My family is wide ranged in so many cultural and independent ways. I have family all over, places I would never even have guessed. My parents are from Ethiopia. They both are from two different tribes but come from the same background. As an American-born girl who is of Ethiopian origin, I know it’s important to keep in touch with my roots. In addition to knowing Amharic, the Ethiopian language, and participating in cultural holidays, I visit the land my parents emigrated from, Ethiopia.

My dad had arranged a day for my two brothers and I to fly to Ethiopia for a vacation when I was eight years old. I wasn’t excited like my brothers were. I honestly didn’t want to go, hearing of how my mother and father had grown up. I just didn’t want to go through all the work they did as they grew up. I felt like I would have to do all the work, because that’s what girls did back home in Ethiopia. The girls had to provide for their family, and I felt too young to even cook a meal. As the saying goes, “You won’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you came from.”

As I was forced to go to Ethiopia, I was not excited, and you could definitely see it on my face. The only time I smiled was when I went to the airport and got cookies and juice. The worst part of the trip was the twenty-three hour plane trip to get from Kansas to Ethiopia, but once I hopped in the plane I went straight to the window seat. I had never gone on an airplane before, but I was told by friends that the window seat was the best spot to sit on the airplane. As the plane went up, I began to shake because I was scared. I felt like I was going to fall out. The higher the airplane went, the more I began to cry and cry. Once we reached a certain spot in the air, I began to wipe my tears looking out the window, seeing all the clouds I had gone through. It was an interesting experience riding on the plane heading to the sky. My ears started to hurt, but I fought through it. The only thing that was left to do was to watch movies. I was so happy I had my own DVD player right in front of me, and I could choose any kind of movie I wanted. I had no one there to bother me and I felt like an adult being able to control the DVD player and having my own headphones. I felt like an adult, but with a responsibility of taking care of the things I had possession of. Then again all I could think about was of the decision I had to make of what movie to pick. As I was looking for movies, a flight attendant became very close to me and picked a movie that we both enjoyed. As the movie was ending, I found myself falling asleep.

Once I had arrived, I knew a bunch of my family was going to be waiting at the airport for me. As I walked out of the plane, there was a group of people coming towards me. I had no idea who they were because I had never seen them, but I had heard a lot about them. I was overwhelmed from all the people that were surrounding me, hugging me, kissing my cheek, and saying welcome. It’s the Ethiopian culture to hug and kiss people they know to welcome and greet their guests.

During the trip, I wanted to learn more about my Ethiopian heritage and family. I visited museums and sought details, specifically about the 1896 Battle of Adwa, when Ethiopians defeated efforts of colonization. This battle was not significant for Ethiopia, but for the other African nations that experienced colonization. Interestingly, during this war, Ethiopians did not have advanced weapons, while the Italians did. Also, during this time, women were viewed as submissive, but they still had the opportunity to fight in the war.

Going through the different cities in Ethiopia, I notice how much the country had grown. Ethiopia has been stereotyped as a homeless nation. Outsiders may gather their opinions about the country from “Feed My Starving Children” promotions, where families live in slums, and flies lie on helpless, dying children. For some this is sad reality, but to be clear, this is not what all of Ethiopia looks like. Contrary to its stereotype, Ethiopia is believed to be one of the fastest growing countries in Africa. Businesses are booming in each corner, while construction for new buildings, roads, and a subway system take place.

During my month stay in Ethiopia, I experienced non-stop traffic, beautiful sunshine, warm greetings with handshakes and kisses, and people filled with eagerness to grow as a nation. I look forward to visiting Ethiopia in the coming years and witnessing a growing country that has still not forgotten about its history and culture.