It turns out winning the lottery is only the first step in trying to come to America. More than half of the people who win each year never make it. Abdi is living in Nairobi, Kenya, when he wins, and as he's trying to prepare for his interview at the U.S. Embassy, Kenyan police start relentlessly raiding his neighborhood, rounding up Somalis and taking them away. So Abdi goes into hiding in his apartment. Leo Hornak spoke to Abdi almost every night while this was happening, to find out if Abdi would evade the police and make it to America. (17 minutes)

Abdi has a memoir out on Tuesday called "Call Me American."