My first trip to Ethiopia was unforgettable. I had been thinking about it in my head for at least 2 years before finally actually going. Every year something crazy would happen where I couldn’t go and I put it off. 2017 I finally decided that no matter what happened, even if I had to travel alone, I’d visit, and it was one of the top 5 best decisions I ever made while I was in college.
I had watched movies, read books, heard stories, and had visualized over and over in my head so many times what it would be like, that when I actually was on the plane it kind of felt like a movie.
I ended up planning everything pretty last minute (like a few weeks before lol). My best friends drove me to the airport, and from the moment I shut the car door...things became an adventure lol.
For starters, I didn’t anticipate how long the security would be on international travel out of Columbus on a Sunday crack of dawn early morning. I spent probably an hour over the time I thought I would spend in line.
The reason I almost missed my flight
I sprinted from security to the exit gate with -10 minutes to spare for DEPARTURE time. I don’t know if they were waiting for me or what but one of the flight attendants, JUST as she was closing the door that would close the door on my voyage (or at least delay it and wax me on the price to rebook), caught a glimpse of me mid-run and held the door open.
She smiled soothingly and said:
“You made it.” :)
Those were the sweetest words I heard all morning.
I sat down aboard Ethiopian Airlines (THE best airline experience I’ve ever had) debating if I was going to do what I said I was gonna do and speak Amharic as much as I possibly could. I was studying Amharic at the time and had just taught myself the fidel that summer--I was overly excited to use it.
Much of the flight crew had on their traditional dresses and clothing, and I just remember the reassuring smiles on everyone’s faces whenever I would catch their eye from across the plane. It’s like they knew it was my first time traveling abroad or something. It’s hard to tell if people could pick up on how excited I was or how obvious it came off that I really had no idea what I was doing lmao.
Even the little things like the “buckle your seat-belt” signs written in the fidel were fascinating to me. Or me saying little sentences in Amharic and them understanding me and responding were all moments that made me smile inside.
It was somewhat awkward though because many times I would get so surprised that they understood me and responded to me that I would forget to listen to what they said...and I’d have to play it off with phrases like “eshi”, min alsh?, or just rub my chin like I’m really contemplating the question asked. They probably were thinking like “yo, why does he need so much focus to decide between coffee and tea?” Interactions like this were a common theme throughout the whole trip.
They provided slippers, an eye mask, a blanket, a pillow, and several full meals. With this alone, I was pretty much on top of the world and I went to sleep feeling great and still somewhat in awe that I was really on my way to Ethiopia.
ወደ ኢትዮጵያ እንኳን ደህና መጡ!
(Welcome to Ethiopia)
"Once a mind is stretched by a new experience, it can never go back to its original dimensions"
Nothing better fulfills these words than the experiences I had when I finally landed. Although there’s too many experiences to count, I narrowed it down to SEVEN of the most memorable things that make me smile when I think of my first trip to Ethiopia.
The Language Experience
There’s over 83 different languages and more than 200 different dialects in Ethiopia. I’ve always been fascinated by language because I think it’s one of the best ways to understand the identity of others.
When you really commit to learning another person’s language you learn a valuable piece of who they are and how they see the world.
While in Ethiopia, I went to great extremes to practice Amharic, maybe too extreme lol. My go-to move was to pretend I didn't know any language outside of Amharic. If pressed, I would fake bad English to leave no option but to be spoken to in Amharic if the conversation were to advance.
Sometimes the conversations were reallllly LONG. This made for some funny interactions where people were wondering why I didn't just talk in English lmao but it was a lot of fun and I learned so much from it. On several occasions I got off on the wrong bus stop, ordered too much or the wrong kind of food, or something similar all because I wanted to learn so bad. This was especially memorable to me because of the patience and the willingness to help I seen from others. They were equally as excited to teach me as I was to learn, and jokes are much funnier in the language they were made in than if explained in English. It's a great way to learn. I'm still studying Amharic but plan to learn Tigrinya and Oromigna after. My favorite word from the trip was Anqolepapesqut. It's a term of endearment and somewhat of a tongue-twister. One day I'll be fluent enough to give entire speeches in Amharic.
