Matthew (M): Thank you, for wanting to take this interview with us, again.
Mr. Gebreyesus (G): Of course.
M: A couple of years since your last interview?
G: Yeah, haha.
M: So, on that note, did you feel nervous the first time around?
G: Not nervous, but more so curious about the kind of questions that I’d be asked; I thought it was a good opportunity to get a feel for the community—a sense of the larger community and what they want to know about. I was approaching it more from a curious standpoint than nervous.
M: Yeah, I got that. So, to go into the more personal questions: you said you went to El Camino College and then Long Beach State?
G: Correct.
M: What was the reason for choosing Long Beach State after Camino?
G: Long Beach State is one of the best Cal-state universities outside of the UC system, so my sister went there—she loved it. I knew a bit about the Long Beach community and about the differences between there and L.A. which made it attractive to me; it was a no-brainer for me to go to Long Beach State.
M: I didn’t know you had a sister—are you close with her?
G: Oh, yeah; she’s a couple of years older than me—has a daughter now. Life’s hectic for both of us; she’s still back in Los Angeles; but, yeah, we’re still close.
M: How do you feel about being an uncle?
G: “How do I feel about being an uncle?” Man—working in education I’ve felt like an uncle for 10 years; now, it feels like I’m formally where I should have been a long time ago. It doesn’t feel new for me, because I’ve been around youth for 10+ years; to be officially one, that’s a milestone for me, for sure.
M: Yeah, I can definitely see that.
G: If I became an uncle at 22, that would’ve been weird. At this stage, I’m 30 now, so this is about the time when I should be an uncle—so, it all works out.
M: What would you say was your main reason for getting your Master’s in education in Miami?
G: Well, I had a friend who I was coaching basketball with in L.A., and he was going to that same program. We had gone through pretty much the same stages: we both went to Cal-State schools, and we both were substitute teachers in Long Beach and Torrance—so that was the next step. He was taking classes, and I was sort of in a “gap year”, so I wasn’t sure what to do—he loved the Miami program. The reasons he loved it were the same reasons I think that I was going to: professors who were engaged—a lot of grad-school professors are just “there”. A professor who’s engaged, content that isn’t too rigorous, and it also allowed me to do my thing in L.A. while I was also doing school; it all lined up for me.
M: I imagine Southern L.A. and Miami are pretty different living experiences—would you say you have a best and worst experience?
G: Miami’s just a wild place, really; they’re not one for rules there—it’s not really their thing. People also think that of L.A., but it’s more controlled—a lot more chill of a city than Miami. The thing is that I started grad school when I was about 26, so I was already past the stage in my life when I would do the things in Miami I probably would have wanted to do when I was 19 or 20. It was more of an academic experience—it’s not necessarily similar to weather or food, but the vibes are not that different between Miami and Los Angeles. It’s just a bit more lawless I would say.
M: Would you say you’re more a beach guy or a city guy?
G: The thing is that when you’re from L.A. you’re kind of both; you can be a city person and walk along Fairfax, Wilshire, or the big streets in L.A., then you can get in a car and drive 15 minutes in any direction from any part of the city and you’ll be at the beach. I would probably say I’m more of a city guy, just because I’m not really an outdoors person like that, but I do enjoy the beach now and then—you have to if you’re from California.
M: In your last interview, I loved your response that you maintain your own identity wherever you are. Would you say there was an exact time or period when you felt the need to stick to your identity or was that always part of you?
G: There wasn’t really a singular catalyst for that—I would say it’s something that developed over time. I went to a very cliquey, traditional high school where appearance meant everything—that’s something I tried to live up to. After I got out of that, I realized I didn’t need that to make more friends; I felt a lot more comfortable in my own skin, a lot more comfortable just being myself. For me it was: if people like it, cool, if not, then I wouldn’t want to be around them anyway to be someone I not to make someone happy.
M: Did you grow up with your best friend because of that? I saw one of the motivations for why you came to Arizona was because your friend moved here, so did you grow up with them?
