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Asgedom family leaves house in Adi Wahla, Ethiopia
Before arriving in America. The Asgedom family consisted of 6 family members. The father Haileab, mother Tsege, older sister Mulu, older brother Tewolde, younger brother Selamawi and younger sister Mehret. The family had to leave their house in Adi Wahla, Ethiopia due to war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. -
Seeking safety in a Sudanese refugee camp in Umsagata
The Asgedom family reunited with their father Haileab and stayed in the Umsagata camp from 1980 to 1983.While in the camp, the family experienced many trials and good times. -
Coming to America
Some people were supportive of the family choice to go to America and some were not. The family refused to leave older sister Mulu behind, because of this they had to wait an additional year. Due to this delay, the family arrived in the United States in 1983. -
Tewolde is remembered
Mawi reflects on what Tewolde meant to their family. He later discovered how Tewolde sponsor a child, even though he did not have much. -
Coffee Tales
Mawi learns many things about his parents. He learns why his dad had to separate from the family for a short while. And how miraculously it was for the reunion of his family -
A New Life
The Asgedom family first two weeks in America is in a two bed motel in Chicago. The family meets two habesha women which made them feel at home. A sponsor at Bethel later offers the family a two-story house. -
Playground Warfare
The boys get bullied at school. Because of this, it led the boys to feel they have to fight to be respected. Their dad later finds out and is upset with the boys. The boys are told not to fight back because it will affect their educational future. -
Days of Mischief
Mawi and Tewolde are introduced to Halloween. They later meet with Kiros from the Sudanese village. They cause havoc while trick or treating. The boys later get in other mischevious activity. -
Libee Migbar
The boys start to mature. Tewolde starts to develop a heart around age thirteen. He later starts his own cleaning business at age seventeen with the help of Jim. Unfortunately, Tewolde is later killed by a drunk driver before graduating high school. -
The unmaking of a man
Mr. Asgedom shares how in Adi he was a doctor but in the United States a janitor. Mawi then shared how his dad health deteriorated over time. And the impact it had on his dad. He later shared the embarrassing story about his dad reading out poems in their dialect on a microphone in public. -
Haileab good deeds
Mawi later learns of the kind things his dad did in Tigray from his friend Berhe who recently visited Tigray. -
The making of a man
Mawi dad Haileab shared an in-depth story of his life. How he was without a parent and guidance as a youngster. And later how he became wealthy after becoming an advanced dresser but worked as a doctor. He also went on to explain how his life was threatened for helping some people. He later left Ethiopia for fear of his life. He left all behind and become a Sudanese refugee. -
Father Haileab
Mawi dad Halieab shared stories of the many refugees he assisted. Somewhere funny, like the story of the young man that flooded the entire townhouse, because he accidentally ripped the faucet out of the wall. Sadly, Mawi dad Haileab was killed by a drunk driver and never got to see him graduate from Harvard. -
Eyeing the mountaintop
Mawi gives an in-depth look at his experience in high school. He shared how he was teased. He also shared how he was determined to succeed in life and he knew he first had to succeed in high school. Sadly, his brother Tewolde was killed by a drunk driver. He later applies to several colleges and is accepted to Harvard University. -
Izgihare Yihabkoom
Mawi shared how he wished his dad and brother could have been at his graduation from Harvard. He thanked those that helped him throughout his journal to Harvard.
