Ethiopia
Africa · Country #78
Did you know?
Ethiopia is one of the only African countries that was never colonized and is also the origin of coffee, where legend says it was first discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi.
My Experience
My time in Ethiopia got off to a chaotic start. Earlier that same day, I had been sitting in a jail cell in neighboring Djibouti after being accused of espionage. Once I was released, I caught a flight to Addis Ababa, only to be involved in a minor car accident on the way from the airport to my hotel. It was quite the introduction to the country.
Thankfully, things quickly took a turn for the better. On my first evening, I met a man my age named Danay in the hotel gym. He was from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where a brutal war between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government had devastated his community. As he shared stories of what his family and neighbors had endured, we quickly formed a connection.
The next day, Danay joined me on a trip to Debre Libanos Monastery, one of Ethiopia’s most important religious sites. Later, over a traditional meal of raw beef, he introduced me to the Ethiopian custom of gursha, feeding someone else with your hands as a gesture of friendship and respect. Years earlier, my OCD would never have allowed me to do something like that. Yet somehow, in that moment, it felt completely natural. Ethiopia reminded me that even in places that have experienced immense hardship, you can still find remarkable peace and kindness.
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