G: Him, I didn’t grow up with; I met him when I was about 20. It was my first job in education and he was 3-4 years older than me — my boss — and he helped me with some of the foundational elements of what I do in education. Even though I’m myself in all areas, I didn’t know if that could pass at work — in education — and he pushed me, “Just be yourself; it’ll work, just trust it”. We grew close from that and had a lot of similar interests outside of the job; that’s also why I felt comfortable here, having that person I can always rely on.
M: That’s awesome; sort of ties into my next question: I really connect with your ideas of embracing who you are, — I think that’s also really important to me — would you say there’s a particular person or piece of media that inspired you growing up?
G: “A person or piece of media who inspired me growing up?” Not a singular—this is sort of a cliché answer if you grew up in L.A. with the interests I did, but I could say, Kobe, for example. This may sound corny, but he was absolutely fearless in a way you could recognize at that age—”If Kobe could do this, then I could try this, that, or the third.” It gave me that fearlessness or confidence to try things and do ‘em—if I fail, then, alright, there’s always tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow, no matter how bad the day was, there’s always tomorrow for me to come back and do things right.
M: Yeah, that “Mamba Mentality”, right?
G: Yeah, “Mamba Mentality”, see, you got it. That’s all it really means, too, though. It’s getting really cliché, but no matter what just trying to get to wherever you’re trying to get to.
M: How did you feel about his passing? I know that was a while ago, but I was curious to know.
G: It was sudden. I remember exactly where I was—literally, exactly: it was on a Sunday, really cloudy day, really foggy day. I was heading to the gym, — it was probably 10 a.m. — and I was sitting at a light waiting to make a left turn so I opened up my phone, and I saw that. Immediately, I knew it was real because no one would play around like that—it’s not a hoax. At that age (26), I had already dealt with death from people personally close to me, so I knew the stages of it and how to process it, but it was a strange vibe in the city for a few weeks. A lot of people after were like, “Let’s remember him by watching his highlights”, but that’s not really for me, trying to cope with things. I’m still at the point now where I can’t really go back and look at his stuff, it just doesn’t really register—someone who felt bigger than life who everyone in L.A. knew, and who seemed like a superhero to people, it didn’t feel real still.
M: I guess this is where I shift focus: would you say you’re very connected with your Ethiopian culture being Eritrean? Would you say you’ve been at odds with it, growing up in South Central? Did you understand a lot of things differently from your parents?
G: I would say it started in school, and it’s tough; there’s a disconnect between you and the students you go to school with, and also you and your parents. You’re just in between those, trying to figure out how to make things happen; it’s weird because you try to connect with people who look like you but they don’t have the same background. At that age a lot of Black Americans who are younger—“Do you speak African?” or the weird looks when they see your last name. You want to fit in, so you just try to tuck in your culture and try not to bring any attention to it and fit in. Your parents, want you to embrace your culture; especially Eritrean culture where there’s but so many of us in Los Angeles, really in America, and they want us to hold onto it but you’re also not someone who grew up there [Eritrea], and you’re trying to attach yourself to this other culture that you feel would be more acceptable—I had that when I was younger. I would say somewhere during high school, post-high-school is when I started to embrace my culture—the more I started to learn about it. The more I started to learn about my family members who were in that war, and who fought for independence. My aunt has a gunshot wound in her thigh, — she was a nurse — but she caught a stray. Things like that—it’s impossible not to take pride in them. On top of that, there was a rapper (Nipsey Hussle) who passed away four years ago; he’s someone to whom I could attach myself and the whole city loved. When people asked me who I was or what I was, and I said Eritrean, they would say “What is that?”, then you could say “Hey, do you know this guy, Nipsey Hussle?” Then, people would know, that was also someone well-respected. That also helped me embrace my culture to the point where now I have it tattooed on me everywhere. I have aims to show people where I’m from and I embrace it fully.
M: Yeah, I love that. It definitely ties into the idea that you’re embracing your identity, and that is really admirable.
G: Thank you.
M: I did notice in your last interview you mentioned Little Ethiopia in L.A., is there a defining factor that makes it feel like Little Ethiopia in L.A.? Is it just the people there? The restaurants? Everything?
