Testimonials

I was first introduced to Amharic by Ethiopian friends. The hardest part of getting started was finding a good book to learn the basics of conversation. There were several books available but they were very formal and provided dialog that the average Amharic conversation doesn't include. When I came across your website I was curious about how helpful this software would be. I saw the Amharic product demos and said, "Let me try Amharic 104 since it includes story reading". These Amharic products are great for getting you started. They take you from the basics right into intermediate. Over time I purchased "Amharic 103, 102, 101, Amharic the EZ Way " and finally "How to read and write in Amharic". This software will have you going so fast that when you meet Amharic speaking people, they can't believe you have never been to Ethiopia . The games and quizzes are great for productive learning. I now recommend this software to all my American friends who are learning Amharic. I will surely keep my eye on this website for any new Amharic products.

H. Brown
Yeadon PA, USA
(E-mail message)

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Thank you for developing this great programs. I have been using it for about a month and already seeing a big improvement. Love the games and quiz. It really helps. Keep up the good work.

 

Kevin L

Dalas, Tx

(E-mail message)

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Good job Amharic.com

 

My 7 year old love the vocabulary book. There are not many kids stuff that we could find to teach our kids their native language. She is starting to remember her language and it is very exciting for us. Wish you will make more of them. I will on checking for the kids DVD.

 

Moges B

Germany

(E-mail message)

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In 2004, my son joined the army and he was sent to north Ethiopia. Although everyone he interacted with on the base spoke English, he wanted to learn Amharic to talk with the local folks. He would therefore need to have at least a basic knowledge in order to cope with everyday contact with the locals. As a going away present, I gave him the Amharic 101-104 package. He is now settled into his new way of life and regularly tells us that his course of lessons in Amharic is paying off. He is able to communicate with people in his daily interactions. In fact, his buddies use him to translate when talking to the people –mostly when they try to meet girls on their off hours

Brenda H

Texas, USA

(E-mail message)

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I am married to an Ethiopian and have been struggling to learn Amharic from him. Since there are no formal schools that I could find in France, my only option was to buy books, tapes, or your computer programs. Obviously I bought your program, the Amharic EZ Way and Amharic 101 package. The lessons are going very well and I love the fact I get to study at my own pace from the comfort of my own home. I am making excellent progress. Amharic the EZ Way has been extremely helpful in improving my pronunciation. My husband is continuously amazed at my progress and does his best to help me. Since he travels a lot, it is really your program that is really teaching me Amharic. My goal is to perfect it in a year time before we go to visit Ethiopia. We are planning on staying there for few months. I will let you know how that goes.

 

Michelle A

Parris, France

(E-mail message)

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Dear Kokeb;

 

As promised, here is my input on the package I purchased from you six weeks ago. I evaluated Amharic The EZ Way, the Audio CD, and book package in great detail and it was exactly what I was looking for. I was able to pick up the pronunciation easily. I'm still straggling with some of the high stress words but everyone is telling me I have improved a lot. Practicing with the Audio CD on my way to work everyday has been the key to my success. I spend couple of hours everyday in traffic and the 4 CDs have been in my car's CD player ever since I got them. I like the way your organized the computer program. The quiz and games are my favorite. I print some of the pages and take them with me to those boring meetings at work ...

 

... I will update you on my progress. I will probably be talking to you in Amharic next time. Please send me information on Amharic 101 and 102. That will be my next step. Thanks again for all the help and keep up the good work.

 

Mary G.

(e-mail)

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Dear Shining Star,

Thank you for this wonderful language series. I have been trying to learn Amharic little by little for the past two years now. I have spent a lot of money on books, dictionaries, and tapes. But, this is the best ever!

Thank you, or better yet-amesegenallo betam [Thank you very much -Amharic]!!

