Tammer Abiyu starts by telling his parents story of participating in the resistance against the Derg regime in 1970s Ethiopia and then coming to the U.S. as refugees, meeting in Washington DC, and settling in New Jersey. He then talks about his experience growing up in an Ethiopian immigrant home in New Jersey, and navigating his Ethiopian-American identity. Tammer shares how his interest in travel developed, how he fell in love with Japan, and why Tokyo is his favorite city. Matt and Tammer also reflect on their respective trips to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and why it is so important to travel there. Tammer then opens up about his first trip to Ethiopia at age 20 and how significantly it impacted him. Next, he talks about his path to becoming a full time digital nomad and shares his experience on his first Remote Year trip. Matt and Tammer then reflect on their experience summiting Mount Kilimanjaro together. They talk about the physical preparation, mental preparation, getting the right gear, and describe the final push to the summit at midnight in sub-zero conditions. They also talk about the power of hiking it with a close knit group, and share their lessons and tips for others interested in summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #211: Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, Ethiopian Immigrant Culture, and Why Japan is So Amazing with Tammer Abiyu
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Tammer Abiyu
Tammer Abiyu is a self-taught software engineer and co-founder of the software startup, Bedrock. Born in New Jersey to an Ethiopian immigrant family, he has a degree from Yale, and has been a full time digital nomad since 2017. He has now been to 57 countries and he speaks Japanese, Spanish, and French.
What You'll Learn
- Lessons, Reflections and Tips for Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro
- The Identity Dynamics of Ethiopian Immigrant Culture in the U.S.
- Why Japan Is so Amazing and Why Tokyo is Tammer’s Favorite City in the World
Links From the Episode
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LEARN ABOUT REMOTE YEAR PROGRAMS
Get $100 Credit for Your First Remote Year Program By Using This Link
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Australia
- Bolivia
- California
- Cambodia
- Cape Town
- Mauritius, East Africa
- Ecuador
- Ethiopia
- Europe
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Italy
- Shibuya/Tokyo, Japan
- Kilimanjaro
- New Jersey
- New Zealand
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Barcelona, Spain
- Sudan
- Arusha, Tanzania
- Thailand
- USA
- Washington, DC
CONTACT AND FOLLOW TAMMER
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[2:38] The Island of Mauritius
[4:02] Tammer’s Parents Role in the Ethiopian Resistance Movement
[7:26] The Ethiopian Immigrant Community in Washington, DC
[8:22] Growing up in West Orange, New Jersey
[11:41] Eating Ethiopian food around the African continent
[12:41] How Tammer’s Interest in World Travel Developed
[14:27] What Tammer Loves About Japan
[18:58] Reflections on Visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki
[21:36] Tammer’s First Trip Back to Ethiopia
[24:07] The Path to Becoming a Full-Time Digital Nomad
[27:48] Tammer’s First Experience on Remote Year
[31:34] Physically Preparing to Summit Mount Kilimanjaro in 3 Weeks
[38:13] Mentally Preparing to Summit Mount Kilimanjaro
[43:02] Getting the Right Gear to Summit Mount Kilimanjaro
[44:42] Reflections on the Final Push to the Kilimanjaro Summit
[52:42] Hiking Kilimanjaro with a Close Group of Friends
[55:31] Lessons, Tips and Advice for Hiking Kilimanjaro
[59:49] How to Get a Discount on your first Remote Year Program
