When I got to the airport in Uganda, I didn’t see my mom immediately. But she saw me from far away, and she ran to hug me. We both had happy tears. She held my hand and said, “I can’t believe this is real.”
The last time I saw my mom was in June 2014 before I left to compete at the World Junior Championships for the Eritrean youth national team. After I raced at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, I intentionally didn’t get on the plane to go home. I made that decision right before I left for the United States, but I didn’t tell anyone.
Of course being around your family is the best thing, but I didn’t want to live the way I used to live as life was hard. I needed to find a way to do better things, to look for work. My life would be completely different than it is now. Maybe I would be married with children. I wouldn’t have that many choices. Here, there are so many great things I can accomplish if I follow my dreams and keep working hard.
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I was just 17 at the time, but growing up in Africa, you learn to figure it out from a young age. I felt like I could make that decision by myself and handle anything that life throws at me. In Eugene, I was watching a teammate compete in the 5,000 meters and saw a family holding the Eritrean flag. I approached them, told them I wanted to stay in the U.S. and asked if they could help me. They offered to let me stay with them. I figured out that my cousin lives in Virginia, and I was able to contact him through a friend. He was so happy to help and bought me a flight so I could live with them. Wherever you are, all Eritreans treat you like you’re family.
Leaving my mom and my family was the darkest day of my life. That’s what brought me and my mom to tears. We didn’t know when we were going to see each other again. It was hard. I had to learn a new culture, language and adapt to a new life in the U.S without my family. I never FaceTimed her because there is no internet. We never had long conversations because you have to pay when you call back home. But I kept telling myself that I had to be as strong as possible to handle things when they come my way. I knew if I stayed strong and continued to do what I was doing in running and school, I would do well, have a good future, and be able to take care of my family.
While we were separated, I shared updates and photos with her as much as possible. I told her about my running—becoming an NCAA champion and a 13-time All-American—getting my degree from the University of New Mexico, and gaining U.S. citizenship. She is so happy for me. She knows that if I say I’m going to do something, it happens.
I have to thank the people that got me here. I have a lot of support from my family in Virginia, my high school coach, my college team, my agent, my pro sponsor Under Armour, and all of my friends. They helped me be the person I am today.
I had been thinking about reuniting with my mom for eight years, but it was a real possibility after I became a U.S. citizen last year. Once I became a citizen, I was allowed to travel. But it didn’t happen quickly because you have to go through a visa process, and my mom needed to get a passport. I wanted to see her right away, but we had to wait. She finally got her passport in June. Even though I had a big race ahead of me, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. After I finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the USATF Outdoor Championships, I took that vacation to visit her this summer.
For 20 days, we hung out and chatted about the things we missed because we hadn’t talked in forever. For eight years, we had no time to talk about the little and big things. We talked until 5 a.m. some nights. We also got out and visited the Victoria River and enjoyed some nice places to eat. Three weeks felt like three days to me.
My mom is my best friend and to go that long without seeing each other was hard. I think about her when things get hard. She taught me to be independent, work hard, and love everyone because life is short. My mom is the strongest woman that I’ve ever known. She was 15 when she got married and she had me when she was 18. Can you imagine? I don’t think I could do that. When my dad passed away in the military, she was 28. She never remarried. She wanted to do everything she could for her kids. My mom gave her life to give us life.
For eight years, I couldn’t sleep a full eight hours like normal people. Worrying about my family would come into my mind. I’d stay up late and wake up exhausted. But after seeing her, I felt relieved. I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.
