I just got back from my weekend retreat with 5 other ladies. It wouldn’t be far fetched to say that I didn’t really know the ladies outside of our monthly book review sessions.


They are all from Ethiopia, they are all ladies and around the age group… though I suspect that...

Today at my retreat with the girls, someone asked a very interesting question.|

If you could have a do-over, what would you do for a career?

One by one, we went around the table and tried to answer the question. It is not an easy question to answer. Especially since the second...

I remember discussing the topic of salary with work friends. The fact that it is frowned upon by HR of companies in the US, feels like it is a decision made to benefit employers more than employees. 

I was discussing this topic with a few people in a club. Most...

Tomorrow I am off to the beach. Just 2 hour away.

I am going with a group of ladies that I haven't met in person before. But we belong to an excellent book club that meats once a month to discuss the book we read for the previous month. 

I joined...

I am spending a few days with my sister and her kids. I arrived just yesterday.

It is amazing the amount of structure that is you need to have around children. There is a time to eat. Time to brush the teeth. Time to go to bed. Time to wake up....

The plane descended at the Dulles airport. I felt both nervous and excited at what awaits me. The airport looked so futuristic. Everyone around me looked busy. Except the other first timers like myself. The facial expressions could clearly separate the locals from the new arrivals.

My mother received me at...

I used to have a very skewed view of single mothers. Especially coming from a conservative country like Ethiopia. if a woman becomes a single mother, she has brought shame and disrespect to her family at large. Often single mothers struggle to get housing, jobs and acceptance in society. 

Absolutely...

Slowly I got accustomed to the campus. I started to recognize people that took classes with me. We had similar routines. Classes, meals and library visits around the same time everyday. 

After a few weeks, the class segregation was crystal clear. The rich kids wouldn’t go to the cafeteria. They...

I was at my mom’s office when I first heard. I was accepted at Addis Ababa University. The 6-kilo campus. My first choice. I hadn’t scored very highly at the school leaving exam. 3.2 out of 4. I was expecting to be assigned to a University outside of the capital...

Just finished watching the Ozark.

I am bummed it is over. One of the few shows I stumbled upon a few years ago and loved instantly. It someone reminds me of 'Breaking Bad'... but this time it is a whole family as opposed to just one man.

The dialogue and story line...