#welcoming rhode island
Robert Segama was born in 1982 in a small town about two hours away from the capital of Peru, Lima. The town he grew up in was in a remote area where low-income families built their own houses. “There was no water or sewers. We had to bring water from a mile away from where we lived.”
In Peru Robert lived with his mother and grandfather until he graduated high school. At the age of seventeen Robert arrived in the United States on a cold February evening to live with his father, stepmother and brothers. At first he had a hard time adjusting, and struggled with the language barrier.
“When I moved here I didn’t know the language, I had been going to some institutes in Peru for it but it’s not the same. You hear people speaking fast and it’s very difficult to understand. When I first got here I started going to Dorcas International Institute in Providence, where I spent a few months there to understand English better.”
Robert did not let the language barrier hinder him from succeeding, and one of the things he did when he first arrived was go to Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island where he enrolled in English classes. After graduating from the program, he attended Rhode Island College and enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program so that he could pursue an Associate’s degree in business. A year and a half later he opened a dry cleaning business. He kept the business for 3 years however later decided to continue with school and focus on completing his Bachelor’s degree.
The language barrier, though one of the most difficult was not the only obstacle Robert faced. Robert struggled to find that sense of belonging especially in a culture that is so individualistic.
“When I came here I think what was most difficult was to feel like you belong here. It is a different culture, different way of living and very independent. For example, who’s going to give me a ride? You can’t just walk around here, everything is very far away.”
Despite the rocky start, Robert feels at home here in the United States. “Little by little this place became my home.” Further, while Robert still identifies with his Peruvian culture and goes back every so often, in a way the United States is more of a home to him than Peru.
“Little by little the place where I came from it wasn’t really my home anymore. Everyone was leaving and people were getting busy with families and work. Every time I kept coming back I was more there as a visitor than as a citizen. Little by little I started making friends here”
Robert also states that coming from Peru to the United States after having lived the way that he did was really an improvement.
“It was a real improvement for me to come here from Peru. You know, the showers, hot water and where we lived there were really no roads, just dirt.”
Today Robert lives with his family; his wife, also from Peru and two lovely young children, a nine year old girl and five year old boy in Johnston Rhode Island. He also works in management as a training manager at a Fortune 100 company.
While Robert has come to accept American culture as part of his new identity he still holds true to many aspects of his Peruvian culture. For example both his children speak Spanish in addition to English and he still enjoys Peruvian food every day. Robert and his family also go back to Peru every so often to visit their relatives who live there.
Written and complied by Liv Halvorson and Esther Ssozi
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Abdulkadir Faragab was born in Kismayo, Somalia in 1982. Growing up was tough for Abdulkadir, but he made the most of it. After graduating high school he began working as a mechanic, largely due to his life-long interest in cars. He also worked as construction worker and eventually started a family.
In his free time he enjoyed caring for his family and playing soccer with friends. However, turmoil erupted in the country and a civil war broke out. “The Somalia people started to just take what they needed. There was no order or somebody to tell them no.” Abdulkadir had to make a tough decision; he left his wife and children to pursue a better life in America. He understood that he needed to make money and support his family, ultimately giving his family a better life in the long run.
Abdulkadir first traveled by car and bus with a group of other refugees to Libya. Here, he spent some time in a refugee camp where life was difficult.
“People discriminated against people from my part of Africa. Sometimes, we would perform jobs and they would give us no money for it. It was a tough way to live. I worked for 12 hours a day and made only $20 dollars.”
In March 2013, after about a year in Libya, Abdulkadir was resettled to Rhode Island and immediately began seeking resources to personally advance so he could support his family back in Somalia.
“At first, I barely knew English and needed to learn how start a new life. I missed my family back home, but it was my responsibility to care of them, even if I would not see them for a while.”
He started to go to Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island to learn English, make connections, and adjust to American culture. He admits that learning English has been a struggle thus far. “At first I had no idea what was going on; people were talking fast and no one could understand me. Otherwise, I am really starting to understand the language.”
