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.

By Ebanezare Tadele

I remember my reaction when I was 13 and my parents first told my brothers and I that we were going to be in Ethiopia for the summer. What business did we have in Ethiopia? Ethiopia wasn’t my home, it was theirs. Going to Ethiopia didn’t make sense to me- after all, isn’t this the country they fled from? It didn’t seem very appealing to go to a developing country that the media portrays as being plagued with famine, poverty, and AIDS especially when the alternative was summer break. I had no idea that Ethiopia would end up being the place where I would want to spend the rest of my life.