Interview with Belai Habte-Jesus
Introduction
There are many reasons why people migrate to America; refuge, economic opportunity, family, education… “It’s not very easy to come to America,” Belai acknowledges, in a general sense. It is true, the immigration to the United States is a very difficult, lengthy, and costly process for many due to the bureaucratic complexity, restrictive laws and eligibility criteria, backlogs and high demand for visas and the “American Dream”. However, Belai’s experience is very unique and he is very grateful for it. Throughout his life and around the globe, Belai Habte-Jesus has prioritized his education, public health research and teaching, practicing medicine, humanitarianism and philanthropy, and the Lord, over leisure and comfort. He is praised by many for his dedication and accomplishments. He has lived and traveled all over the world; from Ethiopia, to India, to England, and finally to the United States, where he was welcomed by the Clinton Administration. Unfortunately, tragedies happen to good people. Belai’s life was drastically changed after being in a car accident and suffering from a stroke that has caused him many long-term health issues. I was fortunate enough to have helped him through a volunteering program that I participated in during High School. We built a close bond and have had a mutually fulfilling relationship ever since, although I am not involved in the program anymore. He has helped me grow as a person and I am so lucky to have met him.
The Ethiopian Revolution Pushed Him to Migrate, But the Desire for Education and Public Welfare Pulled Belai More
Belai was born in a small village in Ethiopia. His father worked in finance and tax collection for the government and his grandfather was a priest. So Belai’s house was full of books, he said. He always loved to learn. “All my life, I’ve studied with people much older than me.” By the time he was four years old, he could already read and write, so he began kindergarten, where he had to travel “way far away on a horse’s back.” He studied at the same school for eight years, and then he had to travel a long distance again to go to high school at Addis Bible Academy. Then he studied pre-med at Haile Selassie First University, established by Emperor Haile Selassie. Leading up to 1974, his authority had been eroding due to widespread famine, economic hardship, corruption, then finally military dissatisfaction and nationwide protest. The Ethiopian Revolution began with a rebellion in February of 1974 by a military junta with Marxist-Leninist ideologies. Throughout that year the “Derg” was formed to topple the imperial rule. In September, the Derg imprisoned the emperor and other officials of his government at a prison near Belai’s university. And in November, the Derg executed those officials by firing squad, and a campaign of terror, the “Red Terror,” of political repression and extrajudicial violence began. So Belai had to stop school and was ordered to help redistribute land “to the tiller”. What started as a revolutionary promise to individual land ownership, was ultimately replaced by state control. So Belai went back to his hometown, to do developmental work with the U.S Agency of International Development, through which he managed a food assistance program for a year. He continued being educated by Mennonite missionaries in his hometown, when he heard about a scholarship opportunity to study medicine in India at Christian Medical College.
Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen of the Ethiopian Royal Family, England
The rule of the Derg was in part, a push factor of migration for Belai. But his pull factor of migration was the most significant to him. “All my traveling in life was based on schooling.” He finished his pre-med degree at Christian Medical College in Vellore, India and went on to work at St. Stephens Hospital in Delhi, India. There, he became interested in the plight of maternity and childbirth. His migrational pull to further his education stuck again, he wanted to go to England, but he had lost his Ethiopian passport. At the hospital, he met a woman that ran the refugee population helpline, and he told her about his situation. She told them that if he helped her look after the refugees, who came from Afghanistan and Iran, that she would help him get a United Nations special passport. So he did. He began his postgraduate degree in public health at The University of Leeds, England. His research question was “what makes some pregnancies successful and some pregnancies not so successful?” He studied and assisted with hundreds of childbirths all over Europe, and in India. He found that a mother’s birthweight determines the survival of their baby. He became very famous for his research findings, and built a fellowship with The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and The Royal Society of Public Health, and admitted into the Royal Order of Dom Carlos I of Portugal. He met and even stayed with the Ethiopian Royal Family in England. He stayed there for a while, where he worked with the regional health authorities. He even researched for Margaret Thatcher, when she had public health related questions at Parliament. “So I was very fortunate, I worked with very higher up people,” Belai says. He had a great time in England, but desired to further his research in America. Hillary Clinton, a long time advocate for children with disabilities was First Lady at the time. So he wrote to her, presenting his medical research accomplishments and expressing interest in furthering it in America. And very simply, Ms. Clinton wrote him back with an invitation. He presented it to the American Embassy, in which they gave him a special leave visa to go to America. “So I came, British Airways,” he said. I didn’t believe it either, “It was that easy?” I asked him. He assures me that for most, it is not, “but the Lord has been very good to me. And besides, you know, I had been serving others.” After getting to the states, he volunteered at a place that Ms. Clinton was working, near D.C General Hospital. He then applied to George Washington University, and became a Master of Public Health lecturer of Epidemiology and Mother and Child Health. He then married his wife, an American citizen whom he had met in England, so he got a green card holding lawful permanent residency.
Belai’s Master of Public Health
Belai’s Pre-Med Degree
First Citizenship Application Attempt
After three years of living here, he applied for U.S. citizenship. When the time came for him to collect his certificate from the State Department office, the desk worker told him that his document had been lost, and that he had to apply again. He had a feeling that it wasn’t an accident. He was frustrated, but he had his green card and British passport, so he told them he didn’t want to do that, and walked away.
Belai’s Humanitarianism and Philanthropy
Additionally, Belai worked part time with the D.C Mayor, Marion Barry at the Department of Health and Human Services. And if that wasn’t
enough, he volunteered in helping refugee populations within the Ethiopian Community Development Council, Lutheran Social Services, and Catholic Charities. One day, he met a distressed woman who had become pregnant from a one-night stand. He helped her through it, and then helped her set up Human Touch Home Care, that now has branches in various states across the country. He has also been in charge of the strategic development and promotion of other small business health and human services enterprises and non-profit organizations.
“In the evenings, I don’t do what people do.” HIV/AIDs was a big problem when he came here in the 1990s. When people were partying, he was there, but not to party; to place HIV/AIDs information brochures and condoms in the bathrooms of clubs and restaurants. He participated in radio shows, on the BBC radio channel, teaching people how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDs. He always kept himself busy. “I was never the type of boy who sat around doing nothing.” He studies, works, helps others, and prioritizes those over leisure. He says it’s fun for him. So I asked him why he was committed to helping refugee populations when he was so busy teaching and researching public health. And he said “Jesus was a refugee, and I became a refugee myself without understanding the situation because of the Marxist revolution that happened in Ethiopia.” 
