The dual national says he now earns a six-figure salary playing professional basketball in Iraq, admitting it was “mind-boggling” to think how much his life had changed since leaving the U.S.

“Before I came to Baghdad, I didn’t know what to expect,” he told NBC News. “I had just all bad expectations. Then I got here and I’ve met some of the most genuine and nicest people that I’ve ever met.”

He added: “It was an eye-opener for me to never judge when you’ve never experienced anything in their culture.”