Peter M. Mach
Age: 28
Region: Upper Nile
In Bor, when I was a child, I was in the cattle camp and used to take care of cattle. I can’t remember
many other childhood memories. I have on brother and two sisters. When I was twelve, I heard
gunshots and bombing and I left home. A lot of people escaped and were scared.
I traveled to Panyido in Ethiopia and stayed from 1987-1991. I went to school in Panyido. In Ethiopia, the
government was fighting, so we went to Pochalla. We stayed there for thirteen months and I went to
school. The school in Pochalla was not well equipped. In April 1992, I traveled along the Sudan border
until I came to Narus. The government started bombing Narus day and night so I left for Kenya.
I lived in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya from 1992-2001. In Kakuma, the U.N. offered to bring people to
America, and I decided to go because of school and a better life. On May 31, 2001 I came to America. I
went to New York for a few hours, and then flew to Dallas, Texas.
In Dallas, I went to Richland Community College and had regular schooling. I worked at Home Interiors &
Gifts in Carrollton, Texas from February 16, 2002 – July 28, 2007. I used the forklift, pallet-jack, did
warehouse housekeeping, shipping, and loading and unloading.
I stayed in Texas until June 2008. I came to phoenix because I was sick and the doctor ordered me to
come to live with my cousins, Abrahams Magot and Bullen Riak. They took care of me.
I’m looking for a job right now. I want to find a warehouse job to make my life easier and I want to go to
school. I never went back to see my parents, but I would like to visit sometime. I played professional
volleyball and soccer. In soccer, I was a left forward and sometimes a defender because I have long legs.