G. Davis
(E-mail message)

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Dear Kokeb,
Thank you for your quick response. I am really enjoying your Amharic 101 and 102 program. I am specially having a lot of fun with the games and quiz. The games specially made it very interesting and challenging. To be honest with you, I spend more time trying to beat my score and time in the game and quiz section than anywhere else. Will I get a prize if I mail you my certificate of completion with the highest scores? I suggest you have a competition online and give out prizes to those with the highest price. Thanks again for all your help. Dehna hun [Goodbye -Amharic].

Best regards,
Anthony B.
(E-mail message)

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 Dear Shining Star Multimedia,
I received Amharic The EZ Way about a month ago. It is a great program and I found it very helpful in my Amharic studies. I thought Amharic was going to be impossible to learn, but I now realize it is not as hard as I thought it will be. I will place an order for Amharic 101 as soon as I am done with this one. Great work.

Regards,
Katherine M.
(E-mail message)

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I just received the Amharic program [referring to Amharic The EZ Way]. It is a great program and I know I am going to learn enough Amharic for my upcoming trip. I have been practicing almost everyday now. I already got 80% on the "socializing" quiz section on my first try.

I hope you will get the penmanship book out on the market soon. It sounds very interesting from what you told me in your email.

Thanks again,
Dawit B.
(E-mail message)

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Thank you sincerely for your cordial customer service! :) Your prompt cordial response and consideration has been one of the best yet in my prior experiences with companies via the internet! My wife and I are enjoying the program very much. It is very well organized and easy to use. It is one of the best language tutorial programs that I have ever seen. I will certainly recommend all of my associates, clients, and friends. Have a great week! :)

Paul C.
(E-mail message)

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To Whom It May Concern,
I'm writing this letter to let you know how much I have enjoyed your Amharic language programs. I bought Amharic 101, 102, and 103 a year ago. I am American and my wife is Ethiopian. Though we communicate in English around the house, she tends to use Amharic when talking to her other Ethiopian friends and family members. I hated the feeling of being left out of these conversations. She tried to teach me few words here and there, but it was not enough. Besides, the words that she taught me were only things that she wanted to hear like, "Ewedeshalew" [I love you -Amharic], "Betam tamerialesh" [You are very beautiful -Amharic], "amesegenalew" [Thank you -Amharic] and so on.
I have been working on your Amharic 101, Amharic 102, and Amharic 103 program every day from the day I received it. I am proud to say my Amharic has improved significantly. You see, I did not just want to learn few phrases to impress her and her friends; I really wanted to learn the language itself. I wanted to be able to know what I am saying by putting together the words in the sentence myself rather than memorizing few sentences. I also wanted to learn to read and write in Amharic. Not only am I in love with my wife, I'm also in love with the Ethiopian culture and language. That is why I'm so passionate about this language. And I am extremely happy with your program because it is allowing me to achieve this dream.
Keep up the good word guys. I have recommended your programs to my friends and colleagues. I wish you and your team success and happiness. Please keep my email on your mailing list for new products.

Sincerely yours,
Shawn. D.
San Diego, CA, USA

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Selam Kokeb
Endemen alehe [How are you -Amharic]. Ene dehna nenge [I am fine -Amharic]. Not bad huh? Thank you for the rapid shipment of my Amharic 101. I have been using it for a month and a half. And guess what … I already know the entire alphabet! I am very excited over this because it is my first breakthrough. Our Sunday school teacher at my church has been trying to teach me Amharic. She could not believe her ears when she heard me reciting the alphabets and all the phrases that you have in your quick fix section of the program. I showed her your program and she was very impressed (and believe me when I say it takes a lot to impress her). She is trying to get the church to buy us a computer so we can use your program for our Amharic lesson.
Do you by any chance know how we can get someone to donate an old computer to our church? Please send me any information on this topic because I truly believe my church can benefit from your program. I just placed an order for Amharic 102 and 103 from your web site and look forward to receiving them. I will keep you posted on my progress. Dehna hune [Good bye -Amharic].

