked P if he was Chinese, but P didn't miss a beat in saying, "Me? No, I'm from North Korea. You like North Korea?" The driver must've been somewhat surprised, but seemed compelled to say yes, he liked North Korea. P went on, "Yes, we don't have much money, but we have spirit... and a nuclear missile!" Five minutes into the taxi ride, P had taught the driver to say hello and thank you in Korean, Chinese and Japanese and they were chatting like old friends.