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  • Lead. Serve. Create.

    Welcome to the Fellows' Blog

    Every other week from February through June meet us back here to find a new post by our 2018-2019 cohort of Ethiopian Diaspora Fellows.

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    Samrawit Tamyalew

Trust the Process

By Naome Seifu

Sneek peek of the website work I’ve done with Tsehai Loves Learning

 
As the Fellowship comes to a close, I was recently offered a position that would prolong my stay in Ethiopia. For this new position, I am required to complete a short-term training in the United Arab Emirates. So, I’m currently writing this blog in Dubai! Never in a million years would I have imagined myself sitting in a hotel room in Dubai blogging about my experience as a Fellow.

On August 17, 2015, I flew across the ocean to meet Ethiopia. I spent months working during my Fellowship with Tsehai Loves Learning and networking, trying to answer the question I kept asking myself: What is next for me, God?

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by Naome on 23 Dec 2015

Honor In My Burden

By Ebanezare Tadele

It’s very easy to get caught up in the treadmill of work in America. Always on the go, never a moment to reflect. On to the next. Being in Ethiopia makes me reconsider and reprioritize my beliefs and perspectives. It forces me to open up my eyes, mind, and heart to what I hold dear.

I never considered myself a privileged person. In the U.S., I am seen only as a young Black male who lives in the inner city. My parents do anything and everything to make sure that their children are provided for, and when you live like that, there isn’t much room for more. This stops being the case, the moment I step foot onto Ethiopian soil.

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by Ebanezare on 11 Dec 2015

Misplaced No More

By Liat Desta

Liat and a kid from the Megabi Skate program

 
This is home. This country has been more and meant more to me in the past few months than the country that I grew up in for the past 22 years. It has given me a sense of independence, where I’m no longer dependent on my mom, sister and uncle. I’m here, I’m alone… but I’m surviving. This is home.
 

“This is home.”

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by Liat on 27 Nov 2015

Beauty and Selfies

By TEWODROS ASFAW

Running on the mountains behind Jomo, the same mountains many famous Ethiopian runners practice on!

 
When I first started my journey in Ethiopia, I expected it to be challenging and inspirational. In many ways, it’s been both of those things, and so much more. I remember the surreal feeling of actually being in the country I was born in for the first time in over a decade and the mixed emotions of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity.

I wanted to adjust to life in Addis as authentically as possible; I wanted to go out of my comfort zone and really make the experience about personal growth. I found that each time I left the house, whether it was getting lost and walking in the rain to get home from the gym, or learning the art of bargaining when shopping to avoid overpaying because I look “American”, or taking a taxi and having my phone stolen, there was always a new adventure awaiting me. In all the experiences I’ve had so far in Ethiopia, there has been a consistent theme of peace and community.

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by Tewodros on 30 Oct 2015