In 1997, Belai was invited by the president’s former colleague to attend the second Clinton inaugural address in Chicago. While taking a walk in the city, a group of women caught Belai’s attention because they had on traditional dress like in Ethiopia. He talked with them and they turned out to be Native Americans from South Dakota. They were there to try to get in contact with the Clintons, in getting their help to prevent their native land from being taken away by a coal export company. Belai then spoke with the lady who had been organizing the conference and asked if she could give the women a chance to speak with Mrs. Clinton. And she said okay, that they could have one minute to explain when Mrs. Clinton arrived to do her speech. Mrs. Clinton was very receptive of this, and promised them that she would get their land to be part of a national park. They offered him money for his help, but he told them that all he wanted at the current moment was to become an American citizen. They granted him honorary Native American citizenship. “So I’m a Native American before I became an American. That was my experience.”
From No Passports to Five Passports
“Now, I have Ethiopian citizenship, I have United Nations citizenship, British citizenship, Native American, and American; five passports. How do you like that?”
It wasn’t until almost 20 years later after the lost application debacle, in 2013, that he re-applied for citizenship following his divorce from his wife. During the Obama Administration, he was able to apply online. When he went to pick up his passport, the same man who told him 20 years ago that his document had been lost was there. He signed the passport, but again there was a problem. Being a doctor, Belai was conditioned to put his name, date, and location on every signature. The man told him that he couldn’t sign it like that. The supervisor came in and knew who Belai was, because he had previously written to the White House and Congress about how the department “lost” his documents. The supervisor told Belai that his signature wouldn’t be a problem, and he was able to get his passport and go. “So I’ve had difficulty, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.” There’s always going to be some people against immigration, but the confusing part is hearing it come from the very people that directly give people their citizenship. Which is the whole problem with American immigration, the bureaucratization of immigration customs and enforcement wasn’t intended to let more people in. It’s historically discriminative and political, all the way back to The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. It is a common misconception that we have the most immigrants, and so we’re very welcoming of them, but this only refers to total amount rather than proportions.
I followed up on that, asking if he experienced any racial discrimination or troubles adapting to American culture. He responds with “Okay. Well, with me, because from my kindergarten years, I was educated by the Mennonites. It’s my family. So when I came here, I went to visit them. So I’ve read a lot about America. So America was like coming home.” And “People have been very nice to me […] I usually interact with people because they need my help”. He has always had a very determined, positive attitude, so he’s never felt rejected, and it is hard to put him down. On the other hand, “In England, they’ll say, where are you from? I say, originally I’m from Ethiopia, but I came from India and what have you. The next thing they say, when are you going back home?” Surprisingly, I learned that in his experience, Americans are more friendly towards immigrants than they are in England. It just saws a lot about what prestige can do for you regarding coming here. Think about Trump’s “Gold Card” idea, how he’s welcoming people to pay to come here, and at the same time, deporting thousands of people who put hard work into this country, and deserve to be Americans as well.
Conclusion
Recognition of Honor from the formal Portuguese monarchy
Honestly, years ago, on my first day of the volunteering program when I met Belai for the first time, I walked away thinking to myself, “that is a crazy man,” and wondering what I had gotten myself into. He talked a whole lot. I was supposed to just deliver him groceries and then be on my way, but he talked to me for 2 hours. I started to wonder how I was going to make my escape from the lengthy interaction. I had other things to do, like laying on the couch and watching T.V… But each time I went back to visit him, I gained more respect for him and appreciation for his company. He truly has had a remarkable life and is truly holding of the best intentions than probably anybody else that I have met before. When he told me the story of his life and everything that he accomplished throughout the world, it was hard for me to grasp. His car accident had been fairly recent, and was still strongly suffering the impacts that it had on both his brain and body. He’s not the kind of person to let that change who is. Although he has always had a positive attitude, you would think that a setback like this would bring somebody down emotionally. Especially from someone that dedicated his life to helping others who now struggles to help himself. But no, that didn’t stop him from remaining positive and enthusiastic about everything. And I couldn’t believe it; I was supposed to be helping him, but he did everything he could to help me. He showed genuine interest in my life, he offered any possible resource that had a chance in improving my future, he offered me coffee and snacks, and he gave me some great advice and wisdom. He has come a long way; showing great improvement and healing from the start of his health issues to now, but he has also come a long way; from Ethiopia, to India, to England, and to America; and from a political and military upheaval in his home country, to contributing to public welfare across the world.
00:00:01 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Hello, this is Hannah, and it is Sunday, November 23rd, and I’m with Belai Mariam Habte Jesus and I’m going to be asking him about his immigration history.
00:00:26 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
So the way we met was that I was volunteering for a program that helps deliver groceries to people like senior citizens and people who are suffering from illnesses. So that’s how we met.
00:00:42 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
And Belai is from Ethiopia, and he’s traveled all over the place. So first I just want to ask you, why did you leave Ethiopia in the first place?
00:00:57 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Okay, that’s a very good question. Nice to see you, Hannah. And I want to say, yes, I was not very well. I had a car accident and developed LMS. So when you came, I could not walk and do anything. And you were very kind enough with your colleagues to be able to provide groceries, especially fruits and vegetables. And I thank you very much.
00:01:22 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Of course.
00:01:24 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
All my traveling in life is based on schooling. When I was born, it’s a small village in Ethiopia. And I was barely 3, four years old.And I had to go to school for kindergarten. So I went way far away on a horse’s back. And then I went to kindergarten there. And before going to kindergarten, my grandpa was a priest. So my house was full of books. So I did know how to read and write before I went to school.
00:01:59 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So when I went to school, I was barely 4, maybe. I could read and write. So they put me in a higher grade.So all my life, I’ve studied with people who are much older than me.
00:02:12 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Then I studied there for four years, for eight years, maybe. Then I finished, I had to go to high school to another place. So it’s like going from New York to California, in Ethiopia, a sense. So I went to a place called the Bible Academy, and you can see this is our school’s sort of association that gave me this.
00:02:35 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I studied in a place called Nazareth near Addis Bible Academy for four years, high school. Then when I finished high school, I went to Addis because I had to study medicine. pre-med, actually, at the Haile Selassie First University.
00:02:52 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So you can see all my life from kindergarten days, I traveled looking for schooling. And then from there, I started at the Heils Lassie First University.
