Debre Damo, Monastery in the Sky

I have always wanted to visit Debre Damo since I first saw it in the Pilot Guides Ethiopia episode about 10 years ago. It is an old, secluded church deep in the north of Ethiopia, in the Tigray region bordering Eritrea. Debre Damo sits atop a table mountain, and the only way to access is […]

Epiphany in Ethiopia, Year II

Yesterday was the eve before Orthodox Church’s Epiphany, or Timket Katera, as known here in Ethiopia. I went to the Timket celebration in Jan Meda in Addis Ababa last year, and it was amazing. This time, I went to the evening ceremony.

Inside the Kibera Slum

On a sunny May morning, I took a casual walk in and around Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, one of the largest slums in the world.

Fire meets gasoline

In my first week in Addis Ababa, I visited the Itegue Taitu Hotel in Piazza District. It is the first hotel in Ethiopia, built by Ethiopian Emperor Menelek II and named after his queen, Taitu Betul. The emperor and queen spent their honeymoon there together. It was a truly lovely place, old but only increased […]

Epiphany in Ethiopia

On January 19 Ethiopia is lit up by Epiphany, or Timkat in Amharic, meaning “the baptism”. Timkat celebrates the baptism of Jesus, and is one of the holiest festivals of the year. Starting from around 4 PM on Sunday, the holiday goes on until Tuesday. Since I almost missed Christmas entirely about two weeks ago, […]

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probabilities and prose

Xuan's story in some parts of the world

Africa

Debre Damo, Monastery in the Sky

Epiphany in Ethiopia, Year II

Fire meets gasoline

Epiphany in Ethiopia