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Some stories make it to become best seller books, others are turned into movies. But so many stories, incredible stories, are yet to be known to the wider world. They may be passed on a couple of generations and eventually lost because they aren’t documented. After an overnight transit in Auckland, today I got into a cab headed for the airport and found the driver reading the local news in Ethiopia on his phone. We started chatting and soon he told me his life story. He is an Ethiopian who has been living in New Zealand for the past 20 years. Before that, he lived in refugee camps in Somalia and then Kenya, after fleeing the civil war in Ethiopia, crossing borders in the early 70’s. While living at the refugee camps, he started to work with humanitarian aid agencies and the United Nations handling logistics and eventually oversaw the delivery of relief items to several refugee camps. Later on, him and his family were granted asylum in New Zealand. He had left his extended family behind in the refugee camps so he began assisting them to migrate to New Zealand too. He wanted to continue working for international aid agencies but with no qualification, finding a job in this field proved difficult. And with the responsibility of ensuring the safety and well-being of his immediate and extended family, going back to school to further his education was not an option. “New Zealand is safe and good for raising a family. But saving money is out of the question. I am just glad I have managed to raise four children and get much of my family to safety. My youngest two are still in school. Once they complete their university education, my responsibilities here will be over. I then plan to go back home to Ethiopia. I have a small house and a plot of land which I look forward to farming. My wife is not on board with this plan. But that’s fine. She can stay behind. I will go back home alone then. Ethiopia is going through exciting times. We have an inspiring Prime Minister now, one that many people respect. I look forward to going back home at such a time!”