13 Ruth Kahssai

Narrative Summary

Senait Getachew & Ruth Kahssai

I interviewed Senait Getachew, my mother, who is an Ethiopian refugee that left her home when she was merely 15. I based my questions off of what I already knew, base facts helpful to those unfamiliar with her story, and what I wanted to learn more about—her journey. Further, additional follow up questions often appeared, as her answers tended to be short unless you asked for more context. I first asked who she was as a person prior to leaving Ethiopia. This question caught her slightly off guard, as I could tell she had not thought about thie in a while. She detailed that she was quiet, somewhat shy. She said she mostly kept to herself. This answer eventually lead into the surprise of her leaving, which was asked in a later question.

I then asked her to explain the conflict in Ethiopia that prompted her to leave. She explained that there was civil unrest and war between the socialist, soon turning communist government and the guerrilla fighters. With limited access to goods, fear of violence and imprisonment for certain careers or free speech, fear of capture by the military, and the departure of her boyfriend (soon to be husband), she decided to leave. When asked how she told her family, she said she did not tell them. Senait did not tell her family due to the high probability they would restrain her from leaving. Therefore, she secretly left with her 15 year old pregnant aunt and her then boyfriend (and now husband). After the interview, I asked my aunt, my mother’s sister, for more context. She stated that the most difficult part about people fleeing was resisting the urge to find out their whereabouts. At the time, you could not talk about someone that fled because if you did and someone reported you, you would immediately be captured by the government to be probed and tortured on the missing person’s location. Due to this, no one talked about Senait’s sudden disappearance, though they all knew that she fled to Sudan.

She then detailed her journey and challenges. The nearest refugee camp was in Sudan, which was a three month journey that had to be made by foot. There was no water and limited food, often relying on nearby Sudanese villages and guerilla fighters for assistance in survival. Further, she talked about the fighter jets that would detect and attack those walking on the ground to suppress fleeing efforts. Because of this, they could only walk at night and had to hide during the day. Senait then talked about her aunt, who had the most difficult time due to her pregnancy. Despite the lack of food and water, bodily stress, and fear of life, she had a healthy baby on the Ethiopia-Sudan border.

I asked Senait about her stay in the refugee camp, which was bought by the Red Cross, and she talked about how she was able to travel around the city. Though she had to leave with intention, to finish her case or work, she enjoyed not being confined to the camp. She said as long as they fit the local customs and attire they were free to leave the camp, which she recognized was different than most camps. She worked in the medical storage and hospital where she worked with orphan children. After a year, she migrated to her third country, Canada, where her uncle provided sponsorship.

Senait then talked about her transition into Canada and western culture, which she said was not that difficult. Before leaving and upon arrival they teach you what to do and what not to do. Further, as it was already her second time having to relearn customs, Sudan, and she was so young, by this time 18, she did not have extreme difficulty getting accustomed. Despite this, she still missed her family, which was always difficult. Her assistance in Canada was plentiful, according to her, and different than the assistance people receive here in the U.S. She received public assistance from the Canadian government with more of an emphasis on acclimation and integration. She was not pressured to work, but instead made everyone enroll in ESL. Senait chose to go straight to work after she learned more English to support herself and her sponsor.

My last two questions were regarding her experience and how they have potentially affected her values, as well as her outlook on the current refugee crisis today. She acknowledged that while she does not have the experience of many, she feels connected to other refugees. Eventually she moved to the Illinois to start a family, but she stills feels at one with her 15 year old struggles. Senait also had a lot to say about current refugee policies! Senait claimed that while she does understand caps on refugee resettlements, the current practices are not right. Further, that separating children and families were harmful and wrong. Senait ended with saying that a person’s nationality or ethnicity or race should not affect their migration experience. Upon asking her for final thoughts she closed with, “everybody is an immigrant” (except native peoples) and no one is better than the other.

Personal Reflection

On Sunday, November 24th2019 I interviewed Senait Getachew. Senait settled in Illinois in the mid 1990s after spending her first few years in North America in Canada. And before all of that, Senait lived her first 15 years in her home country of Ethiopia, which she eventually fled. Senait Getachew lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and works as a warehouse worker (a career she has had for more than twenty years). She’s a single mother of two, I would like to think, wonderful children: Sosuna Kahssai and myself (Ruth Kahssai).