Before coming to the United States, Abdulkadir had to learn of variety of different languages– Arabic and three native Somalian languages– to adjust to all the moving in Africa he did to find work during the war, so he considered mastering English as only a minor challenge. With help from Dorcas International Institute, Abdulkadir was able to find housing with three other refugees he worked with in Libya. He also began a job at a hotel in room service. Although he wasn’t working as he did in Somalia as a mechanic, Abdulkadir took the work to send some money back to his family.
Adjusting to American culture was also a challenge for Abdulkadir. “At first, when my English wasn’t so good, it was hard to ask people for help. Sometimes, if people didn’t understand me, they would just ignore me.”
Other than adjusting to the language barrier, Abdulkadir has slowly been integrating into American culture. He enjoys learning more about the English language and helps out other Somali and Arabic speaking refugees when they first arrive here.
He keeps some of his local traditions, however, and enjoys shopping at a local African market, God is Able African Market in Providence that sells foods and spices native to Somalia. Someday, Abdulkadir would like to also learn Spanish, just to expand his knowledge and communicate with Spanish-speakers in his community.
When asked what he was most proud of, Abdulkadir stated, “I’m feeling good. I’m happy that I was able to make it to Rhode Island and still support my family back home.” However, he keeps one goal on his mind at all times, which is to bring his family to Rhode Island.
“I know they would love it here. I always tell them Rhode Island is a great place. My kids can go to good schools, and I can finally spend time with the people I miss so much.”
Written and compiled by Zachary Brown and Niko Rufo
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What does it mean to be neighborly or welcoming to you? Is it chatting with the neighbor as you garden or mow the lawn? Is it just saying hello as you walk by? Does being welcoming mean inviting people over for dinner? Or is it something deeper?
Today is the 67th Independence Day of India!
The photo above is of Dr. Apurv Gupta, a local Rhode Islander who is from India. Read his full story on our website here.
TheIndia Association of Rhode Island is a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization which strives to represent the various issues concerning a growing Asian-Indian community in the state of Rhode Island. Independently incorporated in 1980, the organization’s main goal has been to provide and continue providing a sincere and authentic image of India and its culture to our fellow citizens in Rhode Island.
There are a number of great Indian restaurants in Rhode Island too, including Taste of India,Not Just Snacks,Rasoi,Kabob n Curry,IndiaandBombay Club.
Happy Independence Day to our fellow Rhode Islanders from India!
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Join Guatemalans in Rhode Island in celebrating their heritage at the 3rd Annual Festival Guatemala on Sunday, September 9, 2012 from 10am to 6pm at Roger Williams Temple of Music in Providence, RI. For more information contact [email protected].The festival is coordinated by the Guatemalan Center of New England.
For many Guatemalans, Rhode Island became a passing point on the way to political asylum in Canada–simply a temporary stop-over. In the 1980sand 90s, the Guatemalan community became more visible, settling in places like Providence, Central Falls and Woonsocket. Today, Guatemalans can also be found in large numbers in Aquidneck Island (primarily Portsmouth and Middletown) working in nurseries and running their own lawn care businesses.
When Guatemalans first began to settle in Rhode Island, one of the biggest attractions for them was that it was a peaceful place, especially compared to cities like New York and Los Angeles. Many of the first Guatemalans to reach Rhode Island were from small farming communities, and the rural feeling of Rhode Island–and particularly Aquidneck Island–made them feel very much at home.
The first reported Guatemalans began to arrive in New England in the early to mid-1960s. Those were the years of the civil rights movement, and many women and African Americans were moving out of jobs as domestic workers into better-paying ones. There was a need to fill these abandoned positions, and employment agencies in Boston reached out as far as Guatemala searching for domestic workers. By the late 1960s and early 70s, many of these women eventually found their way to Providence when city life in Boston became too overwhelming for them and their families. At that time, the Guatemalans who arrived in Rhode Island found very few Hispanics living here. The only services that were available to them were limited ones offered by the Catholic Church. Many Guatemalans felt isolated from their people as they sought places to speak their language or for the familiar foods that they needed to cook their native dishes. The only Hispanic business where they found a bit of comfort was a place called Fefa’s Market, a restaurant and market in South Providence (owned by Josefina Rosario), which sold many Latin American staples. Eventually Guatemalans looking for food that reminded them of home ended up at Roger Williams Park, where a Guatemalan family pulled up their truck once a week to sell tortillas.