G: Yeah, I mean that’s really just what it is: the only part of L.A. where you see the whole block is just Ethiopian restaurants, markets, or lounges. Of course, all the people who own that are Eritrean or mostly Ethiopian people, and that’s the only area where you’ll see the majority of the people as Ethiopian or Eritrean—that’s what makes it what it is. There’s music playing down from the restaurants and you smell the food it feels like — if you close your eyes — you’re back in East Africa. It’s good to have that feeling, without having to travel 20 hours to get that, and then you can go back to your alternate culture.
M: Yeah, like a slice of each life?
G: Exactly.
M: Have you ever visited back to Eritrea or revisited the roots you have there?
G: I haven’t been back to Eritrea since I was 14, so it’s been a while. I didn’t go to Ethiopia for the first time until last July—that was something my mom and I did. That is something a lot more Eritreans are doing now since relations between the countries are a lot better; Ethiopia is more developed than Eritrea so it’s a way for people to experience Eritrean/Ethiopian culture while also not having to go through all the things you’d have to go through if you were staying in Eritrea for a month since they don’t have the most resources for people. So, that was the last time we went. Eritrea is definitely on deck—my mom and I talked about that when we got back, probably make that happen in the next couple of years.
M: That’s great. Do you have a favorite restaurant from Little Ethiopia? I did a little searching like Rosalind’s and Meals by Jeanette?
G: Yeah! Rosalind’s might be the one, honestly.
M: Really?
G: Rosalind’s is the one. There is this one: Marathon. It’s more like a lounge, but that’s sort of where people my age go to hang out and kick it in Little Ethiopia. That’s one of two places: one to eat at Rosalind’s, and one to chill out—probably Marathon. Those are always two reliable spots for me.
M: A favorite meal from just Rosalind’s?
G: Aw, man. So like injera is the name of the basics, but that’s not a specific meal. Tsebhi is my favorite form of injera; it’s just injera with baste—chicken marinated in a bunch of different spices. So, that’s my thing: I love tsebhi. Anytime I go back home, Mom already has it on deck, so she already knows.
M: Food by Mom always goes great.
G: Yeah, it has to.
M: Also being Romanian, it’s interesting to have that split identity like you mentioned. The food is definitely the best part, in my opinion.
G: When my culinary skills get to a point where I can do some sort of fusion, I’m definitely going to have some Eritrean-Mexican fusion. I should probably keep this idea to myself, but I’ll talk about it a little bit there. That’s kind of one of the things I want to do in the future.
M: I know you showed us some pictures in college counseling of the presentational food you’ve done, but have you ever thought of becoming a chef or doing more of that?
G: Oh, I don’t know: I’d have to see where it goes. Really, the cooking started during quarantine—I did it at home a little bit. Then when I moved out over here and I was living alone for the first time, it was something I had to do so I wasn’t just eating every day and spending a lot of money. My culinary skills are building, slowly. I’m getting to that point. I think in a couple of years I can be somewhere where I can make more than a handful of things that I know I can make at a high level right now. You’ll see it, you’ll see it, for sure.
M: I’m looking forward to it—you should bring some in for class.
G: I will. We’ll have a “Mr. G’s Feast”, for sure.
M: Make that a holiday?
G: Yes. Yes, make it a tradition. You guys will be the first annual ones to receive it.
M: Wow, I feel honored.
G: Hey, I’ll be honored to have y’all eat my food. So, there you go.
M: I also notice you’re a big fan of pizza and Italian in general. Would you ever want to live in Italy? See the fields of Tuscany?
G: Because Eritreans kind of go everywhere I have a “cousin” or family friend— not a “cousin”, because we call everybody our “cousins” who we grow up with — who lives in Italy and he makes pastries, too. I don’t know what city; I want to say Rome, but that’s someone who I want to visit. Yeah, I love Italian food. North Phoenix: Romanelli’s. Man, some of the best Italian beef sandwiches—for sure the best marinara sub in the city. That’s a little jam right there I told you guys about: Romanelli’s, North Phoenix.
M: I’ll definitely reach out to them, sounds great.
G: Yeah, man—top-notch.
M: I’m very big on sandwiches, so the marinara sub does sound great.
