Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

The Story Corps Airstream trailer that has been in St. Paul for the last month is about to leave town. 


The last interviews will be recorded Saturday, then the mobile studio is headed to its next location: Shreveport, La. 


During their time here in Twin Cities they've captured 

 — including a talk between Liberia native Sam Subah and his friend Kate Eifrig.


After fleeing his home in Liberia, Subah spent four years in Ivory Coast before coming to the United States where he was granted political asylum. He is now a U.S. citizen.


Subah told Eifrig about the day the civil war in Liberia changed the course of his life forever.


Subah had just come home after graduating college and was living with his family in a suburb. They were forced to flee after their neighborhood was caught in a crossfire between the rebel faction and the government military.


"It was on a Sunday," he said. "We had cooked, the family was getting ready to have some meal, and then we heard huge ammunitions."


Subah and his family laid flat on the floor as bullets penetrated their home, until suddenly there was dead silence. That's when Subah's dad told the family to get up, because they were going to head straight for where the rebels were coming from.


"And walking going into that area we saw these young kids, the rebels, with guns," he said. "I mean, little kids. Nine years old, 10, 13, holding guns and basically pointing to us saying 'get further behind us, get further behind us.'"


The only thing they had taken with them was the food they had cooked that day.

"I lived life after this thinking about how blessed really I am and my family are to have survived this," he said. "Because there was over 100,000 people lost their lives during the civil war and even more and more, history will tell you that."


Subah and Eifrig work together at Living Well Disability Services in the Twin Cities. 


You can hear other stories and find out how to record your own at 

Shows

Morning Edition

MPR News Staff

Author

After his family was caught in the crossfire of the civil war in Liberia, Sam Subah -- now a U.S. citizen living in Minnesota -- was forced to flee his home with nothing but the food his family had cooked that day.

'Caught in the crossfire': The day Sam Subah was forced to leave his Liberian home

Sam Subah and his friend and collegue Kate Eifrig.

'Caught in the crossfire': The day Sam Subah was forced to leave his Liberian home

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox