b'to a United Nations official and taken to a refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. In the camp, where Gonfa would be confined for the next eight years, he had shelterand a ration of grain.There was never enough food, he said. One day while taking a friend to the camps infirmary, he mentioned to the physician on duty from Doctors Without Borders about having started his second year in medical school before joining the rebellion. As the two continued to talk, the doctor suggested he apply as a volunteer in the infirmary, which came with a stipend of $50 a month. That was huge, Gonfa recalled. Gonfa was a marvel in the infirmary where most of the medical support staff had elementary or middle school education at best. Soon, he was delivering babies. You watch what the doctors do and then you do it, Gonfa explained. He was just 19.While 95 percent of the people in the camp were Muslim, Gonfa was a Christian. Despite that, he had to overcome suspicions and cultural barriers. Those people who thought I was not one of them started to change their opinions about me, Gonfa said. With time, his work became more of a passion than just a means of survival and extra pay. And his desire to get back to medical school grew stronger. He had found a purpose. By then, he had met his wife, Abebanesh Awulachew, also a refugee in the camp. His next door to a new life would open through her. Whatever she does, she gives it 100 percent, Gonfa said.For years, Awulachew was a housekeeper for the officer in charge of the camp. In 2007, when she gave birth to their daughter and had to stop working, the officer wanted to see the baby and invited them to stop by her home. As they chatted, Gonfar mentioned medical school and his work alongside Doctors Without Borders. The woman took a special interest in their case.It could have been a different fate, Gonfa said. Although that got their resettlement application moving, the mandatory background checks and screenings would take another year and a half before they were issued tickets to America. Sponsored by the Greensboro-based North Carolina African Services Coalition, they arrived in December 2008.A few days prior to leaving Kenya, Gonfa was in an orientation class and heard the facilitator say something he has never forgotten. He called America the land of opportunity. From that day on, I had only one question: How could I get back to medical school? Gonfa recalled.The first morning in Greensboro, he got up, dressed in his new home off East Market Street and then pulled out the city map he found in a telephone book that had been thrown at his door. He began walking toward downtown. Im scared about spending money, Gonfa said of the moment. We have to eat. We have to pay our bills. I have a kid.1516'