00:03:05 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then there was a revolution in the military junta. Just today, actually, 23rd of November is when 60 of the top Officials of His Imperial Majesty’s government people were killed. So it became a very terrorist regime. And we had to stop school.
00:03:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
They said, land to the tiller. And they wanted me to distribute land to the farmers. So I went to study in a French school in Addis to do that. And in the middle of our work, they say no more land to the tiller, land to the government. So they took all the land. So I had no work.
00:03:42 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I had to go back to my hometown to do development work.They call it national development work. It was a project with USAID. Sort of, there was famine at that time. So I was in charge of the program to feed people who were starving. So I did that for one year.
00:03:59 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And I went back to my hometown, my school. I was educated by the Mennonites, Mennonite missionaries.I think these are Dutch or German people who became missionaries in Ethiopia.
00:04:12 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
They’re all, my teachers are all here.Some of them in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, some of them in Virginia of the Mennonite University. So all my teachers are here in this country.
00:04:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So from there, I finished, and then there was a scholarship. I heard it over the radio. I normally listen to radio all the time. And Mrs. Indra Gandhi gave two scholarships to Ethiopian students to study medicine in India.
00:04:37 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So again, July 4th, 1976, I went on Ethiopian Airlines. Each time I traveled from a village to Ethiopia, I traveled because of education.
00:04:50 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So the first time I saw a car was when I had to go to my high school. The first time I saw a train was when I went on a train to college. And then when I went to India, I had to go on Ethiopian Airlines.
00:05:05 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Dubai is where we landed before we went to Bombay. And in those days, today’s United Arab Emirates, Dubai, there was only one camel and one tree at the airport. I remember. July 4th, 1976. Dubai is today a different country.
00:05:21 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I went to Bombay, spent there one night, and then I went to Udaypur. That was where I did my pre-medical. I did there one year, actually.
00:05:30 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wait, where was that?
00:05:31 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
In India.
00:05:32 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Okay, yeah.
00:05:33 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Rajasthan, India. This has been near Pakistan. So I studied there for one year. Then I went to medical school at Christian Medical College, Vellore. A college started by an American young girl who saw her father working during the Second World War with families there.
00:05:52 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And it so happened, three women died in one night because he was not allowed to look after them. The three women was one Christian, one Hindu, one Muslim. All three women were pregnant. And in the Indian culture, a man cannot deliver a woman.So the man who witnessed it said, this is not fair. So he was coming very upset at home, and his 12-year-old, Ida Biscadar, was at home from, I think, Ohio.
00:06:22 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So she said, dad, why are you upset? Oh, he told her, I think she’d come from America for a holiday. And he told her, I’m very sad because three women who could have survived delivered, they wouldn’t allow me to deliver her. So they died. she said, don’t worry, doc. I will be the doctor and I’ll look after them.
00:06:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So this girl, 12-year-old Ida Beaker Scatter, came to America, studied medicine, and started the Christian Medical College in Velar, about maybe 100, how many? You know, it will be Second World War, so about 80 something years ago.
00:06:59 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I knew about that because when I was in Ethiopia in a place called Nazareth, I was doing my national service. there was a doctor from Alberta, Canada, who knew about this, and I told him I want to go to med school in India. He said, you should go to Christian Medical College.
00:07:16 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I was very lucky. I studied there for seven years. I did medicine, pediatrics.
00:07:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then I went to England to study postgraduate degree. And my work was, because I was interested about Ida Biskeger’s work, and the plight of women in India also having babies.
00:07:37 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So my question was, my research question was, what makes some pregnancies successful and some pregnancies not so successful? And I did 100 mothers in India. And in England, I did one at Cambridge, I’m sorry, Canterbury, Ashford, Kent University, then another one at way north near Scotland, a place called Newcastle. And then at Leeds University, I studied about 300 women who were pregnant and what happened to their kids.
00:08:13 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And surprise, surprise, the mother’s birth weight determines the survival of the baby. And that was the research I did for that. I got a master’s degree, a fellowship, and I got fellowship with the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Royal Society of Public Health. And, you know, I was very famous just because I did this.
00:08:38 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Surprise, surprise. Even today, it’s the mother’s mitochondrial DNA that is in all of us, not our father’s. And the survival of a baby depends on the mother’s birth weight, which depends on her mother’s birth weight all the way to Eve. Surprise, surprise. Fathers, men. Yeah, we can talk with a little bit of our DNA, but it’s the mother who’s very, very important. So this is the study I did. So my specialty is mother and child health.
00:09:10 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I came here to America.
00:09:12 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What year did you do that study or like?
00:09:14 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
1985, 1986.
00:09:16 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Okay.
00:09:17 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then I stayed there in England, and I worked with all the Thames regional health authorities. At that time, Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister. So I worked with the top eschelons, what they call the regional health authorities. I was chairing the special meetings of all the specialists, could it be neurologists, ophthalmologists, dentists, cardiologists. And I’ll ask questions, and these top guys will answer questions.and I listen, I take notes, and I wrote the advisory council’s documents.
00:09:54 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And when Mrs.Thatcher had questions at Parliament, They will send me the question. I’ll research and send it to the number 10. So I was very fortunate. I worked with very, very higher up people.
00:10:10 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
But at the same time, I met the Ethiopian royal family in England. In fact, I stayed with them. You can see some photographs. So in England, I had a wonderful time. I, what do you call, lived and worked among many interesting people.
00:10:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So after England, I got, well, I wanted to come to America. And what happened? I wrote to the White House.
00:10:40 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Mrs. Clinton was in the White House. I told her, I’m Belai, and I’ve got MD, MPH. I have this fellowship. I want to come and work and do some more research in America.
00:10:51 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And she was working with kids with disability here in DC. That was part of her thing. And she said, that’s a good thing. And she sent me a card. saying, I welcome you. So I sold that card to the British man of the American Embassy. And at that time, I had only United Nations passports because when I was in India, there was this 25-year-old Swedish girl who was running the refugee helpline program.
00:11:21 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I just went down and said, look, I don’t have my passport. I can’t go back to Ethiopia. She said, don’t worry. I’ll give you something, but if you help us. So at that time I was working at St. Stephen’s Hospital. She said, if you look after the refugee populations. I said, of course I will.
00:11:40 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So when they come, most of them were from, what do you call, Afghanistan. and from Persia Iran so the royal families of Iran and Afghanistan were there and I looked after them and I got this United Nations special passport so that’s what I used to go into England and so I had only that passport the United Nations passport and special uh they call it special leave to remain document from the English government so Mrs. Clinton invited me. I came with that here.
