Sneaking out of a country, hiding from the military, and avoiding jail is not something a typical high school senior has to think about on a daily basis. However, senior Firtuna Tensu has a background that consists of all of those issues.
Tensu and her family came to the United States and reunited with her father after fifteen years. Tensu and her family are originally from Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in the world with a very harsh government and military. “We had a strict government. When you finish eleven grades you have to join the military and it’s hard because you can’t leave, ” Tensu explained.
The military appointment lasts longer than you’d think. First, Eritrean teens go through military training and then spend years in the military. Even after that, you often have other government services.
When Tensu’s family escaped the country, she was just six years old. She said they had to be very careful. “When we escaped our country, we tried to not be seen by them because if they saw us we would go to jail,” Tensu explained.
Tensu didn’t have anyone for protection, only her mother that was with them, so she and her family tried their best to hide from people. The escaped to neighboring country Ethiopia for refuge for 10 years. “I couldn’t get peace, life, and education in my country so my mom, my brother, and myself went to Ethiopia for refuge,” Tensu said.
Tensu said she liked Ethiopia because she and her family had a lot more freedom in the country like when she was eight and she started the first grade. But after a while, they wanted to be reunited with her father in the United States.
She was sixteen when she moved into the United States and her father had originally lived here since she was three. She’s been living in the United States for two years now and she really enjoys it. “My mom is like a hero for me so she knows how to handle life struggles, she raised us like a father and a mother,” Tensu said.