G: Romanelli’s is dope because you walk through an Italian market area, and the back part is where they make the deli. You can do both: a little bit of grocery shopping and also get the deli there.
M: Yeah, that sounds awesome.
G: It is.
M: On the note of visiting Italy, would you ever want to permanently retire anywhere outside of the U.S.?
G: Honestly, I don’t think I’ve done enough traveling to answer that. I’ve only ever been to Ethiopia, Eritrea, 4 hours in Turkey, and that’s about it. I haven’t done enough traveling to confidently say. I don’t need too much: if I have somewhere where I can play basketball—really, that’s kind of it. If I can find somewhere to do that, I think I’d be fine.
M: Yeah, live the life you love?
G: For sure. That’s something I look forward to as I get older, travel more, experience more, and see what’s viable for me and what’s not.
M: Where’s the 4 hours from Turkey coming from?
G: Layovers, getting stuck there. Yeah, it wasn’t the most fun. I had some Turkish food there: Turkish pizza. So, I did get to experience a bit of Turkish culture.
M: That’s great. Gotta get that pizza everywhere.
G: Everywhere. One of the things I want to do when I get older is just take a 6-month vacation like backpacking Europe and playing basketball in different cities. That’s something I want to do, to see what that’s like, and also to try pizza in different cities—I’m gonna do both.
M: Pizza and basketball tour?
G: Yeah, man, I’m going to come up with some name that’s alliterative—I’ll blog about it. I’ll share with y’all.
M: Yeah, that would be great. Since it’s been a couple of years since your last interview, how would you say you grew into BASIS, or how your opinions of it have changed? Student-body wise? As a network in general?
G: It is a bit different since I came here. I think I had a perception here that students were a bit more close-minded than I thought they would be. Just coming from where I came from and the things that I knew about Arizona or people of certain socioeconomic status. It surprised me—that people are more aware of the privileges that they have than I thought, and more willing to address it than I thought. So, that’s something that I liked. Staff, as well, is something that backed me up when certain things happened—I feel like that’s for sure different than year one. Having more people who people who will support me if need be. I feel like it’s been on a positive trajectory from year one to now.
M: That’s great. On that note of being aware of our own privileges and addressing it, that reminds me of the “BASIS Bubble”. I feel we have some trouble understanding worlds outside of our own—if you were in our shoes, say, you were me, how would you best go about educating yourself?
G: I mean, that’s tough because that’s not something you could even get here, because there’s just not a lot of diversity of socioeconomic statuses in this school. It’s really about learning—you have to intentionally and proactively go out and learn. You have to be intentional about it—social media is something that can help you connect with broad worlds you’re not a part of. Maybe talking to — if there are no peers with diverse backgrounds — teachers and faculty. We can talk to and, maybe, get that from them. I think it’s going out and talking to people and listening; that’s how you’re able to self-amend not having people to talk to in your immediate vicinity who can talk about growing up in a different background.
M: I gotcha, I totally feel that. So, on that idea of socioeconomic diversity, even that chart I saw earlier today how 70% of our student body is Asian—how do you think BASIS could increase its diversity as a student body? Do you think we should circulate more clubs? Asian-American awareness?
G: I think it’s making sure that people feel seen, and that they feel heard and represented. I think that it comes to little stuff—I think that schools that have all these celebrations of different cultures whether it’s like celebrating National Hispanic Month or Black History Month. Having cultural awareness days where people can bring food from their own cultures, and wear different things from their own cultures. That normalizes — I shouldn’t say “normalize” because we should be accepting of all cultures. Different people who haven’t experienced certain cultures might look at them weirdly, acknowledging and embracing different cultures goes a long way towards accepting them. That would make them feel more comfortable going to a school like this, maybe there aren’t too many people that look like me but I know that those people who don’t sympathize with me and understand what I’m going through. They know about my culture and what we go through.
M: I remember from your last interview you said something similar: it’s very important to know that other people are going through similar things that you are. That exposure is very valuable, like you said.
G: Just celebrating the diversity of people you have in Arizona would make it more welcoming.