00:12:19 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
So yeah, so how does that work? Like what was the invitation? It was just a card?
00:12:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
She sent me a card saying, you’re welcome to come. Mrs. Clinton did a card. She sent me a card. So what I did was I took the card and presented it to the American Embassy. And they gave me a visa. So I came, British Airways.
00:12:42 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
It was that easy?
00:12:44 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Now, to be fair, it’s not easy to come to America. But as I say to you, the Lord has been very good to me. And besides, you know, I’ve been serving others and I usually tell the truth. And I say, this is what I want to do. I said, I want to come and do some research here.
00:13:03 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I came, went and volunteered at the place where she was working at, which was near DC General Hospital. And then I went to GW and tell them I have this background I can teach. So GW hired me to do a Master of Public Health lecture. I became a lecturer there.
00:13:23 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wait, can we back up a little bit? Why do you say, so it was hard for you to get to America, or are you saying it’s usually hard for other people?
00:13:31 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Well, usually it’s impossible to go to America unless you have a passport. I didn’t have a passport. I do have a United Nations thing. But that’s not good for you to come here.
00:13:42 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I came, because Mrs.Clinton invited me, and I came here, did my lecture and what have you, and went back. I didn’t stay the first time.
00:13:52 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Okay. Wait, so you went back to England?
00:13:54 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
To England, yeah. I was here for a short while.
00:13:56 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
How long?
00:13:58 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Maybe, you know, two months. I did my work, and then I went back.
00:14:03 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Was it the same study about pregnant women or?
00:14:07 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes, mother and child health.
00:14:09 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Okay.
00:14:09 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I just shared the work I did in England for my research. And then I gave my resume everything through GW. And GW invited me to be a lecturer.
00:14:22 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I came on a second round and I met this beautiful girl and we got married.
00:14:31 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Can you put the mic?
00:14:32 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes.
00:14:33 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
So you met your wife here?
00:14:35 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes.
00:14:36 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And first I met her. She was in England. And we said, hello and what have you. The next time I came here, she also came and visited me once or twice. And then we got married. And at the Marriott, I remember, she used to work at the Marriott Hotel.
00:14:52 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And there were over 1,000 people at my wedding. Most of them, her family, I don’t know them. My family were not here at that time.
00:15:01 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I came here and I started teaching at GW. And then part-time, I used to work with the DC Department of Health and Human Services.
00:15:11 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What was the course called that you taught at GW?
00:15:14 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
It’s called MPH, Master of Public Health, Epidemiology, and of Mother and Child Health.
00:15:19 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Oh, cool.
00:15:20 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So that’s what I taught. And then, part-time, I was working with the DC mayor at that time. He’s dead now. Marion Barry. He worked in his department, Department of Health and Human Services. I worked at the DC general.
00:15:39 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So just teaching, working there, and I was volunteering also to a refugee helpline, like Catholic charities, Lutheran social work, they call it. So all my life, I always work all the time, meaning Monday to Friday, during normal hours, I teach or what I do. Weekends, I work, I volunteer with refugee populations.
00:16:08 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I work with Ethiopian Community Development Council, Lutheran Social Services, I’m trying to remember, Catholic Charities, what have you. This is all volunteer work.
00:16:20 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What made you want to work with refugees? Because most of your work is the medical field.
00:16:27 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
That’s a very good question. You probably know my name is Belai. Belai means excellent. Quality times quantity, the value, cost effect of time. But that’s not my name. My real name is the love of Mary. And Jesus was a refugee. At the age of, what, a few weeks, he had to run away from Bethlehem to Egypt. Then from Egypt, he came to Ethiopia. That’s where he did his elementary school, high school. Went back at the age of 12 to Jerusalem for one visit. And that’s it. The rest of his life, Jesus was a refugee. He was in Ethiopia. He was in India. So being a refugee is what I call today in the new world, talent circulation. If you are talented, you go and work wherever you want. So Jesus was a refugee. So these people, I became a refugee myself without understanding the situation because of the Marxist revolution that happened in Ethiopia.
00:17:32 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So by the way, we are all immigrants. Like as I told you, I traveled seeking for education. And I’m sure Jesus did the same for his survival and education. He went to India, Bhutan and Nepal and what have you. Then at 30, he went back to Jerusalem. He was there only for three years and they killed him. So if you look, all of us are immigrants. Here I come.
00:17:59 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Again, the same time, Mrs. Clinton, it was Clinton’s second inauguration in Chicago. I was invited. One of Mr. Clinton’s mate, or rather, she used to work with him in Arkansas. She invited me.I went there.
00:18:15 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
We were at the Chicago Hilton Hotel. And I didn’t, I just met Mrs. Clinton there, and Mr. President was there too. And in the morning, I said, let me see what Chicago looks like. So I just walked out. It was Friday night, I went, Saturday morning, early in the morning, I went to see the city, you know, the poor areas, because Hilton is a rich area.
00:18:40 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
As I was coming back, there was a series of young women who had similar dress like Ethiopia, and I looked at them and I was very impressed. I did not know who they were. They were Native Americans. they had been trying to contact the president, Mrs. Clinton, trying to get in South Dakota to protect their land from being taken away by somebody called Hansen and Hansen, who’s a Dutch explorer of coal.
00:19:12 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So they wanted to protect, because for them, coal is like the liver, they told me. So I said, oh, that’s interesting. He said, you know, Mrs. Clinton is coming this morning, Saturday. I did not know she was in the program. They said, can you please allow us to talk to her?
00:19:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I said, okay. I went and talked to this lady who was organizing the show. This woman wanted to speak to them, and they talked to her what their problem was. And they chose one young girl. She said, she’ll have one minute when she comes in, explain to her.
00:19:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I was standing watching. Mrs. Clinton walks in into the hall, and this young Native American girl explained what their situation was. She said, come on in. She took us and put us in the forefront of the conference.
00:19:56 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I sat with them, and she promised, she explained what their situation was to the crowd, those Clinton’s second inauguration program they had in Chicago. And sure enough, she said, in 90 days, I will get this place in South Dakota to be part of a national park so that no rich man would touch your land.
00:20:20 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wow. What national park?
00:20:21 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I don’t know the name now, it’s a South Dakota National Park, maybe. And that was where Hansen and Hansen, a Dutch company, was trying to decor without the permission of the Native Americans. That made me aware about the plight of Native Americans.
