You can learn a lot about America by talking to Ethiopian taxi drivers in Washington, D.C.  For some reason, which I never fathomed, many, if not most, of the taxi drivers in the District are from Ethiopia and Eritrea, two countries on the eastern coast of Africa.  These Ethiopians and Eritreans I found, by and large, to be happy, well-spoken, and extremely well-informed about the politics of the nation’s capital.  They learned a great deal, I suspect, by eavesdropping on the many political conversations in their taxis.

Washington, D.C. And Taxi Drivers

From mid-2007 to early 2010, I lived and worked in Washington, D.C. My office was on McPherson Square, at 15th & I Street, and I lived on the outskirts of Georgetown at 22nd & N Street.  When the weather was nice, I walked to my office, but on those days when it snowed or rained, I always took a taxi.

I recall taking many taxi rides in those years and I always enjoyed my conversations with the drivers immensely.  They were fun to talk with and so I always engaged them in conversation.  I asked lots of questions in those 15-minute taxi rides (depending on traffic) and the answers I received were remarkably consistent among all of them.  They loved America and they thought it was the greatest country on the planet.  They came to America as immigrants without much money.  All of them were married. Most of them had two or three children. Their children were all in school and doing very well.  Many older sons and daughters had undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees.  I remember being told about many doctors, engineers, and physical scientists who had excellent jobs.  Their success stories always astounded me.

The Unanswered Questions

I often wondered how these men from these two African countries not only survived in America, but they thrived.  Many worked 12-hour shifts, six and seven days a week.  To me, they represented the true greatness of America.  I also wondered why so many native-born Americans just don’t seem to get it about America.  It doesn’t make sense to me.

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