M: So, we already talked about diversity among students. How would you say the lack of diversity affects the staff? When I go out and interact with people from different schools, I feel that it’s very different the way people communicate and carry themselves. Would you say interacting with us as students has affected how you think or communicate with other people?
G: Not necessarily, as far as staff having the demographics we do have amongst us makes it so there are certain confrontations that I can’t have and I won’t have, because it wouldn’t register with them. It’s something that I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking with them about. Fortunately for me, I have people outside of here who I can talk to about that; they can sympathize with me, and we can go back and forth, and I’ll have that support. It does suck, because ideally, I could talk about those things somewhere like here where it does matter—it can trickle down to you guys. I take it upon myself to have those talks with the seniors or whoever I’m working with and try to get my point across and understand different things about people who don’t look like them. They can understand some of their biases and privileges that they might have, and that they’re aware of that going forward; view people through that context, understand that someone like me didn’t have everything—all the resources someone like you had growing up. Not having private tutoring or private counselors or even having someone like me. The concept of “college counseling” was not something I was really familiar with until I was looking for jobs and found this one. I just kind of assumed everyone had—every high school had one or two of ‘em. You just have to find time with them when you can fit it in. Also, think on the flip side, if you grew up with that, with the knowledge that it existed, it’s hard for you to understand that there are people who don’t have that. I feel like that’s kind of my responsibility, to outline the differences and how you guys grow up versus how others grow up. So, you are aware of those differences
M: Yeah, I definitely agree—it certainly won’t be perfect communication but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t, at least, try.
G: Certainly. Definitely.
M: If you were to describe a BASIS student now, in just a few words, what would they be?
G: Curious, for sure. You guys love questions, right? Whether it’s for me or college reps or whoever, definitely curious. That’s something I can appreciate. If you guys can understand you are in a bubble but you don’t ask questions, then I would be like, “What’s going on here?” You know you’re in this bubble, but you’re not doing anything to address it and get outside of it. Curious, and ambitious. I mean, you guys take on a ridiculous amount of classes, extracurriculars—things like that. Lastly, I would say silly; you guys are kind of silly, y’all are some silly people. You guys can be some silly, quirky people; not as serious as someone would assume of someone who has the transcripts like you guys have. That’s something I can appreciate: you guys not always being serious and taking this cutthroat approach to academics.
M: Definitely, being down to Earth is something everybody can appreciate.
G: Yeah, not just having conversations with people that are about — I don’t know — some old philosophical text or whatever it might be.
M: Yeah, I gotcha. I’ll be sort of shifting gears here to more random questions.
G: Yeah, let’s do it.
M: If you would rank your top artists — hip-hop, rap, what have you — what would your top five look like?
G: Top five? Let’s see. Coming from where I’m from and the era I grew up in, Snoop Dogg is up there—he has to. Like, his music just spans generations and puts you in a good mood. He’s up there. I don’t know about five collectively; if you asked me five years ago, Kanye West would have been up there, before he absolutely lost it. He is still a musical genius, but the dude’s wild. He kind of went off the deep end. He would’ve been there five years ago, but now I don’t know where he rates for me. Who else would I have as top artists? Honestly, that’s a tough question because I feel like it changes every five years or so just because I hear stories or something new: someone goes on a run for two, or three albums where I’m like, “Ooh, they’re not missing here.” It’s tough for me to say. I’d probably have to look through my phone, which I don’t want to do right now.
M: That’s totally cool—I just remember seeing in your last interview you mentioned Kid Cudi, Future, and Playboi Carti.
G: Yeah, I was trying to come up with artists I didn’t mention last time. Actually, let me see. Who am I listening to?
M: Yeah, I was looking at more older stuff, like when I first got into older rap like Wu-Tang.
G: Well, actually, I’ve been getting into vinyl now because I’m at that age. I actually went vinyl shopping the other day, and I was looking specifically for this one Tony Pendergrass vinyl: it’s called TP. I’m at the age now where most of the rap I listen to samples a lot of jazz songs and soul songs. So, I try to find those samples and listen to them.
M: Well, that’s all I have for now. Thank you very much again, Mr. G.
G: Yeah, thank you.
