should i get a african grey parrot?

If this is your first parrot experience, start out with an easier bird - the cockatiel

African Greys, although lovely birds, and they can be good companions, you do need prior experience with parrots of some kind before taking that next step. They are a lot more like adopting a young child, which can be extremely challenging to someone who is expecting more pet-like behaviour. Greys who aren't handled "just right" can become serious problem animals with very undesirable behaviours (feather destruction, biting, chronic screaming, self-mutilation).

You can have a great relationship with a cockatiel, and they are much easier to handle for a first time owner. :)

An african grey is a large expensive bird, but if you train it then it would be worth it. There is a smaller version of it and I think it's called a timnah african grey and it's half the size. Since you have never had a bird I would go with the cockatiel to learn how to keep a bird then move up in size.

I have both of kinds of birds and really like them :) African grey parrots are better at talking and mimicking sounds and cockatiels are easy to train and don't bite as hard. Trust me African grey parrots can bite REALLY hard. I have alot of cocktiels and they all have different personalites.

i don't think a big, very expensave, and intelegent bird is right for a first timer. You need to make sure you have a few grand saved up for buying the bird and all his stuff + a couple grand more for vet bills. And get some experance.