My name is Hellina. I was born and raised in the United States. My parents were born and raised in Ethiopia. They immigrated here to the U.S. as young adults. At home, I was raised with strong Ethiopian cultural values. Away from home, I was just another black american kid. This blog shares various stories and opinions I have accumulated over the years as an Ethiopian American. These views are my own, based on my experiences. Issues discussed are cultural identity, socialization, struggles, relationships, and how to teeter totter between two worlds. Join in on the conversation with me.
I was taught long ago “bado ege I kadem soe ebat”. Translation, never go to someone’s house empty handed. This saying particularly applies to when you are invited over for some event or even if you are simply visiting an old friend. It has been engraved in the Ethiopian American’s mind. We are programmed to … More What Should I bring
I missed the joke…Fluent but not quite…
When people meet me, they are often surprised when they discover I was born and raised in the United States. They admire the fact that I speak Amharic fluently. I’m sure many other Ethiopian Americans experience similar adoration for their language skills whenever others discover that they were not born in our beautiful motherland Ethiopia. … More I missed the joke…Fluent but not quite..
I have learned that often times the Ethiopian American Girl’s kindness can be mistaken for weakness. To fight this, many Ethiopian American girls tend to act callus towards outsiders. We may stick our nose in the air in hopes to hide our kindhearted and giving nature. It is unfortunate that it has come to that. … More Don’t mistake our kindness for weakness
Most Ethiopians, not all, tend to be humble. We never boast about our achievements, and we tend to try and keep our accomplishments to ourselves. But this is our cultures main pitfall. I feel that all Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans know that we have a beautiful culture full of intellectual , creative and resilient people. … More Humility
I find myself constantly trying to strike a balance. Between my inner cultural values and the external pressures. Its not always my inner Ethiopian vs. the outer American. Sometimes its actually the inner American vs. the outer Ethiopian. I write about this often in my previous posts. Now that I have completed my formal education … More Ethiopian Girl in an American World
I recently graduated from law school. The days following graduation were filled with congratulations, mentions of how proud people are and well wishes for the future. But I realized something. My Ethiopian Family and Friends said “Enquan Dess Alesh” (the Amharic phrase for Congratulations) and I responded Thank you. Then someone corrected me. The appropriate … More Congratulations v. Enquan Dess Alesh
In a discussion regarding the Ethiopian American Parenting style, I discussed how they are just so hands on, always trying to manipulate and control the path their children take. Some of this is based on culture, some of this is just self indulgence, and some of this is the child’s failure to take responsibility. None … More No it’s not your fault, the Ethiopian American Parent.
Growing up in an Ethiopian American home, there is a lot of language mixing. Your sentence will be structured in the most awkward way, mixing English and Amharic in what would seem to be an inappropriate manner but sounds completely normal to the Ethiopian American ear. Much like what is often referred to as “spanglish”. … More What’s the difference between Ahun and Now?: English v. Amharic in the home
Thanksgiving doesn’t exist in Ethiopia. But, here in America it is a big holiday. Ethiopian Americans have adopted this holiday and made it a day to gather with their extended families. Although I have never experienced Thanksgiving in a non Ethiopian setting, I can bet it is quit different than my experience. My family has … More My Ethiopian American Thanksgiving
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