Feelings of isolation were often expressed by many Hispanics in Rhode Island, including one Guatemalan woman interviewed for this project, who considers herself and her family to be one of the first to arrive in Rhode Island in 1962. Because of her undocumented status when she and her family reached Rhode Island, she remembers very little about her life in the West End of Providence, where she and her family lived in hiding in the home of a friend for almost two years. Even at the age of eight, she recalls living in fear that they would be found by authorities, and the loneliness sometimes led her to wish she could return to her country just so she could walk outside and breathe the fresh air of her familiar world. During her interview, she commented on the irony of hearing her parents talk about coming to America to find a more stable place to live, a place where they could gain economic security and safety, and to be free to walk the streets without fear of government oppression. At that time, there were three such families from Guatemala who had been brought to Rhode Island through the Catholic Church, an entity that at the time was not readily prepared to give them the appropriate services needed to become contributing citizens of the U.S.
Formal records show that during the 1970s and 80s Guatemalans began to settle in high numbers in the West End neighborhood of Providence, and also in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence–on Westminister Street and in the vicinity of Saint Teresa’s Catholic Church, where a Spanish mass held every Sunday made them feel at home. The areas around Broadway Street in Providence, just east of Olneyville, are also heavily populated with Guatemalans. There are also pockets of Guatemalans in northern Rhode Island, in places like Central Falls and Woonsocket. Remarkably, in North Providence, a small community developed in the 1990s, one that includes Quiché-speaking Mayans, an interesting phenomena that raised a new set of social barriers for this community.
According to one Guatemalan who has lived in Rhode Island since the 1960s, the Guatemalan community today is still very isolated. Many individuals do not get involved in political advocacy or find it hard to access state social services for which they qualify primarily because they are accustomed to fearing anything public or government sponsored. The Guatemalan community today lives quietly in Rhode Island, and still relies on some assistance from the Catholic Church and other social service agencies, yet they have formed two organizations in an effort to educate their community about issues of amnesty and immigration reform. A number of restaurant and markets that sell Guatemalan foods are now serving the large number of Guatemalans who live in Providence and Central Falls.
Andrew Mangeni was born in the nation of Uganda, in East Africa. As a young boy he started his schooling in Uganda, and later on in England. With the urging of his uncle who was a medical professor at Brown University, Andrew came to the United States in 1990 to pursue his higher education.
He received an associate in fine arts degree from the Community College of Rhode Island, and later went on to complete his bachelor of science in music education (cum laude) at Rhode Island College. Andrew then began teaching music in the Smithfield Schools while continuing his education at the University of Connecticut, where he obtained a master’s degree in music education. In the fall of 2002, he began to teach as an adjunct professor at Rhode Island College, while maintaining his job in Smithfield. Currently, he is attending Boston University to receive his doctoral degree in music education and continues working at both Rhode Island College and the Smithfield Schools.
When Andrew came to Rhode Island, he felt both welcomed and unwelcomed. Some people embraced him fully, like the family at his church who took him in “like he was their own son;” they even gave him the very first car he drove in the United States. Andrew quickly became friends with a fellow foreign student from Guatemala named Stuardo, and the two became like blood brothers; to this day their families remain very close. On the other hand, others were less eager to welcome Andrew; some people were quick to judge him because he spoke differently from them, or perhaps they thought that as another immigrant he had come to take opportunities away from society. Andrew explains that:
“They [immigrants] add to the fabric of our community. Many of them are simply looking to improve themselves… If someone is looking to improve themselves chances are the community in which they settle will improve as well.”
In fact, that is exactly what Andrew has done. In 2008, Andrew and his wife Anna became ordained as pastors at New Dimension Church, where they are serving the local community to build stronger families.
Andrew states that he was always blessed with great opportunities growing up, whereby he always had three meals a day and did not lack much growing up in a blessed household; he credits his parents for giving him the opportunity to acquire a good education in Uganda, England and later on in the United States. Currently Andrew has settled in a city with an economically diverse population; however, it was not until he returned to his native Uganda in 2009 that he fully recognized the impact of his blessings compared to others around the world. On this trip to Uganda Andrew was able to visit remote village areas where he saw a lot of people [especially children] living under severe poverty conditions.
