SAN DIEGO — If you think you are lucky to live in San Diego, wait until you read the story of Kuwa Harin. In this Zevely Zone, I met the man who made an incredible journey from Sudan to San Diego.
I met Kuwa at the Bahia Resort Hotel in Mission Beach where he works. As Kuwa recalls he was just a boy when he was kidnapped by a rebel militia during the Sudanese Civil War and forced to fight as a child soldier in the jungle. "Nine years old," said Kuwa "The jungle is very dangerous. Tigers, lions at night."
Kuwa escaped capture and survived in the jungle for 11 years, before finding a refugee camp in Ethiopia. "You hungry? I say yeah, I'm hungry, They say where are you from I say I am from Nuba," said Kuwa.
He left the Nuba Mountains and his family behind in 2006 and couldn't believe his luck when a plane flew him to "Sunny San Diego". Even on a day with drizzle, Kuwa is filled with laughter because he's so grateful for the job he landed at the Bahia Resort Hotel.
When Kuwa was first hired here at the Bahia, 14 years ago, he didn't speak one word of English. He started off in the kitchen as a dishwasher.
Kuwa has now become a go-to guy who helps make the resort run smoothly from dishes to boat maintenance. His co-workers like Rachel Welsh are impressed. "It's just so inspiring that he came from such humble beginnings had to struggle so much to come all the way to San Diego," said Rachel.
After arriving safely in San Diego, Kuwa called his family but they refused to believe it was him. "They say I'm dead, my family says this is not me, they say I am dead in the jungle. I said this is me. I'm Kuwa. What is your last name? I say my last name is Harin. They say what is your father's name? I say my father is Falata," said Kuwa.
Kuwa's smiling face is now featured in a Tourism Matters campaign. "Tourism matters because it gives me a job, it's better for business and it changed my life," said Kuwa. "I love San Diego; I love my job. Now, my life is up."
Sudan will always be his home but now it is time for all of us in San Diego to say hello to our neighbor. "I am Kuwa!" he said.
To learn more about Kuwa's story and other people who found careers in the tourism industry go to https://www.sdtmd.org/tourismmatterssd/