00:20:38 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And they said they want to give me money. And I said, no way. I said, what did I do? I just introduced you to the lady. Oh, she said, Belai, is that your name? You don’t know how much money we spent to see Mr. Clinton, to campaign in Congress and Senate.
00:20:54 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And I said, no, no, no, I just want to be a citizen. Oh, they said, you want to be a citizen?
00:21:00 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes.
00:21:01 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then they said, we’ll give you a passport.
00:21:02 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I said, no, no, I do have a British passport.
00:21:05 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
At that time, I was not American yet. So they made me an honorary citizen. And sure enough, when the Native American Museum was opened, they invited me there.
00:21:15 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What do you mean they made you an honorary citizen?
00:21:18 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Citizen of the Native American. I am a, look, they gave me a piece of paper. So they gave me a name, Geronimo, and I said, fine. So I’m A Native American before I became American. That was my experience.
00:21:33 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So whenever they have powwow, they invite me. I go to Maryland, Richmond, and they did invite me to South Dakota. I went there. So I’m a member of this Native American population. So when the new museum was opened, I went in there as their guest. They were very, very nice. They always want to give me something, and I say, no, because I did nothing for you. And they say, you don’t know what you did for us.
00:22:03 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So because of that, I became, well, I lived here for 20 years before I applied for American citizenship because I had a British passport. I’ll show you, I have copies of them. I have three British passports that I used. So now.
00:22:18 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
But didn’t you have to get a certain kind of visa to be temporarily living here?
00:22:25 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, no, I had a green card. I had a green card. I got married to an American girl. I had a child here. And I was teaching at GW. So I became a green card person. And I did not apply for American citizenship because I had British citizenship.
00:22:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Then when Obama became president in 2012, that’s when I applied online. And again, my passport came directly to me. So I became American citizen without any problem.
00:22:57 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So now, I have Ethiopian citizenship. I have United Nations citizenship, British citizenship, Native American, and American, five passports. How do you like that?
00:23:08 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wow, that’s impressive. Yeah, this is a very unique story because, you know, most immigrants have it a lot harder. So what year did you become a permanent citizen?
00:23:27 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I think 2013.
00:23:31 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Oh yeah, yeah, you just…
00:23:32 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
April 2013. I came here April 13, 1993, and then 2013, April again, I became American citizen. So after 20 years.
00:23:45 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So the secret is, I always have good relationship. Like I met you and I’ve always looked at you like my sister. So I respectfully do that. So when that happens, when you have a good relationship with people, those people adopt you.
00:24:01 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:24:02 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
You understand? So I came here, I met my wife who actually died unfortunately 10 years ago from breast cancer. And through her, I became a green card holder. And then I started working. I never asked for money. I work. And then I say, thank you. And they say, you want to give me money? I said, give it to the poor people. I don’t need it. So all my life.
00:24:30 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
You’re talking about the South Dakota?
00:24:33 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, I work with, I told you, besides my work with the government here, I was working during the weekend for Catholic charities, Lutheran social services, more. And I work as a consultant for them. I might be writing a proposal to get a grant. I used to be on the federal grant evaluator group as well. And whenever they give me money, I said, would you please give my money to charity? Because I don’t need it.
00:25:06 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
So how were you making money?
00:25:10 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Oh, i forgot you were working with the government.
00:25:10 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Oh, I was working with the government. I had a full-time job. But in my…
00:25:14 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What kind of job was that?
00:25:15 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Oh, I was, I remember, what was my job? I was director in the health department.
00:25:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Oh, right, okay, okay.
00:25:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I had a good salary.
00:25:25 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:25:25 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
But in the evenings, I don’t do what people do. I go to where the poor people are. For example, in 1980, when I came, I came in 1993, HIV was a big problem at that time. So I used to do radio shows, teaching people how to protect themselves from HIV. And then, that’s a radio show.
00:25:48 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Friday night, I go to party places. And I go to the owner of the restaurant and I say, Sir, would you allow me? I have two documents. I have a flyer about HIV/AIDS and I have condoms for boys and girls. And I just say to the restaurant owner, I just want to keep it here. And I leave it in the bathroom so that people won’t be upset. So I go to the bathroom, women’s bathroom. I leave information about HIV/AIDS and the condom and the boys bathroom, and then I walk out.
00:26:21 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And because of that, I helped lots of people. Some people, many of my friends died from the HIV pandemics. So all this I do on my Friday night when they’re having a party, I do this type of work. Sunday, I go to church, and then after church, I go to the poor people.
You know, I said, if Jesus was here on earth, what would you do?
00:26:45 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Sunday afternoon. People after Sunday afternoon, they go for a walk or a party. I go to visit poor people. and I talk to them. I don’t normally give them money. I take them food or if some of them have challenges with what have you, clinic and what have you, I connect them with a doctor’s clinic or social workers clinic, whatever need they have.
00:27:10 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Some of them have high housing problem. I remember here on Seminary Road at the end there, used to be lots of poor people and they built for them now. So Every time, whether I’m after working, say Monday to Friday, in the evenings till nine o’clock, I’m helping other people. So whoever I find, I help.
00:27:33 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And because I do that, people appreciate. And so they give me lots of certificates saying, Thank you very much. And I don’t collect money. If they want to give me money, I say, Give it to the poor. So all my life, I’ve lived that type of lifestyle. And it’s been very rewarding, to be honest. I have had a good time.
00:27:55 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What’s the what’s the most rewarding part?
00:28:00 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Okay. Now, I think the most rewarding part is when I finish my work with what you call DC government. I said, I’ll help young girls. And there was this place somebody, one of my friends, he used to run a travel agency, and his wife’s brother had gone to Rome to become a priest, but he had a heart attack and he died.
00:28:29 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I went to say, sort of share my appreciation, condolences. Next to me was this guy, and he’d heard me over the radio, me talking about HIV and all this pandemics at that time.
00:28:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Oh, you’re Dr. Belai? He said, I have a sister. who just started a new project. She has a staffinging agency, and she wants to do home care. Can you help her? So he gave me her number, her name was Ruth. She used to be here, and I said, okay, she was a 16-year-old girl. Unfortunately for her, she got pregnant by one guy who met her just over the weekend. And she said, she’s not going to abort the kid.