“While we were driving on the streets of Kampala at night, we were shocked to find little children between the ages of 3 and 8 years… who were abandoned on the streets to beg for food into the late hours of the night.”
After seeing this Andrew and his wife Anna together with other friends decided to start a non-profit charitable organization to help widows and orphans; in 2011 they started AAM Global Mission and Pennies On Purpose (a capital campaign), with the sole purpose of building schools that service orphans and helping widows create small farming businesses to improve their sources of income. Andrew considers helping less fortunate people as his greatest achievement in life; his passion for education and charity combine to create this accomplishment.
“I believe that if I had not received the gift of education I would not be where I am today; if it were not for education you would all not be where you are today. So we want to use education to help widows and orphans get back on their feet and become self-sustained, that’s my greatest desire.”
Andrew and his family are planning to return to Uganda this summer, along with a team of volunteers to complete building a school they started in 2013. Andrew’s future includes retiring from teaching and dedicating his life to serving widows and orphans through AAM Global Mission. Their hope is to build over 100 schools over the next ten years around the world, and through education projects they hope to reduce poverty in Uganda and in other countries such as Haiti, India, Guatemala and several others.
Andrew hopes that one-day Rhode Island will be more diverse.
“I want a kind of Rhode Island that is Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” kind of Rhode Island; that’s the kind of Rhode Island I want for my children. I want my children to look at a person of any race and receive them without any reservations. I want my children to sit down and enjoy the same brotherly relationship that I have developed with my friend Stuardo from Guatemala… I want, a Rhode Island where people really respect each other, where my kids respect any kind of person, background, and I think that would be a better Rhode Island for all people.”
Andrew loves Rhode Island and would not move to live anywhere else—since this was the first and only US state he has ever lived in; he feels a very deep connection and claims to have been bitten by the “Rhode Island bug.”
“I’m proud to be an American. I became an American last year [2013]. The United States has become my home; I’ve been living here for the past 24 years, and it’s a big chunk of my life. The United States is home for me”
The Mangeni family currently resides in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and is looking forward to another mission trip to Uganda early this summer.
Written and compiled by Lizzy Tighe and Brian Millham
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Stephanie Alvarez was born in Cali, Colombia in 1994. When Stephanie was only six months old her parents uprooted their lives and headed to the United States. As cooks, her parents found jobs in Providence in the culinary field and struggled to offer their children a better life in the United States.
“Well like a lot of other people, they came for the search of better jobs, and a better place to raise a family. They chose [Rhode Island], I think, because they heard a lot about economic opportunities, and it was a small state and seemed like a good place to settle.”
Settling in Central Falls, Stephanie was raised with Colombian values infused in her life. Although she does not remember Colombia, she still identifies with Colombian culture, largely in part because of her mother’s influence. She was taught Spanish as her first language and is proud to be bilingual.
“Growing up in Rhode Island was great, but it was really hard. My first language of course was Spanish, my parents knew next to no English; so going to school was really tough without knowing English. I got made fun of a lot for my heritage, and as a child that really affected me.”
Stephanie is currently a student at the Community College of Rhode Island and hopes to transfer to Providence College to pursue her dream of becoming a pediatric surgeon.
When she is not in school or working full time as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Waterview Villa Nursing Home in East Providence, Stephanie is taking care of her two-year-old son, Christopher, whom she refers to as “the absolute joy in my life”. She is raising him to be bilingual; with a strong sense of Latino values that she believes played such a pivotal role in her life.
Stephanie hopes to one day be able to travel back to Colombia to see the rest of her family, especially her older brother. Her parents did not have the financial means to bring the entire family to the United States and had to make the hard decision to leave Stephanie’s older brother back in Colombia as the rest of the family went to Rhode Island.
Since Stephanie left Colombia at such an early age, she does not actually know her older sibling personally, but rather has a relationship with him through social media. This has a deep impact on Stephanie who wants nothing more than to have her family in its entirety together in the United States. “You know, we have been trying [to bring family members to the United States] for a really long time. It has been a long and tedious process, hopefully one day it will happen.”
