During a very specific window of time after I joined the Western World, I believed in Santa Claus. One hundred percent. This window happened to fall between October 1992 and January 1993. The natural thing to do, then, was to write him a letter. Sorry, write Him a letter. Make no mistake, I had always … More Christmas Confession
I have two tattoos which never fail to catch people by surprise. I guess I don’t come across as the self-stamping kind. This is partly true, which is why I have trouble giving adequate explanations of my non-Maryam Yesamechign markings. If only I could blame it on the Holy Mother. Nope, all me and my … More Permanent Hager Fikir
When the radio said that it’s 4 degrees Celsius (39 F) outside today, my immediate thought was Oh it’s nice out ! That’s when I knew. I have adapted, perhaps irrevocably. But I still have those moments when I realize you can take the girl out of [insert name of home country] but you can’t take … More FOB 4 Life
Somewhere in Addis there is a house as old as me. All I ever had to do with regards to it was just live in there, stay cute, and be on my best behaviour, sorta like this: Until recently, that is. Decades since I last set foot in the yard, I was tasked with getting … More Code Error
I chipped a tooth today. No fault of the tooth. All blame is mine. I was trying to pry out a blade from an old and sticky Swiss Army knife. Thought I’d use my front teeth, concentrate all my jaw-power. Afterwards, when I felt grainy bits of something on my tongue, I hoped it was … More A Dental Retrospective on Migration Day
It wasn’t until 2007 that I discovered there was such a thing as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, when I saw the elegant box tucked away in a bathroom at a crowded grown-ups party on occasion of an upcoming wedding. Presumably, it was there for safekeeping until after the bulk of (less-deserving) guests had moseyed on home … More Me and Yohannes Aramde
“I think it’s an immigrant thing.” That’s what anyone who answers “Yes.” will probably tell you. I know I certainly would. The question: Do you hide your passport at home? Damn skippy! Nobody’s ever asked me, and I always assumed that I was the only one who did. But I came across someone today who admitted … More An Immigrant Thing
Few weeks ago, I was riding the subway (what’s new?) as part of my daily rat race, when I see an ad for the Go Global Expo. A two-day event jam packed with information on travelling abroad to work, study or volunteer! Now I know better than to believe the promise of the photo on the … More Goodbye Scarberia!
Well here I am somewhere in the mountains of Banff. It’s taken a long time to get here. Literally: (eternity on the TTC: 7 mins bus from my front door to Warden station, 1.5 hrs from Warden subway station to Kipling subway station, 30min bus ride to Terminal 1 at Pearson, approx. 10 min wandering around trying … More The Elevation
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