Narnia And Ethiopia

The skyscrapers seemed like they could rival Mount Everest in size. The streets glistened with lightning. The jumbotrons were colossal and advertised capitalism. The ambiance appeared foreign, and the people spoke an anomalous language that I could scarcely understand. Although everyone around me appeared to be a foreigner, I was the alien. As I drove by Times Square through Midtown Manhattan, I was not aware that I was gazing at The Center of The Universe and The Heart of the Great White Way, but I knew I was witnessing something astonishing, almost fictional. The polarity between where I grew up, Ethiopia, and my new home, New York City, was unfathomable. I felt like Dorothy Gale, from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, when she was whisked to the Land of Oz, mesmerized by the unfamiliar and strange-looking land.

The call sparked such a stressful, drawn-out, and dear immigration process that my mom contemplated about stopping it midway. However, a year later, I landed in the United States, which I had believed was as mythical as Narnia, because, compared to Ethiopia, it appeared too good to be true. Although Ethiopia is blessed with abundances of natural resources and a rich culture, the country is plagued with famine, poverty, poor governance and corruption. In fact, according to various sources, about 90% of the total Ethiopian population live below poverty line with about 62% deprived of adequate schooling. While my peers in America fret about the long line at Chipotle, my peers in Ethiopia worry about whether their family will have something to eat for