Stephanie feels a special bond with other immigrants in Providence, regardless of their home country. She is proud to be an immigrant and loves that Providence fosters such an open environment to all foreign-born individuals. She hopes to see a continuation of this cohesiveness between the immigrants in Providence and is glad that she can be a part of it. Stephanie’s ultimate goal is to see a world in which immigrants are totally accepted for who they are.
“When you first come here to America, it’s going to be really hard. It’s still hard for my family. So I think if we all work harder, then we can be a more welcoming community.”
Stephanie hopes that one day equality with reign over prejudice. She wishes this not only for herself, but for her young son Christopher as well.
“As he is growing up, I just want him to have opportunities; opportunities to be who he wants to be, and [to] grow up in a safe environment. I don’t want him to be judged or stereotyped as different…I want a Rhode Island that will welcome him. That will be supportive of him. Not just for him, but for everyone. I don’t want him to be judged, or looked at differently. That’s the Rhode Island I want for him”.
Written and compiled by Melissa Keiser and Michael Finnerty
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Oraine Christie was born in a very small, populated area in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Kingston, Jamaica is a very small area but it’s very populated and in that population everyone wants to achieve their goal and come out with something.”
Growing up in Jamaica he held various jobs which included working for an insurance company as well as networking for various companies such as a mobile company out of England. In Jamaica, the process is rather different in order to go to college.
“In Jamaica you have to pass certain amount of exams in order to go to college and so forth. I went to one of the elite high schools in Jamaica.”
About two years ago, Oraine was able to come to the United States on a work permit for a company that he had a connection with through work. “I first came here because my cousin in Jamaica he has a girlfriend that worked up here and the company normally takes people from my country to come up here and work for usually certain amount of seasons so on and so forth.” Coming to the United States would allow him to generate a higher income than he would in Jamaica. “I am actually going after what I want to do, so that’s a big difference in my life.”
Upon arriving to the United States, Oraine started off in the Dorchester area of Massachusetts where he had some family members. However, his main motivation was to receive his General Educational Development (GED) in order for colleges and universities in America to recognize his diploma so he enrolled in a GED class at Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island.
After graduating with his GED from Dorcas International Institute, Oraine begin his journey to Harvard. He is currently attending Harvard Extension and will soon transfer to Harvard University, his “first and only choice”. “[Harvard] is where I wanted to go.” At this point in his life, Oraine considers attending Harvard his greatest accomplishment. However, Oraine has his sights set on the future and strives to attend Oxford University for his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). He also plans to go to law school.
“I want everyone to be like ‘Oh he has an MBA from here and another one from here and then Esquire at the end of his name’….I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was young…I want to be able to be someone in life and I don’t want no one to be able to walk all over me. In Jamaica I would have given an arm and a leg to become a lawyer.”
The constant movement between work, school, and socializing serves as a strong hold against sleep for typical Jamaican lifestyle, and Oraine had to adjust when he first arrived.
“It is slow. Because I’m always up and about, as soon as it hits 6am I am up, that is just my natural clock. So when I’m up I try and make myself as busy as possible during the day because if I don’t I will not sleep at night.”Not used to all the down time here in America, Oraine tries very hard to be busy during the day, that way he will be able to sleep at night.
Oraine has one complaint about the weather here in New England and that is that it changes too often; “Today will be good and then tomorrow it rains, then the next day is good and then rain! The fluctuation kills me!”
Since his arrival, Oraine has not lost touch with his close friends and relatives. “We are in constant communication.” He hopes to soon visit friends who are now living in Canada and England. Oraine is also headed back to Jamaica come summertime to visit friends and family and celebrate his upcoming birthday.
Oraine does not plan to slow his pace any time soon, in fact he is just beginning. As a loving father of a five-year-old son, Oraine works to give his child the opportunity to achieve his wildest dreams.
“The other day he told me he wanted to be an artist, so I told him ‘draw’. It is America! He is the only thing that will keep him from accomplishing his dreams.”
Oraine describes a certain drive embedded in his mind upon coming to America, “…everybody only got one life to live and you can’t let someone go and take that from you”.
