About me
My name is Merhawie and I’m the Eritrean-American behind Semantic Eritrea. I was born in the US during the Eritrean struggle for Independence. My parents came long ago to the States for college, and believe me they stressed its importance.
Professionally speaking, I am civil engineer, who has grown up with several other civil engineers in my family. I don’t believe this was a factor in choosing to be a civil engineer, but once I had decided, it helped in choosing a particular focus. Engineering however is not where my interests lie exclusively. To that end I received two degrees in Structural Engineering. Of course, being a technical man, I found the need to find balance in studying history. A key component to both to me seemed to be having a critical eye, and so I dedicate this blog to that idea.
Ever since my college days I have been fascinated with the study of economics, and in particular the various paths to development that nations have pursued. I am constantly struck by the audacity of some economists when their gospel is not followed.
I am also an avid programmer. I typically only dabble with PHP and Java. I toil not for profit, but for function, hoping to bring usable programs for Eritreans. But again, this is strictly for fun. I should be very clear, I only claim to be an enthusiast.
I also think it is very important to note and/or disclaim that I am an activist of sorts. I have very strong convictions (though not un-malleable), particularly when it comes to Eritrea. A lot of my writing is about Eritrea and what I perceive as the injustices upon it by the community of nations.
I hope this blog will be a way for you (and me) to develop a common framework for understanding Eritrea!