I try to hide my emotions, but I strongly dislike substitute teachers
They often look at my name with a weird face when taking attendance
They scrunch up at the bridge of their nose like they’re dissecting a worm
And they spit out something that sounds like sis-aye or sigh-say
But my friends correct them before I get the chance to

Wa-, wa-, wait, you’re African?!?
East African?
That country that was the second poorest in the world?

By the way, I’m just a boy whose parents are Ethiopian
And I was born in the US
But have an Ethiopian name

September 3rd, 2012
I get a PR of 7:59 in the Avondale Labor Day race
I finish in second, and I am happy with my time
They announce my name, I don't even know it's me
I correct the announcer but she still says it wrong
After a couple of corrections, she simply hands me the microphone to say it myself

February 18th, 2014
At Jekyll Island, we have to introduce ourselves every time we meet a new tour guide
I introduce myself and she gets my name right
That was surprising
After the beach walk, I raise my hand
The tour guide points at me and says, "SSS....oh yeah, you had that different name!"
My fellow osprey members give her a blank expression as if they’re waiting for something
Almost no one in the world has a different name
In fact, I have a cousin with the same name

Being Ethiopian doesn't mean you have a weird name or that you’re poor!
It is just a part of your identity and what shapes who are
I am proud for being Ethiopian
Next time someone asks me, “Are you from Ethiopia?”
I will say yes
I am from Ethiopia
The ONLY African country that defeated Europeans and was never colonized,
The first Africans to win gold medals in the Olympics,
The only African country with its own alphabet,
The home of the earliest human beings, Lucy and Ardi,
AND The country that the first cup of coffee was made in

I am Ethiopian
And I am Sisay