Ethiopia

My summer was amazing. I had fun in my home country of Ethiopia. I spent some time in the capital city Addis Ababa, which is where my grandpa resides. Addis Ababa is absolutely beautiful, and certainly overly populated. Ethiopia has developed in many different ways since the last time I had visited. I also visited Mekele, which is the capital of the Tigray region. Both of my parents are from Tigray. I loved being able to take long walks with my mom, as she reminisced about her childhood. There’s a lot of history theres so I really wanted to learn about it this time around. I visited Lalibela which is famous for its historical churches. I also went to Axum and learned that history runs deep in this city. Axum is known for being an ancient city. Queen Sheba was born in Axum! The Arc which once contained the 10 commandment is hidden in Axum, I was told that the Arc is protected by monks. I got to see the huge sculptures that are more than two thousand years old. Seeing these sculptures really made me think about life, and how civilization wasn’t always primitive. I visited the smaller towns, where I got a real sense of Ethiopia. I visited places Such as Wukro, Awassa, Debre Zebit, and Asebe. Asebe is where my Grandma grew up. She opened up a hotel in Abse two years ago, and if that wasn’t enough, she built a huge building which a bank is now renting. This woman is truly unbelievable. She’s the perfect mix of humor, wisdom, and style. Being able to drink coffee with my mom, grandma, and great grandma was surreal. I see where I get my stubbornness, dedication, and kindness from.

I learned so much from this trip. Life in Ethiopia is so different from life in Canada, and I don’t mean in the development sense. No matter what the people are going through, they have an easy going attitude. No matter what trials and tribulations they face, they ALWAYS have a smile on their face. City life in Canada isn’t the greatest. People confuse themselves and try to live life in a rush, as if there’s not enough time left in the world. Yet other people around the world don’t worry about the time they don’t have. They showed me a different lifestyle, which if good. Its a refresher from the norm.


Here are some pictures from the trip. Enjoy :)