POV

Un pedazo de hogarCuando Najat Hamza era joven,huy de su tierra natal deOromia, en Etiopa, por elconflicto violento en la regin.Se escap con su padre y doshermanos y dej atrs a su madrey sus tres hermanos menores.Eventualmente seinstal en Minnesota.En StoryCorps ella recuerdala noche cuandotuvo que despedirse.Najat Hamza (NH): The day started like any other day Najat Hamza (NH):El da comenz como for me, but school ended and we were told un da tpico para m,pero las clases terminarony nos mandaron a prepararpara irnos por siempre.

to get ready to leave forever.

We didn't know when, or if, we were going to come back.

No sabamos cundoo si bamos a volver.

I had to leave my little brothers and my mom behind.

Tuve que dejar a mis hermanitosy a mi mam atrs.

One thing that I have never, ever forgotten was that I was Una cosa que jams he olvidadoes que yo estaba temblando shivering as I waved goodbye to my mother for the last time... mientras me despeda demi madre por ltima vez... And in her last attempt of being a motherly figure, Y en su ltimo actocomo figura maternal, she walks back inside our house and grabs this blue ella entra a nuestra casay coge un suter azul sweater and brings it out.

y lo trae para afuera.

And, and she puts it on me, you know, with her hands.

Y, y me lo pone,sabes, con sus manos.

And that was her way of sending me off to the world with care.

Y esa fue su manera de mandarmeafuera en el mundo con cuidado.Ese suter azul viajabaconmigo y est aqu That blue sweater travelled with me and it, it is here with me in my closet.

conmigo en mi armario.

It was something that I looked at and reached for whenever Fue algo que miraba y buscabacuando pensaba en ella.I thought about her.

That is what distances do: break apart bonds that can Eso es lo quela distancia hace:romper lazos queno se pueden reconectar.never be brought back.

I'm pretty sure all my high school friends that Estoy segura de que mis amigosdel colegio aqu en Minnesota I went to school with here in Minnesota, wouldn't know what I thought about when I would sit in a corner, no sabran qu pensabayo cuando me senta enuna esquina alejada de ellos, away from them, while we're learning about math mientras aprendamos sobrematemticas o lo que sea... or what have you...

They have no idea what a refugee child No tienen ni idea de lo quetiene que cargar un nio from such a background carries.

refugiado con tal experiencia.

And, of course, you can look at me and go, Y por supuesto, me puedes mirary decir, "De qu hablas Najat?

"What are you talking about Najat?

You went to college here, you went to high school..." Fuiste a la universidadaqu, fuiste al colegio..."On the surface, yes.

En la superficie, es cierto.

But home is the familiar.

Pero el hogar es familiar.

Home is a space that belongs to you.

El hogar es un espacioque te pertenece.

Home is going outside and just staring into the night sky El hogar significa ir afueray mirar haca el cielo nocturno and not have worries in the world.

y no preocuparsepor nada en el mundo.

Even though I'm a full-fledged U.S. citizen, Aunque soy una ciudadanaestadounidense en toda regla, my heart will always belong to Oromia, mi corazn siemprepertenecer a Oromia or as the world knows it, Ethiopia.