00:29:10 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I said, don’t worry, don’t do that. Keep the baby. I’ll help you out. So I helped her set up what you call Human Touch Home Care. She has now a branch in DC, Virginia, Maryland, even California and what have you. I helped her set up.
00:29:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So The most important thing is helping others to get their own business. So I’ve created a lot of home health agencies in Maryland, DC and what have you, mainly to young women. It could be a nurse, could be a social worker, could be a young girl who got pregnant and she doesn’t want to abort.
00:29:45 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I said, don’t worry. The secret is I tell, I will teach you how to run a business and your boyfriend will be your babysitter for life. because she looked after him. And that’s what she did.
00:29:59 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Ruth did the same thing. The guy had married someone in California. He was here visiting one evening and he made her pregnant. Now they live together and they have three kids and have good business. I also helped him and his sisters get a business. So for me, helping people who are in need or in difficult situation to become their own bosses and be bosses of other people. That is what interests me.
00:30:33 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
That’s awesome. So when you came from England to here by the invitation, did you come here like all alone? You just like, did they pay for your plane ticket and. Like, how did you find housing? And all of that.
00:30:53 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, I met my wife in England. And I came to visit her. In fact, she used to work at the Marriott right here. And so I came to visit her.
00:31:07 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
So you met her in England, but she was American?
00:31:12 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
She was American working for the Marriott Hotel.
00:31:16 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And so I’m confused.
00:31:18 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Did you meet her in America?
00:31:22 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, I met her in England.
00:31:24 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I met her actually with the royal, you remember the royal family.
00:31:27 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
00:31:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
The son of the emperor was married to her classmate. So I went to see his daughter and his wife, this girl. And she said she was here visiting.
00:31:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
She probably was visiting England for one week, Paris one week, Rome one week, Greek one week for a month. And so we just met there. We took our numbers and she invited me to come here. And so, I mean, I’d come to see her twice. She’d come see me there twice. And then eventually we got married.
00:32:06 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Okay. And then you.
00:32:07 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes. And then I moved here. I lived with her. And as I said, I got green card. And then later on, only 20 years later, actually, by that time, we’d already separated with her because she was not very well and she had some challenges. And one day I just applied online for U.S. citizenship and I got it.
00:32:33 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Was it was like the application process easy or was it?
00:32:39 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
That’s a very good question.
00:32:40 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Was it lengthy?
00:32:42 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
It’s a very good question. The first time after three years here, I applied for U.S. citizenship, and I passed the exam and everything, and they said, Come and collect your certificate. And then I went there, and they said, Your document is lost in the whole computer.
00:33:00 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I said, What happened? And the guy is still around. He’s a military guy who had I think he was a veteran vet. Vietnam vet, I’m sorry, veteran. And so he said his document’s lost. I said, okay, my document’s lost. He don’t want me to be. Anyway, I have my British passport, so I didn’t care. Later on, 20 years later, when I applied, at that time, it was online, and they have all my history and my documentation, and my passport came to my house. That’s how it happened.
00:33:36 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Your passport.
00:33:38 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah, American passport. You had to do the exam and what have you. I passed the exam, so I got the passport. So I did not have problem. Meaning, the first time I had, when they lost my document, they said the computer lost everything. So you have to apply again. And I said, I’m not going to apply again.
00:33:56 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I wrote a letter to a congressman and my senator, and I said, they lost my document. And they want me to apply again. I said, this happens. But I said, I’m not going to apply again. So I did not apply for 20 years.
00:34:09 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wait, so wait, when you contacted the congressman, he said, oh, this just happens sometimes.
00:34:17 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Well, it’s very funny. My feeling is somebody intentionally did it.
00:34:23 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, that’s what I was going to ask. I was like, are they really telling the truth?
00:34:27 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, they were not.
00:34:28 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Why do you think they did that?
00:34:29 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Once I knew they did, I don’t know. That was this military guy who did it. And I met him later on. He was working, oh, when I got my passport. Very interesting. I went to an office. When you get your passport, you have to receive it from an office. So when I went there, the same guy who 20 years ago told me my documents have lost, was in charge of the State Department.
00:34:55 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wow.
00:34:56 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And I had to sign on the passport to receive it. And my signature, because of the nature of my job, I work in pediatrics, neonatology. We handle lots of drugs and what have you. So we were taught to sign with the date and time and place on our signature as a doctor. Otherwise, you know, the nurses can copy your signature and take drugs, what have you. So when I went there to sign, I put my name, date and place and everything. And they say, No, you can’t do this.
00:35:34 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I told them, Okay, let me talk to your supervisor. That’s him that came down and he said, I know you because I wrote to everybody about what he did. I wrote to the White House, Congressman, Senator, what he did. When he lost your document. Yes, when he said it was lost, I don’t think it was lost.
00:35:50 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So they all asked me to apply again. And I said, I’m not going to apply again. Why would I apply again? And so when he saw me 20 years later, oh, that’s you? Don’t worry, let him sign whatever he wants. And then he went back again. I told him, I’ll talk to . His boss at that time was Secretary Clinton. He was working under her. She knows me. And I said, You know, you’ve already done this once. Now you don’t want me to sign? So he said, You can sign as much as you want.
00:36:25 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I’ve had difficulty, but it was not as bad as anything could be. But the challenge of immigrant population continues to be an issue now. As you know, next week is Thanksgiving. And because of my Native American contact, I know about what happened at Thanksgiving.
00:36:46 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
The Irish came from England, potato famine. The natives here gave them corn. That is what happened. So Thanksgiving started. as Thanksgiving to the native populations who accepted the immigrants from Europe here in America. But now they don’t say thank you to the natives. It became a family show. They changed the routine.
00:37:11 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So we are all immigrants. The natives themselves are immigrants. I’ve been to Canada. I’ve met the Canadian, they call them First Nation. They’re very much more empowered than the natives here. The natives here are really nobody. They live with government grants in their caves or in their little villages. Whereas in England, in Canada, they have representation in government. British Columbia is where I went, Toronto. So they are much more empowered in Canada than they are here. I’m talking about the native populations.
