When I was 13 years old, I left home in June 1977. My father hired a

bodyguard to show me how to get out of Ethiopia which is Eritrea now. I left for political reasons and the only way I could go was to Sudan. I remember it

was early morning and my father made a deal with my bodyguard, who

was one of the APLF soldiers to liberate Ethiopians from the

communists. At that time, the situation became very “ dangerous, and

thousands of people were dying from the civil war. In fact, it wasn’t

necessary to stay in Ethiopia. My dad told me to be careful, if you pray to

God you will be alright, and

good luck.