Kids Meet A Refugee | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids

- What was the most shocking thing in America? What was different? - Schools are different.

Here, you guys don't get beaten. Back in country, you do something, you get whooped. - Wait, really?

(short jingle) - Hi, I'm Jessie. - Hi. - Hi, I'm Amina.

- I'm Nire, nice to meet you. - I'm Jules. - Hello, Ian.

- Oh my god, you look taller than me. (laughter) - You're taller yourself. - Do you guys have any question about me?

- Where do you come from? - I come from DRC. - Democratic Republic of the Congo?

- Oh wow, how do you know that? - That's in Africa, right? - Yeah it's in Africa.

- Are you a refugee? - Yes, I'm a refugee. - Okay and what is that?

- It's a person who was forced to leave their country because of war. - Ah, that's, that's not cool. - Yeah, it's not cool.

Yeah. - I can't relate to that but. .

. Wow that's really hard. - So why was there a war in the DRC?

- There's a war because one of the cultures trying to take over the whole country for themselves. - Oh. - It wasn't like a military war or something?

- No it's not a military war. It's a war between people that speak different languages. - What was it like, how old were you?

- I was 11 years old. - What were some of the things that you saw in Congo during the war? - Houses that were burned.

- It's a loud noise. Heat. Fire.

A lot of people getting killed. - Wow, that must have been really scary. - Was it hard to leave Congo?

- It was hard for me 'cause I was there by myself. My mom left me with my dad, she ran away with my other two young siblings. When there's a war, you know, your parents go their own way and you go your own way.

They're just running for their safety. I didn't know where she was, I didn't know anything about where she was going so me and my dad stayed in Congo trying to figure out where to go, where it's safe. So when my dad got killed, when he got shot, I had to figure out where to go by myself.

- Oh. - Yeah. - Eesh.

I don't have a dad either. He had cancer right here. He died before they could do the transplant so.

. . - How long ago?

- It was like when I was about 16 months old, I think so. - So you didn't get to see him? - No, not really.

- How did you leave the country? Did you go to a different country or like? - I had to walk, I didn't know where I was going, I just went straight.

- Did you ask people for directions? - There were nobody to ask for directions. If I would see somebody, I would go to hide 'cause I think they're the bad people, you know.

- How long did it take you to walk? - At least three months. - Wow.

- In the middle of night, I would just sleep in a dead bodies and then if I heard any bomb, I would just lay down in the dead bodies. - And where'd you get food and water from? - There was no food and there was no water.

If you wanted water, you just had to go to the river or the lake. - You have to. .

. - Yes. You drink dirty water, yes.

- Ooh. That seems kind of like disgusting. - You get used to it and it tasted great.

(laughing) But now, I don't think I would drink the water. (laughter) - Were you alone the whole time? - Yes I was alone by myself.

- And so you did all this when you were no older than me? - By the time when I get to Uganda, I was 13. - So not much older than me.

I can't imagine having to go through that. - What'd you do once you were in Uganda? - So when I got there, I didn't know anybody, I was kind of lost.

I was taken to the police station and the police station asked people to come see if I was their child. Then my mom showed up. When I saw her, I was just overwhelmed.

I didn't think she was in Uganda. I didn't even know she was there. - That's so sad.

Just looking at you, I would never think that you would walk days. . .

That's crazy, that really is. And that's an amazing story to tell. - What's it like to be at a refugee camp?

- It's safer than my country. But there's shootings there, too, sometimes. - How long were you there?

- I was there for two and a half years. - Does everyone at the refugee camp come to America? - Some people don't get a chance.

Some people, you know, you go through a lot of interviews and if you mix something, they decline your process, yeah a lot of people didn't get that chance to come here. - Do you like it here? - I mean, during summer, yes.

But during winter and fall, I don't like it 'cause it's cold. - Yeah, Australia's really warm too so I see where you come from. - What do you think of the food?

- Actually when we were in the airplanes, they gave us orange juice and it tasted horrible. I didn't like it. - Well just to tell you, I also don't like orange juice.

(laughter) - What was the most shocking thing in America? What was different? - Schools are different.

Here, you guys don't get beaten. Back in country, you do something, you get whopped. - Wait, really?

- Yes, you get, when you're late to school, you get whooped but here, it's different. I love schools here. It's a whole different world.

- What do you see in the future, in your future here? - Some of my dreams are to become a businessperson or an aide person or an actress. - I want to be an actress too.

That'd be so fun. - Do you ever wish that you went back to Congo? - I wouldn't go back there.

I don't have any family that is lived there so I don't miss it. - Do you miss your dad? - Oh yes, I miss my dad so much.

- If you could tell him something, what would you say? - I love you. I love you.

He was a great dad. - Thank you for telling your story to me. - It was nice to meet you.

- It was nice to meet you too. - This is so awkward. - It's fine.

- [Female] All right, good job, guys. - Bye. - Yeah.

- [Female] Great job.