EthiopianAmericanGirl

Many people spend most of their time trying to fit in to society.  I have noticed my fellow Ethiopians comparing themselves to one another and competing.  Constantly trying to see what so and so is driving, where they are working, what their kid is doing.  I have noticed some people refer to others by their … More Being yourself

I would like to start today’s post with the following quote: “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man.’ Because I am female, I am … More Empowering our girls.

There are plenty of blogs and tumblrs and little funny clips that say “you know you’re habesha when..” I find these very amusing and often times find myself relating to many of the posts.  Maybe I am a typical Habesha, but then again what does that really mean?  Today I would like to throw it … More Who is in fact the “Typical Habesha”

Eventually, every bird must leave the nest and learn to fly on his or her own.  Every parent knows that this inevitable truth is coming at some point, yet they act surprised at that moment of truth.  I feel as though Habesha parents seem to have a big problem with this subject matter.    All of … More Spreading your wings to fly..the habesha mom’s greatest fear.

Abataye, (My Father) is the best Dad a girl could ask for.  I must say., He doesn’t hear it enough.  I think father’s are sometimes under appreciated and we take their existence for granted.  We often see our father’s as an enforcer ( which I do/ did).  But as a young woman, I see more … More Abate (Father)

Weddings, graduations, church services, celebrations of any type are often accompanied by this: “Eleleleleelel”.  The high pitch chant that we make in times of praise and excitement. Not all of us can reach the highest pitch.  Often the elders and mothers within the Ethiopian Community have mastered the art of the perfect “elelelele”.  The rest … More Elelelele (The sound of excitement and praise)!

A common issue among children of immigrant parents is the use of Ethnic names.  They are difficult to pronounce, hard to spell, and sometimes are the butt of all jokes in elementary school.  Per the name of this blog my perspective comes from the Ethiopian American experience.  I know of Ethiopians who give their children, … More Taking pride in your name: Ethnic vs. nonethnic