I was too young to know that every country had one of those – airlines, that is, and the pretty ladies that went along with them, not to mention the dashing pilots. I was too young to even know that there were such things as other countries. There was Ethiopia, that was that. That was the world. … More Follow the Smile
This one’s on me. I’m happy to share my latest article for Selamta, the in-flight magazine of Ethiopian Airlines. For this assignment, I spent an afternoon being led to and fed in lesser known/much loved restaurants around Addis Ababa (one of which had one of the best ceiling art I’d ever seen, see below), all in … More Went/Saw/Ate/Wrote
Until now, the Internet had been a given for me, like the existence of God. You can question it, worship it, get cranky about it, but you can’t actually switch it off, can you?
Can you?
… More E.T. REFRESH HOME PAGE
Picking up from where I left off at the end of After Addis 2, if the diaspora – either as a whole or just one keyboard-happy representative – were to talk back, it might come out something like this. I’m not saying that these things were said necessarily but that they might be said if necessary in certain … More After Addis 3
Continuing from where I left off at the end of ‘After Addis 1‘, on the seven phases of the seven trips of this brown astronaut around the planet known as Ethiopia… Phase 1: immediately following migration, a time of feeling completely at ease with myself, it not even occurring to me to change to adapt to the norms … More After Addis 2
Well, the satellite dishes were everywhere in full bloom in Addis, and I’ve learned that its impossible to be matter-of-fact not only about going to but also leaving from Ethiopia. The ‘going to’ always means something- if not to you-the-goer, then to the person who hears of it. Back in the spring and early summer, … More After Addis 1
There’s this joke about an American who went to Washington D.C to teach English to new immigrants from Ethiopia. He ended up learning Amharic instead. When you can do an entire transaction at Starbucks in Amharic (granted, the store in question is right outside the arrivals gate at Dulles Airport) and even add to the … More Shock of the New
Abay is not just the name of the river which springs from the heart of Ethiopia, cuts through Sudan and Egypt, and ends in the way of all rivers big and small. It is also the name by which I best knew my grandfather. Officially, he was known by the more intimidating Shaleka – chief … More How a Dam Works
I can be a flirty type as long as it doesn’t involve people. Ideas is where the chemistry happens. There’s one in particular, which started off as a little harmless flirtation, then bloomed into a full blown on-again off-again thing that’s been going on for years. It never works out, of course, for reasons x, … More The Twisted Edge
Long long ago, as mortals have done since The Fall, so did Mary the mother of Jesus. She died. Sources better informed than I ( = sources informed) tell me that the filseta fast that I currently find myself a little over halfway through has been held every year since then-ish by Orthodox Christians in … More Eating Alone
Rebecca Fisseha, Writer. 