00:37:48 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then the others, I always talk, I meet people from Peru or Latin America, and then I ask them, where are you from? I say, El Salvador. And I said, I tell them, I’m from El Salvador. Do you speak El Salvador language? None of them speak their mother tongue. They speak only Spanish. I said, Spanish is not your language. What did your grandma speak? He says, I don’t know. And then I talked to them in Amharic, and then they said, this is your language. They laugh. What I meant, what I’m trying to say is, oh, Latin American people, the indigenous people have lost their culture, their own language over time. Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:31 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, I wanted to ask something kind of similar to that. What were the biggest adjustments that you had to get used to, coming from the Eastern hemisphere to here, like the American culture
00:38:56 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Okay. Well, with me, because from my kindergarten years, I was educated by the Mennonites. I looked at my Mennonite t-shirts. It’s my family. So when I came here, I went to visit them. So I’ve read a lot about America. So America was like coming home.
00:39:13 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Britain was tough. If you want to know the difference, in America, people will ask you, where are you from? I’ll say, I’m an American. And they say, where’s your home from? Ethiopia. When were you last there? This is what they ask.
00:39:31 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
In England, they’ll say, where are you from? I say, originally I’m from Ethiopia, but I came from India and what have you. The next thing they say, when are you going back home? See the difference? So the American culture is much more friendlier to immigrants. They say, when were you last home? You see? The other ones are telling you, when are you going home? What the hell are you doing here? I mean, they tell you. They are very anti-immigrants in England. Whereas America is very diverse, welcoming. So my life in America is much easier than my life in England. In England, they will always tell you, you’re a foreigner. When are you going to leave?
00:40:18 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Well, I mean, I’m sure you’ve met some people who had that kind of attitude here, or not really.
00:40:26 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
To be fair, with me, I’m being honest. People have been very nice to me. Now, when I say nice, I don’t go around and ask people for anything. I usually interact with people because they need my help. Either they come to the clinic or what have you. So I’m in the giving end of things. I don’t want anything from them. If I meet people on the street or in the cafes, sometimes they’ll give me the look. And then whenever they say, where are you from? I say, I’m a Native American. My name is Geronimo. And that kills all the conversation.
00:41:03 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I’ve not met negative things here because of that. And besides, my frame of mind, because of my experiences, as I told you, from kindergarten, I’ve always traveled to the next place. Even within Ethiopia, different parts of Ethiopia, they look at you differently.
But I was a good student, top of my class, distinction students, so everybody loved me. And during vacation, when people go for, like you’ve come now for vacation. In Ethiopia, I never took vacation.
00:41:36 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
What I’ll do is, for example, I was in high school in Nazareth, you know, the Bible Academy, where I have this come from. And kids go for vacation to their family. And my home is so far away.It’s like California. I stay behind and help in the campus. Either I work in the library, rearranging the library or working in the garden. And I used to take a bicycle. I used to do mission work.I used to go to the villages and help the villagers with their village work on a Saturday. And then I share with them a little bit about Jesus, about Christianity and who I am and what have you.
00:42:20 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I never, I was not the type of boy who sat around doing nothing. I study, in my other spare time, I’m out helping other people. So because of that, people within Ethiopia, we have diverse people, over 18 nationalities and culture, what have you. I’ve always been welcomed because I go to serve. I see a farmer, I go and help in the farm.
00:42:45 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
You know what I mean? So it’s my attitude is so positive, I’ve never felt rejected. Besides, I don’t give them a chance to reject me. I just do my thing and go. You appreciate what I’m saying.
00:42:58 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah. Isn’t that, wasn’t that mentally exhausting to just like always either be working or volunteering?
00:43:08 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Well, that’s a good question. I grew up, my grandpa was a priest, so he was doing lots of this mission work, you know, priest work.My father worked for the government. He was the finance guy. Like, Matthew, he was a tax man. So my father was a bit more respected by all business people and what have you. So wherever I went, I was given gifts. Like I go to the shop to buy something and they say, oh, you are a cousin, you better take that because he’s the guy who decides what tax they pay.
00:43:44 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So because of that, I’ve been very, very privileged. So I would say I don’t mean to say I don’t have difficult times, you know, like all of us have. I always say eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure, fitness, and what have you, and serving others. So out of 24 hours, if I help other people eight hours or four hours, it’s not a big deal. It’s fun.
00:44:11 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And I was an athlete, I used to play basketball, you can see all the balls there, soccer. and volleyball and what have you. So I was an athlete. I was always busy doing things. So because of that, I never felt the need to be, I mean, I really, being honest, I never asked to be accepted by anybody. I just go there and say hello.
00:44:37 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And then wherever, if it was a young girl, I say, you look beautiful. And if it was an elderly person, I say, mom, you look wonderful. So I come up with positive things. Elderly man, I say, sir, where are you from? You’re so wonderful. You look like Moses. I’ll tell them, or something good. So people react positively. And if you present yourself positive, they react back positively. You appreciate what I’m saying.
00:45:03 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:45:04 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And even if they’re sort of ignoring me, I don’t, if I say hi and they ignore me, I’m not going to say it. Hello, I said, hi, where are you? No, no, I just have a great day and then I go. So my attitude is be positive. Positive asset, positive energy. If they accept it, fine. If they don’t, it’s okay.
00:45:28 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
So I believe America is beautiful because it’s got people from all over the world. The talent of the world is here. And that’s because America opened its hands. And I’ll say it’s not us, the refugees or the immigrants. It’s the natives who are so kind. They allowed all of us to come here. And some of us mistreated them. Some of us are treating them back well.
00:45:54 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
And I look at them like our mom. Remember, I’m a pediatrician, neonatologist. Our mothers carry us for nine months. And then after they deliver us, they have to feed us. They have to nurture us. When we grow up, what do I say? I don’t call myself after my mom. I call myself after my father. You’re Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow, right? I’m almost sure that’s your dad’s name, right?
00:46:22 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
What?
00:46:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Chidlow is your dad’s name?
00:46:24 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah.
00:46:25 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
You should be having your mom’s name. Mom spends a lot of time nurturing us, creating who we are. Now I’m a biologist and geneticist. Almost every part of who you are is your mom’s DNA, or they’re from mitochondrial DNA. But moms, they don’t care. So I take from mom’s personality, grandma’s personality, you give and don’t go around looking for recognition and what have you. So when I meet people and I say, Who are you? And there are these missionaries who come to see me, you know, the latter-day saints, they came just a few minutes ago. And I was saying, I said, if you stay a little bit, you’ll meet Hannah. And their names are Johnson, because they don’t mention their first name. They call by their father. I’m sorry, you can’t be Johnson. You can be John’s daughter. And they laugh. You see what I mean?
00:47:22 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah.
