I arrived in Muscat, Oman on January 27, 2019. The following day I visited the home office of the company I was to work for — Al Nawa. On my way into the building, I noticed a car parked outside with the license plate 10914. When ever I see 109 I imagine it is a moment for me celebrate my birthday — October 9. What I did not know is that that license plate also foretold the date on which I would marry my 4th grade classmate, Randi — September 14. In that moment when I spotted 109 on the license plate, I said a little prayer in hopes that my time in Oman would be financially rewarding, culturally enriching, and safe. It was all of that and even more!

During the month of March 2019 while living and working in Oman’s former capital, Nizwa, strange events occurred that called my (as well as the world’s) attention to East Africa.

Firstly, March 1 is the day on which Ethiopians celebrate their historic victory over Fascist Italy at the Battle of Adwa. I had learned about this battle when I toured Ethiopia for the first time beginning on March 31, 2017.

Secondly, nine days thereafter my attention was called once again to East Africa when Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed on March 10. It was a sad day for sure. Personally, I thought it was suspicious that this airplane crash happened so close to a joyous holiday. I imagined that Ethiopians were reeling from the rollercoaster of life events. As investigations commenced and carried on during the month, my attention (and the world’s) was once again linked to an event that also points back to East Africa — the murder of Eritrean-American rapper Ermias Joseph “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom on March 31, 2019. Perhaps, I was keenly aware of events that were connected to east Africa given that I had traveled to Ethiopia and learned its history. What a coincidence that I arrived in Ethiopia two years to the day that Nipsey Hussle was murdered.

Looking back at my Instagram feed, I was able to spot signs that subtly revealed premonitions of what was to come in the month of March 2019.

In particular, I had purchased a pair of blue laced Nike sneakers one week before Nipsey Hussle was murdered. If I had been in Los Angeles I would have stayed away from blue laced sneakers of any make or brand. However, the fact that I was away from Los Angeles gangs I felt free to purchase whatever shoe in any color I liked. It just so happened that the blue laced Nike sneakers I purchased were the only shoes of its kind in my size which is the reason I chose to purchase them. A couple of days after purchasing these shoes I found myself standing in the alleyway next to my then home where I was confronted by goats roaming the neighborhood. Certainly, this is not a surprising sight in that part of the world, but for someone from Los Angeles, this was a surprising sight. I whipped out my cellphone and began to take photos to share on Instagram. I thought my friends and family back home would get a kick out of the sight of goats in my neighborhood. While snapping photos, one goat approached me and its hoof landed squarely on my new sneakers. The piercing eyes of the goat focused squarely on me. I snapped more photos. This interaction with the goat stayed with me. It seemed as if the goat was trying to communicate with me. It certainly seemed as if the goat was saying: “Your shoes don’t make you special. In fact, I’ll stand on your shoe to prove it.” In that moment, I needed to adjust my priorities. Material things should not be so important. Instead, I needed to focus on other details in my environment. Surely, there was something for me to notice besides the cleanliness of my sneakers. And there absolutely was!

The day that I learned of Nipsey Hussle’s death was April 1, 2019. In the Gulf region, clocks are set eleven hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. So, when Nipsey was shot around 3pm, it was 2am, and I was fast asleep. I usually woke around 6am and started driving to work no later than 7:30am — a time proposed by my colleague and neighbor, Dr. Saad. By 6am Gulf Standard Time, Nipsey Hussle had already been pronounced dead. I learned of his demise after waking and checking my Instagram account. On Instagram I saw so many photos of Nipsey Hussle that I wondered what had happened to him. I feared that he was shot or worse. Once I saw a post by Amil Gibbs, grandson of Marla Gibbs (and a family friend), with the caption: “Prayers up for Nip. He was a really good dude.” I knew immediately that he was gone. I couldn’t believe the news. But, it was true. Tears welled up in my eyes and began to trickle down my cheek.

Nevertheless, I still had to go to work so I showered and got dressed. At 7:30am in Nizwa there are few cars on the roads. Nizwa is approximately 87 miles (1.5 hours drive from Muscat) and its population is about 120,000. It was a quiet morning in the desert per usual. The streets were empty except for my car and a truck. The truck’s driver seemed to be in a hurry. He was an Indian migrant worker who was driving a large diesel engined vehicle. As the truck entered the round-about at the same time I entered, the driver did not slow down. He cut me off. This made me angry. However, in that moment I saw that the truck’s license plate which read 1090.

Calmness washed over me. Before this truck cut me off, I felt sad as I thought about the flimsy nature of life. In one moment we are alive and in the next we could be dead. Seeing 109 on the truck that nearly ran me off the road helped me change my mind. I thought about those numbers, one-zero and nine, having a greater meaning than just my birthday — October 9. Why else did I see 109 on the license plate on the same day that Nipsey Hussle was murdered? In fact, It was within two hours of learning of Nipsey’s demise that I saw 109. The calmness I felt upon seeing 109 made me wonder even more if 109 and Nipsey were connected.

The week of April 1, 2019 was rough. I remember cancelling one of my classes. I was in a daze. Life seemed surreal. Certainly the recent events seemed to point back to east Africa as well. It felt like a conspiracy to hurt East Africans. The week prior I had read about Nipsey Hussle’s accomplishments and I felt proud for him and my city. I felt proud that I was halfway around the world living my best life as an English teacher. After hearing that Nipsey died, a part of me died too. It was as if my hope had died. Nipsey didn’t have the resources or access I had growing up. Regardless, he made a way. He became a success. For that reason, I saw him as a beacon of hope. He proved that no matter what you have, you can be successful if you respect your passion and work hard. I used Nipsey’s example to remain motivated on my own life’s journey. So, when he died, I was crushed. He was my hero even if we didn’t come up the same way. We were both Black men and that was enough to bind me to his experience, life, struggle, and aspirations.

I attempted to make sense of having seen 109 on April 1. I wrote a poem to collect my thoughts. Within a couple of weeks I had produced a book that housed my poem. The poem sought to explain why I had encountered 109 during my travels. I felt as if I understood the reason I had seen 109 over the years as I traveled the world to countries such as South Korea, Japan, Ethiopia, Cuba, Peru, and Mexico. In fact, when I was in Saudi Arabia between 2016 and 2018, I saw the cover of my book, 109. It came to me in a dream. I knew that I would create the book, but between those years, I did not know what I would write about. I knew I would write about 109 sightings, but I didn’t know how to tie all the isolated incidents together. It wasn’t until April 1, 2019 that I knew how to tie them together. The answer was Nipsey.