Of Beetles and Angels (14 page)
In a few minutes we shall be welcomed to the ranks of educated men and women. As we start the journey to wherever our dreams may lead, we must remember where we have come from. We must recall our membership in the human community that has nourished us; we must accept the responsibility to keep that community alive. Improving the quality of life for the entire human community is the single greatest task that faces our generation and generations to come. Of course, no worthy endeavor is without risks and pitfalls — without snakes, if you will — but I know that you, my classmates, are ready to peek out, to see beyond yourselves, and cast off the covers. You are ready to face the snakes and drive them away. You are ready to change the world. Thank you! Good luck! And congratulations!
The Great Professor Cornel West once wrote, “We are who we are because someone loved us, cared for us and believed in us.”
To my boy Mike, for his great heart, for all the support that he has given me, and most of all, for being my boy.
To Ed Porter for encouraging me to start my speaking business, and to Corey McQuade for lending me the courage to make it fulltime.
To my friends Liz Drogin, Justin Porter, Alexander Band, Abby Fung, Jen Chau, Arden O’Connor, Asha Parekh, Aaron VanGetson, Rahwa Haile, Sewit Ahderom, Garrett Smith, and Getachew Kassa, thank you for your priceless help in editing this book. Special thanks to Amy Reynolds and Bo Menkiti for reading so many drafts so quickly.
To Ben Kaplan, author of
how to go to college almost for free,
for your countless insights and enthusiastic support.
To all my pals at ShopTalk, for always rooting for me, and especially for supporting me financially and emotionally after the thief broke into my apartment. Special thanks to my boy Jon Peterson. I’m lucky to know you.
To Harvard’s model house tutor, Ben Berger, for always being in my corner and always going to bat for me — you make the difference, Ben.
To Mrs. Benson, viva Jones, and Myrtle Amundson, for being our American grandmothers.
To Shastine, A Swedish Missionary who became a close friend to us in the camp, for coming across the world to visit us after we came to America, and for leaving the picture (of Tewolde and Mehret) for the original cover of this book (now on page 32) — I hope that this book finds its way into your hands.
To Doug Portman, for taking such joy in my father.
To Linda Murphy and Peggy Coretti for taking such joy in my mother.
To the Linszes and Davidsons, for taking such joy in all of us.
To a true friend, my boy Kyle Romberg, for helping me with no thought of reward for himself.
To an awesome marketing firm, KarmicFusion, for being so much fun to share office space with and for contributing so many fantastic ideas to my speaking business.
To Oprah Winfrey and everyone at Harpo, for their kindness and graciousness.
To my friend Bella Stander, for her encouragement and support.
To Brenda and Bob McDonell, for your love and for your support of this book.
To Charlie Trotter, for your boundless generosity, for allowing me to contribute to your culinary education program, and for finding time in your demanding schedule to review this book.
To Hayelom Ayele, for making time to review this book, for your many insights, for your good example, and for all the good work that you do on behalf of immigrants and refugees.
To Harry Lewis, for creating time to review this book, and for your fantastic feedback — the reader has you to thank for the chapter entitled “Eyeing the Mountaintop.”
To all the Wheaton North track coaches — Helberg, Eckman, Graf, McQuaid — and especially to coach martin, for giving me some of the best memories of my life and training me for the most important race of all.
To Susan Martin, for showing me boundless love, and for encouraging me to apply to and then attend Harvard.
To all the beautiful people in school district 200, everyone from Mrs. Mulholland and Mrs. Shaffer in first grade, to the Lucketts, Dr. Langlas, Mr. Crowl, and so many others in high school, and Denie Young after high school — you know i wouldn’t be writing this without you.
To Ben Harper, for singing from your heart and inspiring mine — you set the bar just one notch higher, bro.
To a truly outstanding writer, and a great friend, my editor, Dave Berger. You have taken this book to a level that I never could have taken it to on my own. Special thanks.
To the wonderful folks at megadee books.
To my agent Mary Yockey at MY Literary Agency, can we pause for a second to jump and shout: “YES! WE DID IT!” I know i wouldn’t be at this point without your hard work, intelligence, and persistence. Huge thanks, Mary, and huge thanks as well to all the beautiful folks at Anderson’s BookShop.
To Megan Tingley, for seeing beauty in me and my story. I’m so happy and so lucky to be working with you, Alvina: Ling, will Gordon, Sheila Smallwood, Kerri Goddard, Linda Magram, and all the awesome people at Little, Brown and company. Jerry Jensen, thank you for linking me with Megan! All of you: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To my American mother, Candi Olander, who adopted me as one of her own, thank you for supporting me during my low times, having faith in me during my hard times, and loving me always.
To Harvard University, for the educations, for the friendships, and yes, even for the challenges. Thank you for investing in me.
To World Relief and Bethel Presbyterian Church, I ask, what thanks can i ever offer you, when you have given me a new lease on life?
To Wheaton Bible Church, and especially, the couples for Christ fellowship. I do not have the words or power to thank you; you more than any other Americans have inspired and stunned and changed me through your love. I join my father and we yell out emphatically to the heavens: “G
OD
B
LESS
W
HEATON
B
IBLE
C
HURCH AND
G
OD
B
LESS
C
OUPLES FOR
C
HRIST
!” You are easily known by your love.
To my people, my
habesha
brothers and sisters, both Eritreans and Ethiopians, all you who have been our family away from our family, and soothed our hearts when we most needed it, it lies not within human power to repay you — i can only pray that
amlahk baaloo Yihabkoom
.
To Mulu, Nega, Matthew, and Hannah, for all your love.
To you who I treasure more than anything in the world, my closest companions on this slow-swift adventure we call life, Mama, Mehret, and Hntsa. I hope that the preceding pages have done you right.