Hospitality
The people you meet in Ethiopia will go above and beyond to take care of you and make you feel welcomed. No matter where I went I felt like I was welcomed and at home. When visiting a close friend’s family or house they always offered Genfo, checked-in on how I was doing, and we’d stay up for hours storytelling. Genfo isn't a normal dish to serve; it's made on special occasions and as a way to honor guests. It's really good and I ate a lot of it during my first trip. The hospitality is unforgettable because they aren’t concerned with how you look or even your personality but how you feel. They go out of their way to soften your experience with a smile and they open the door to their experience and invite you in to stay for awhile.
Genfo
Pulling up a chair at any table
It’s very common for you to be sitting down and for a group of people to ask you to join them for a meal or coffee or for them to sit down at your table and strike up a conversation. It’s an easygoing, social feel that you don't get in too many places. Imagine walking up to a family at IHOP and asking "mind if I join ya?"..we all know how that would turn out lol. But in Ethiopia that was the norm in my experiences and when I reflect on it that always brings back great memories. At one of my favorite coffee places, Oftana, a newly wed couple asked to join me and we ended up talking and laughing for hours over Buna. They even offered for me to join them to a movie they were seeing (I had to decline because I didn't wanna be a 3rd Wheel but the invitation was very much appreciated haha). Good times.
Newly weds and me at Oftana Coffee House
Haircuts!!
Hands-down haircuts in Ethiopia top any haircut experience I’ve ever had and I've been getting haircuts since a young buck. It’s really like a full spa treatment from the shoulders up. Someone cuts your hair first in the front of the shop and then you go to an area in the back where they wash and massage your face and shoulders. The first one I had changed my life and I get one every time I go. It was fun describing the haircut entirely in Amharic. I always leave the shops feeling refreshed and feeling myself beyond belief. There's nothing like it I've found outside of Ethiopia.
Vintage vibes
I appreciate the fact that you can walk into any restaurant at anytime of the day and hear the best songs from my childhood. It was like living in the 90s. Everywhere I went I could hear Lauryn Hill, Toni, Tony, Tone, Aaliyah, Craig David, Tyrese, or Ginuwine. A lot of these artists my parents grew up listening to, and it brought me back to growing up riding in the car with them blasting R&B hits.
It’s like an escape to a simpler time, and I was surprised during my first trip there to hear those songs. When my parents finally visit it’ll be hard to get them to leave. Another cool thing is that the DJ's really DJ'd! If you requested a song they played the artist you requested and basically their whole discography lol I remember requesting one of my favorite GiGi songs (GiGi: Gud Fella) and the DJ played GiGi for the rest of the night. The vibes in Ethiopia are really unmatched.
New Friends and me at a restaurant in Piassa
Chimaqee, Food
Fun fact: my first word was juice. But juice in Ethiopia or Chimaqee is a whole different level. You get fresh cut fruit, usually a variety of Mangoes, Avocados, Banana, Papaya, and strawberry, in a layered smoothie with lime juice. It’s the best. And of course the food is bomb too. There’s a wide selection of the food you can get and the styles vary by region sometimes. From Tibs to Doro wet to Shiro to Kitfo to gomen...It’s really hard to go wrong with Ethiopian food and injera. I ate as much as I could literally until the final hour when I had to leave.
Another Fun fact: teff, a main ingredient in injera, is a superfood.
Getting lost
The idea of getting lost is something that holds true every time I visit Ethiopia, both literally and figuratively.
I got lost on the mini-buses numerous times, I got lost going for morning runs, I got lost in new villages, and I even got lost in restaurants sometimes. If there was a place I was supposed to get to I often didn't get there until much later than I was supposed to. I experimented with different ways of how to get to places both in the cities and in life. It made me ask questions that led to more questions and changed my vantage point of how I see myself. The people I met, the places I saw, and the time just being away and to myself was calming.
Whether lost trying to get from one side of the city to the other, being lost in myself and questioning how I see the world, or just simply being lost in the moment, it’s hard to think of a greater feeling than being away from everything and free to let yourself wander.
Being lost is freeing, and I think it’s what travel is all about.