I was born right in the middle of the Eritrean War of Independence, while Eritrea and Ethiopia were at war, in total, for 30 years. Life in Eritrea was dangerous and unpredictable. Being an Eritrean and helping the military, my dad was wanted by the Ethiopian soldiers.
Therefore, he had to make a tough decision to escape the country. He walked over 225 miles to freedom—in Sudan—which took him 7 days. That journey was tough on my mom, having 5 kids and another on the way.
It was difficult for everyone, but we had strong faith in each other. It was through God's plan, my dad's tough decision and perseverance, and my dad's boss, Dr. Brandicci's generosity, in addition to the kindness of many other people, that we got saved from the war-torn country.
Coming from a third-world country where there is no electricity and running water to a developed country like Italy was a shock to the senses. For example, I didn't know how the people fit inside the TV screen—I remember looking behind the TV to find the people. Additionally, the language was different and so was the color of the people.
There was much to learn and adjust to. The hardships I faced were the language barrier and the food. I might have been 10 years old, but I was not exposed to the food of other cultures.
That was hard to overcome, but also living in another culture from the only one you had known your whole life was a big adjustment. Most of my communication was with my siblings and parents, and as we moved to n.