I chose to interview Senait because I felt like I did not really knowSenait, but rather I knew her more as my mother. She has told me tidbits of specific stories and an overall brief summary of her journey; however, I was not sure of the details. And more importantly, I did not know the journey my mother took affects who she is now, as fleeing your home country in uncertainty is quite literally life defining. I waited till fall break to interview her, as I did not find it appropriate to ask such questions over the phone.

The first thing I found most surprising was the age at which she left Ethiopia. Growing up, I always asked her how hold she was. Being a woman that always lied about her age (she has been 27 for going on 10 years), I never really believed her when she told me she was in her early twenties when leaving. This suspicion mostly came from my understanding of when my parents moved to Illinois and when I was born (I am the eldest). Senait left when she was 15 and left with another young adult (who would eventually be her uncle) and another 15 year old (who has always been her aunt and at the time was pregnant). When asking her off tape why she has always lied, she said she feared what I would do with that information. Having your teenage daughter know that her mother left her family abruptly without telling anyone at 15 instills a fear that your daughter will take similar risks. Though I did not feel that to be true, I understood what she meant. On tape she said that many of the people leaving were around her age: young people scared of being killed, turned into military men, or being confined to a socialist/communist rule without any access to advancement… forever stuck. She said her age also influenced another part of her choice to leave: my father. Being a young man, my father was more at risk. Further, he faced he threat of famine, as 1983 were the beginning stages of multi-year distress for Ethiopia. Being 15 and in love, his leaving was what also sealed the deal. I guess as a whole I was surprised how many of the refugees were young and fled for a hopeful future. It feels like many of the stories we hear about refugees include adults or families, but very rarely just teenagers. I think it helped me go beyond the ideas of refugee experiences and identities being a monolith.

Another significant fact that shaped my reflection of her story was her journey and stay in Sudan. The three of them walked from Ethiopia to Sudan for the nearest refugee camp. After paying someone to lead the way, the endured a three month foot journey. One where they could only walk during certain times for fear of fighter planes and violence, one with limited food and water, and one with no way to connect with their community. I think what struck me was that they did this all alone… just the three of them. My perception of movement is large—groups. However, to be most undetectable and the trip to be manageable they had to travel in small numbers, almost making the journey even more daunting. Upon arrival at the border, her aunt had a healthy baby and the now four of them were taken to a Sudanese refugee camp. They were not confined to the camp, similar to other stories we have heard in class. Senait was able to leave under the condition she would do work. I found this approach to be compassionate and effective. There seemed to be a level of trust between the Ethiopian refugees and the Sudanese people that allowed the two groups to peacefully coexist, rather than be confined to a camp. Though the circumstances were unfortunate, Senait enjoyed the Sudanese culture and peoples. Further, she was only there for a year before leaving for Canada (she had a sponsor). Despite this, it is important to recognize that her situation was a rare privilege to have a less sanctioned, shorter refugee camp experience. And perhaps, more camps should be like this. Where refugees can learn new skills, become integrated into the culture and customs of their second country, and have more freedom.

The last fact I learned was her experience in Canada, which I juxtaposed to the experience of many who are instead placed in the U.S. When I asked if it was difficult for her to transition, she very plainly said ‘no’. Surprised and perplexed, I asked why. Senait said that for her and many of the Ehiopian refugees in our community, it was an idea that was already in their heads: they wanted a better life. Though she missed her family and home, she was excited to live in freedom, especially in an age where the west seemed like gold. Additionally, her sponsor was another one of her relatives with many other Ethiopian refugees; therefore, she created community quickly. I think this is partly due to Canada’s resettlement approach, which is not labor focused like the U.S. Upon arriving to Canada, they focused heavily on cultural acclimation and ESL with government assistance. Then when Senait was ready to work, she was able to perform well (her first job was at a coffee shop). Not only did this help ease her transition, but it aided her in feeling like she found a home. Though her and my father eventually moved to Illinois to raise a family, she is grateful for the humility Canada showed her.

I think all of this added a new perspective to my mother and the life she has thus far lived. There is a lot of beauty in her story. Also, a lot of pain, uncertainty, and unknowing trust. Hearing her story among others creates a diverse picture of what it means to be a refugee. And though every story is different I think one thing stands: each story is to be read with love, compassion, and understanding.