To my father, for your inner fire, for teaching us to see angels, and for your persistent faith that we could make it.
To you who meant more than life itself, for your love and faith, for all you have given and all you have inspired —
God be with us, and may we meet again
.
And finally to the spirit that has guided and watched me. I thank you for the life and breath you give me, and pray that you lead me in good paths and give me the faith, hope, and love to move forward until that written day comes, journey ends, and you receive me back to your eternal fold.
The HAT Foundation
The author is donating one-third of all final proceeds from
Of Beetles and Angels
to The HAT foundation.
The hat (Haileab and Tewolde) Foundation is a nonprofit organization with two missions:
1) To provide educational resources and emotional support for recently arrived third-world immigrants in the United States.
2) To provide funding for AIDS and malaria relief in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Readers who wish to support the HAT Foundation can send contributions to:
MEGADEE BOOKSATTN:
THE HAT FOUNDATION
P.O. BOX 57060
Chicago, IL 606570-60
After completing this book, Mawi has continued to share his story with students, refugees, and community groups.
Praise for Mawi as a speaker:
“Once in a while you hear someone that can change your thoughts, your attitude, and your life. Mawi Asgedom is one such person.”
Swanton Enterprise
by two high school students, Aaron Redd and Kerry McQuade.
“The messages in a motivational speech given to the Wheaton North High School freshman class Friday were likely old hat. Don’t drink and drive. Success comes from taking risks. Believe in yourself.
“But those messages sank in because the messenger — Ethiopian refugee, former Wheaton North student, and Harvard graduate Mawi Asgedom — was like no one they’d ever seen before.”
The Daily Herald
(Chicago).
“As coordinator of special programs at Steinmetz Academic Centre, I have coordinated many programs featuring motivational speakers for more than ten years. I consider Mawi among the very best.”
Michael Altman, Special Programs Coordinator, Steinmetz Academic Centre, Chicago.
“Mawi Asgedom gave one of the most successful speeches at Harvard Commencement in 1999 that I have heard in the twentyone years I have been coaching the speakers. He is witty and personable, the kind of speaker one likes the moment he begins to talk, and he is able in simple and elegant language to convey profound truth with brevity and sincerity.
“He would be ideal in speaking to students, whether in high school or college, on subjects close to his head and his heart.”
Richard Marius, former Senior Lecturer, Harvard University Commencement Speech Coach
“I am truly awed by Mawi’s strength and conviction. I have heard his story firsthand, when he volunteers his time each week to talk with high school students as part of our education program.
“I have seen the effect it has on both students and teachers alike — his words inspire us to achieve our goals. Each page of this book humbles the reader with the sheer courage it took to overcome so much and give even more back to young people.”
Charlie Trotter, chef/author
Mawi has spoken to more than 100,000 people across the United States. To learn more about Mawi’s speaking services, or to sign up for his free newsletter, please visit
www.mawispeaks.com
.
M
AMA
T
SEGE’S
L
EGENDARY
H
ABESHA
R
ECIPES
If you asked
habesha
in Chicagoland to name their favorite cook, they might instantly become hungry. Unknown to them, their hands might wander to their stomachs and their tongues might half-savor, half-murmur: “Mama Tsege.” Especially if you asked the
habesha
in Wheaton. (Now, if you asked a certain
habesha
named Selamawi Asgedom, he’d insist that Mama Tsege was the best cook of
habesha
cuisine in the world!)
Habesha
cuisine features many different
sebhi,
or stews: chicken, lamb, beef, bean, kale, and lentil to name a few. The different
sebhi
are eaten with a thin
habesha
bread called
injera.
The following are several of Mama Tsege’s legendary
sebhi
recipes.
To make the recipes accessible to the greatest number of people, we only included recipes that have readily available ingredients. Notable omissions include
zignee
and
dorho wot.
Bread should be used instead of
injera.
These recipes were prepared with the help of Candi Olander and Mehret Asgedom.
Bihagos buhloooh!
(Bon appetit!)
— Tsege and Selamawi Asgedom
Garlic Paste
2 pounds raw garlic cloves
1 pound green pepper
½ pound fresh ginger
¼ cup salt
Puree to make paste, which is used to season much Ethiopian/ Eritrean cuisine. Keep in freezer.
Tibsi (Pepper Steak)
1 pound sirloin steak, cut in ¼-inch-thick strips
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
*
½ large green pepper, cut in strips
1 jalapeno pepper, cut in quarters, with seeds
**
1 tablespoon garlic paste
***
1 tablespoon butter
*
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1) Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic paste. Cover and cook until beef begins to brown. Stir often.
2) Add green pepper and jalapeno. Cover and cook until peppers are soft.
3) Add salt and cardamom. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.
Bursoon
(Lentil Salad)
2/3 cup dried lentils
water
1/3 cup minced green pepper
½ jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
2 carrots, chopped
1) Rinse lentils and put in pan. Cover with water. Cook lentils over high heat, adding water as needed, until very soft. Reserve.
2) Toss minced green pepper and jalapeño with oil and salt.
3) Add hot lentils and mix thoroughly.
4) Garnish with raw carrot. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.
Hamli
(Cooked Kale)
2 tablespoons olive oil*
¾ cup chopped onion
2 plum tomatoes, pureed in blender
1/3 cup garlic paste***
½ teaspoon salt
3 bunches fresh kale (about 8 cups, fine-chopped)
1) Heat oil in Dutch oven, add onion, cover, and cook over medium heat until soft.
2) Add tomatoes, garlic paste, and salt. Heat through.
3) Add kale, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for approximately 30 minutes. Kale will be soft. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.
Of Beetles and Angels
has stimulated reading groups across the country. Here are nine discussion topics that will help spark dialogue in your reading group. Add your own!
