Beginnings

My involvement with the Ethiopian Manuscript Imaging Project began in January 2006. It was then that I responded to an open invitation by Dr. Steven Delamarter looking for students interested in traveling to Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. to digitize and catalogue a small collection of Ethiopian Manuscripts that had been deposited at the TWU library. I knew virtually nothing about the manuscripts nor was I more than vaguely familiar with Steve's budding project. I jumped at the chance to do some academic research and wasn't all that concerned about the subject matter. I was virtually useless in our work at TWU but while watching helplessly as my other three classmates worked like a well-oiled machine, I became excited about what they were doing and wanted to become more deeply immersed in this project. I was blessed to have met and interacted with Dr. Martin Abegg and Dr. Kent Clark over the course of that visit to TWU. I still gush over how kind and engaging these two scholars are.

l to r: Dr. Abegg, Dylan, Roger, me, and Jennifer

Over two years have elapsed and my involvement has grown from spectator to utter immersion. I am learning more about the complicated history of Ethiopia and am even learning to read Ge'ez. I must say that Ethiopian Manuscripts have become an energizing element in my academic and personal life. My partner in crime (read: fellow research assistant) Jeremy Brown is a brilliant guy and will be attending TWU in the fall to complete a Master of Biblical Studies. I'm not exactly certain what my involvement will look like over the next year but I am, nonetheless, looking forward to it.

My hope is that this blog will provide not only an account of the work that we do as a part of the Ethiopian Manuscript Imaging Project but as a peek behind the curtain at what kinds of issues we wrestle with and the small victories we relish.