00:47:22 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Johnson is their father’s name. They take their father’s name. And then I say, what happens to you when you get married? Oh, I take my husband’s name. What about your mother’s name? Because her father’s name would be lost when you get married, right? In Ethiopia, we don’t do that. You keep your name. And you keep your, we have three names.
00:47:45 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Wait, did your wife take your last name?
00:47:48 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
No, no, no. Okay. My wife doesn’t take my name. She has her own name and her father’s name, her mom’s name. In our culture, it’s like that. You take, you make your mom’s name, your middle name. and then your first name, and then your father’s name.
But we also have what we call Christian name.
And we get baptized at the age of 40 days for boys, 80 days for girls. And we’re given a name, a Christian name. So that’s the Christian name we take. So in Ethiopia, you keep your name as a woman. Here, you take your father’s name, And then your husband’s name. Hello. And half the time, in the court, they’re busy changing names because they either the husband dies or the girl marries somebody else and name, she has to go and change it again. So I recommend you keep Chidlow. What’s your mom’s name?
00:48:52 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
My mom’s like first name or maiden name?
00:48:54 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
First name.
00:48:55 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Lori.
00:48:56 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Okay, so you are.
00:48:58 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
In my culture, you would be Hannah Lori Chidlow. That’s how we call you. That’s how we name ourselves. So mom’s name is very important. So if you ask me, if you ask your mom, moms are generous. They’re not into ego. So if you take your mom’s personality, you don’t have anybody to hate you. You appreciate what I mean.
00:49:22 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:49:23 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah, because you give away and it’s okay.
00:49:28 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
All right, I have one final question. Do you keep in contact with anyone from like your home country, Ethiopia, or do you still talk to anyone from there?
00:49:43 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Very interesting. My auntie is here. Two of them are here, actually, my aunts, my father’s younger sisters. So I talked to them over the phone. Their kids are here. My mom’s side, surprise, surprise, None of them are here. And unfortunately, most of them perished. So I miss my mom’s family.
00:50:09 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Having said that, you can see I have iPhones, three iPhones, MacBook, I have another MacBook, iPads.I’m a digital person. So because of that, all the names that I know, that I met from my childhood, are on my computer. So I do, I used to do radio show, remember? Now I do podcasts. And I send to everybody something to do usually health, spiritual, emotional related issues. So I share. And some people text me and say, thank you. Some people ignore me. That’s okay. So I keep on doing that. So today I was like, you’ve seen some of my texts. I’d say, hello, Hannah. I think Jesus loves you, but Mother Mary loves you more. I just say that.
00:51:03 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:51:04 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Some people respond, some people think I’m crazy and they ignore me.
00:51:07 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
That’s why.
00:51:10 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
And wait, I just have like, you said your radio show. Can you just tell me a little bit about that? I’m just curious. Like, it was just broadcasted on the radio.
00:51:24 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah, we used to do once a week. First, I started this when I was in England with the BBC Radio channel, BBC Four. They used to invite me on Wednesdays. They’ll send me a list of questions that people have written to them. And then I go to the radio station on Friday and I spend one hour on the radio. answering questions to people from all over Africa and what have you. Then when I came here, I started doing a radio show every Saturday. We start at 2 o’clock. So it comes up to midnight, 6 hours, 8 hours. And I’ll sit there. People will ask questions. That time was HIV. So everybody wanted to know everything about HIV. So I’ll answer. I’ll sit there on the radio. And I’ll answer.
00:52:14 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Oh, you took phone calls?
00:52:16 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yeah, phone calls. Phone calls. And I have a friend, he’s passed away, who used to be my host. He asked me questions. So the way I started like this. I say, my name is Belai. And I say, I wish you well. I hope all of you are good. And I say, if there are things I say, that are wrong. Please forgive me in advance. I’m here to answer questions to support the community. But there might be things that I’m asked that would hurt you because I’m going to tell the truth. So I tell them, I ask you for forgiveness in advance. So these guys don’t know me. Once in a while, when I say, hello, who are you? I’m Dr. Belai. Oh, you’re the guy from Voice of the Patriots. That’s what we used to call it.
00:53:11 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I say, yes. We used to think you’re an old man because I talk like an old man on the radio so that they listen to me in our culture. So I used to do this radio show and I stopped 10 years ago when I had a car accident, but I still do what you call podcasting. So my podcast goes all over the world to my friends in India, in Ethiopia, in England, here in this country. And as I told you, I have a good database of all my friends. So I send them. Whatever podcast I do, I send them as well. So I share as much as I can. And now when I have nothing to say, I say, today is Sunday. And then I say, just to let you know, it’s Sabbath. And just to remind you, Jesus loves you. By the way, Mother Mary loves you more. So love each other. And that’s it. That’s the message. Positive.
00:54:14 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
That’s beautiful. All right, well, I think that you covered almost everything I was wondering about. Thank you so much for doing this.
00:54:24 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes, thank you very much.
00:54:26 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I only have a question for you. Are you going to be a quantum social worker or just a non-digital social worker?
00:54:34 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
I would rather do like in-person social work. I don’t know yet. I don’t really know.
00:54:42 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
What about if there is this humanoid robot social worker trying to take you a job? What would you do? This is just to make you talk.
00:54:53 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
I don’t know. I personally think that social work should be reserved for real humans. Because, you know, like having like a meaningful connection with a social worker is like most of the, or with your client is, very meaningful to them. And that’s what most of the work is, just like them, like your client knowing that someone genuinely cares about them and wants to help them. And you, we can’t really get that kind of relationship with AI.
00:55:36 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
By the way, even though you don’t know it, you have sat here and you’ve come to visit me. And this communication we just did, you were giving me social service, social work.
00:55:49 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, I guess so.
00:55:50 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Imagine we could do this interview over the phone, right? Or digitally by podcast.
00:55:56 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Exactly.
00:55:57 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
But it’s never the same like you sitting right in front of me.
00:56:00 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah.
00:56:00 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Yes.
00:56:01 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, I agree. All right.
00:56:04 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
Well, you’ll be blessed and I thank you. Thank you for your time. And I know you came here from school. You haven’t gone home yet, right?
00:56:11 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, I’m just going home right after this.
00:56:14 Speaker 2: Belai Habte-Jesus
I think they need to know you are a hardworking person. You see, you’re working better than me. Instead of visiting your family, you’re having your work here first. So that’s very good. Thank you very much.
00:56:25 Speaker 1: Hannah Chidlow
Yeah, of course. All right. Awesome. Thank you.
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