Sincerely yours,
David L.
Atlanta, GA, USA

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Dear Kokeb,
I hope that you get to read this letter in person. I am writing to express my gratitude and also to congratulate you on a job well done. I love your program and most of all it worked. I can see significant improvement in the two months that I have been using it. My boyfriend is pleased to see that I am doing my best to learn his culture and language. But most of all, he is impressed by my ability to pickup things quickly. I am now able to communicate with him using complete sentences. I try to learn one word per day using your program. Thank you very much and God bless you all.

Veronica K.
(E-mail message)

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Dear Sir or Madam:
I am a first generation Ethiopian born and raised in England. I have been trying to learn Amharic for the last ten years using *** [text book -sorry, we cannot divulge the titles for legal reasons] and *** [another text book with cassette]. Needless to say, they both failed me. It was boring and confusing to say the least. I was very skeptical about your product when I run into your website last December because of my negative experience. The price was cheaper than either books and I liked your web site. So I ordered the first CD [Amharic 101] and gave it a shot.
That was almost 6 months ago. I mastered Amharic 101 and I'm almost done with Amharic 102. I want to tell you that you did an excellent job. It is an excellent presentation over all. The Group and Family idea was a nice touch and great approach. I'm surprised that no other author ever thought of that. It made the memorization very simple. I specially liked the different approaches that you used in the second and third lesson. I also liked the idea of an interactive quiz. It is a great program and worth every penny.
I want to thank you for the effort and dedication to preserve our language and culture. There are many Ethiopians all over the world that were born outside of their country and don't know their language. This is the best program that I've seen so far that will enable them to learn Amharic. I cannot express the shame and feeling that I had to endure when I went to visit Ethiopia few years ago. I was so ashamed that I could not talk to my own grandmother and cousins who did not speak any English. It was such a huge barrier that I had to cut my visit short. That is why I am so trilled with your program. I had to write this letter and say than you to all my brothers and sisters at Shining Star Multimedia. Amesegnalehu [Thank you -Amharic].

Best wishes,
Alem G.
London, England

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Dear Kokeb,
I am glad that I got to meet you and your brother at the African Culture Fair last month. I tried the program that I bought from you and it is great. You guys did a hell of a job. I'm already trying out some of the things that I have learned on my friends. Everyone has been very supportive so far. I didn't realize it would be this much fun. I just wanted to say thanks and hope to see you guys at other African Culture events soon. Take care.

James D.
(E-mail)

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A letter from Kidmia

"... Thank you for sending the Reading and Writing book. I apologize for not contacting you sooner about this resource, but I have been traveling much of the month. The book looks excellent and I will present it to the Kidmia Education committee and the rest of the team at a meeting this Saturday.

I want to express how pleased we have been with your software product. It has allowed us to develop and implement Kidmia lesson plans. I have been using the software in the classroom and parents find this to be a valuable resource for homework. We hope you will consider visiting us in Texas so you can see your product in use. Please let me know a time when you might be able to schedule a trip so I can inform our Education Committee accordingly.

As you know, Kidmia was formed in 1999 by Ethiopian-born parents in Fort Worth and Arlington, with the goal of educating their children about Ethiopian history, culture, and language. Since 1999, more than 30 children have been involved in Kidmia's programs, participating in a variety of educational and recreational activities that emphasize their Ethiopian heritage, as well as their American citizenship. These first generation Americans are members of two cultures, and it is important for them to understand the basic Ethiopian values, traditions, as well as the country's language and history so that they have an appreciation for their cultural roots.

Currently, there are four different levels of the Kidmia education program. Classes include writing, reading, and cultural heritage. Special events and activities also take place throughout the year that reinforce the class work and build camaraderie among the students.

The Kidmia organization believes that the work we are doing is unique and valuable, and is currently in the process of branding the organization to develop a new logo, website, and brochure. These new first-rate materials will assist Kidmia further its mission, allowing even more children and parents access to cultural education opportunities ..."

Segi D.
Kidmia Board of Directors
January 2004

For more information on Kidmia, please visit their web site at www.kidmia.com