Editor’s note: the following is part one of a two part series.
Kathie Mansaray was pregnant in Kabala, Sierra Leone when rebels attacked the town. The Civil War had been raging on for six months.  Soldiers of the Revolutionary United Front looted, raped, and murdered civilians.  They sought to overthrow President Momoh’s regime and the establishment of a multiparty democracy.
Mansaray fled to Bo, where she gave birth to her second son, Baniyo Mansaray.  He was born with virtually no rights.  The country’s Constitution was suspended, and all political parties were banned and a rule-by-decree policy was enforced, giving soldiers the power to arrest civilians without charge or trial.
“Life was good besides the war.  My family was respected.  We’re upper class, so we had an easier time immigrating,” said Mansaray, fidgeting with his blue and green rubber bracelet, engraved “Let’s rebuild Sierra Leone.”
Having lived in the U.S. since 2001, Mansaray appears to be like any other student on campus.  These days, he only has to worry about passing Business exams and being an active member of Alpha Eta Delta; a far cry from dodging gun barrels and rebels.
Although an ocean stands between Mansaray and his hometown, he will forever be impacted by the war.
“We were always at the center of conflict.  It’s caused so much pain, we try to forget about it,” said Mansaray.
Sierra Leone has a long history of government corruption, stretching back to the discovery of alluvial diamonds during the 1930’s.  Rebels exchanged diamonds with other countries for weapons to use during the war.
“The diamonds are everywhere, which is the problem.  We have all these diamonds, but we don’t use them to our benefit,” said Mansaray.
Both of Mansaray’s parents, who divorced when he was two, made a living in the business industry: his mom sold commodities like meat and rice, and his dad, Alfred, sold clothing.
While his parents traveled for work, and his older brother, Siyaka, lived in Freetown, six-year-old Mansaray looked after the family’s 60-acre farm.  Family members visited him some nights, but more often than not, he was left to harvest the rice and peanut crops on his own.
“It was just something I had to do.  I didn’t really grasp the word ‘responsibility.’” Said Mansaray.  “When you’re in Africa, you’re not really scared of anyone besides the rebels.  Everybody else was tired of the war.”
Life on the farm was far from boring.  He came across an assortment of wild animals like chickens, snakes, and foxes, but his most memorable encounter was with a rebel.  The soldier passed by in a vehicle and tried to shoot Mansaray, but he couldn’t pull his gun out of its holster fast enough.
“I can remember the expression of disappointment on his face.  Maybe God was on my side that day?” said Mansaray.
This wasn’t the first time he had come close to death.
Mansaray and his brothers were playing soccer one afternoon when they heard multiple gunshots.  They ran inside their house and grabbed as many pairs of clothing they could wear.  For the next three days, they walked 19 miles to a nearby village.
“It’s all about survival.  You keep on walking, because if you stop, you’re going to get shot,” said Mansaray.
When the fighting picked up at night, they took refuge on a mountain.  Mansaray’s memory of those nights, like much of his childhood, is hazy, but he recalls seeing bullets fly through the sky like shooting stars.
“Rebels were never sane.  They would drug themselves so they would have the minds to do atrocities.  I saw so much death.  It was everywhere, and the stories are everywhere,” said Mansaray.
Despite growing up during the Civil War, Mansaray says that he was able to keep some aspects of his life normal.  He spent a lot of time with friends, and he also managed to have girlfriends; his relationships ended each time he had to move to escape an attack.
By 2001, near the end of the Civil War, Mansaray was living in Freetown with the promise of coming to the U.S.  With the help of a sponsor, his great uncle, Hamidu, moved to the states during the 1970’s.  He finished school in the U.S. and later became a successful business owner.  Hamidu helped Mansaray and his family obtain visas and airplane tickets.
Mansaray took a plane to Senegal, Gambia, Zambia, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Washington, and finally, Oregon.
“We imagined that America was full of gold; that America was great.  We thought that even if you were a kid, you could make money.  That’s true in some sense, but it’s not that easy,” said Mansaray.