Written and compiled by Emily Matthews and Phil Lynch
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Komlan Soe was born in Toe Town, Liberia. At the age of three, a civil war broke out forcing Komlan and his family to flee to a refugee camp in Ivory Coast, where his family survived on little rice, cornmeal and flour distributed by UNHCR. At the age of seven, he started first grade at a school established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other non-profit organizations. The school was in unfinished buildings and on under trees, where Komlan and other youngsters would sit and learn their basic Math and ABCs.
In 2002 when civil war erupted in Ivory Coast, Komlan and his family fled to another refugee camp in Ghana. While in the camp in Ghana, Komlan’s curiosity and passion for education grew stronger. Komlan took a high school entrance exam, and he came first out of 70 applicants. He later received a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, where he was able to sit, for the first time, at comfortable desks and discovered a passion in international affairs.
With his father already settled in Rhode Island, Komlan and his family migrated to Rhode Island in November 2005 as refugees sponsored by Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island.
It was a bittersweet family reunion because his two sisters and a brother remained in Ghana. His welcome into Rhode Island with a sign greeting him and his family was an experience he would never forget.
“It was… I’m finally in the United States. Yes that’s good. It was like a dream.”
As an immigrant, the transition of life in the United States was difficult. The first time Komlan saw snow, he was in disbelief. He was also not accustomed to the American sports, or the food, and did not understand why some people in his new community did not give up their seat to elders on the bus.
In 2008, Komlan began his studies at the Community College of Rhode Island after more than three years of delaying college in order to work and help his family financially. In 2010 he transferred to the University of Rhode Island (URI) where he became heavily involved in different activities while pursuing a dual degree in Political Science and Sociology. While at URI, Komlan worked as a Teaching Assistant and held down a full-time job. He graduated in May 2013; a dream he had finally achieved. “I am the first in my family to graduate from college.”
Komlan now works with the African Youth Development Initiative, which he co-founded to empower and engage African and African-American youths around issues such as violence, education, and African culture and history. He not only hopes to engage the youth in Rhode Island in the discussion of what is going on in their state, but also hopes to see more challenging education systems for those young students:
“One day you will be actively involved to bring about change. So the mobilization of young people and then challenging young people… challenging them to get involved is the most important thing I think I can take from that.”
His hope for immigrants is that they should no longer be viewed as victims, rather as survivors. As an immigrant, he saw the ways in which the civil wars affected his family and those he loves, but he says he is very glad he is in America.
“To be an American is to have a story,” says Komlan. He has spent years now getting comfortable sharing his story, and telling people about his past. Komlan believes it is important to remember where you come from, and that having pride in your roots is what makes America so great and unique. It is diverse with many different people, he says, yet everyone shares a common ideal – to make their lives better.
Komlan hopes to attend grad school at Harvard University or Columbia University to continue his passion for education. His biggest goal is to one day become a diplomat to speak, and have a voice for those who don’t. He has since been back to Ghana and Liberia and feels he is needed back in his native homeland, so he plans to help.
“An African proverb which I always refer to says, ‘You are… because we are.’ And that means everything that is done has to be done collectively. One person’s success is everyone’s success and people have to hold together”.
No matter what challenges face him, Komlan smiles and stays determined to get through it.
Written and compiled by Delia Egan and Joseph Thuillier
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Carlos Parada was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on February 7, 1986. When Carlos was only six years old, he and his mother left Bolivia for a fresh new start in the United States. They came directly to Cranston, Rhode Island and stayed with Carlos’s uncle until they were able to get an apartment.
Even at such a young age, Carlos remembers life in America as a struggle at first. He found difficulty adapting to the English based school system since he only knew Spanish at the time. Not only that, his mother placed him into first grade despite the fact that he was only six. He had cousins that were already in that elementary school and no one could baby sit for him if he attended half-day kindergarten.
Despite the obstacles, Carlos learned English quickly and was able to adapt well to the American culture. Carlos also had a lot of help from his cousin’s aunt who was the English as a Second Language teacher at the time and refused to even acknowledge Carlos if he tried to speak Spanish to her.
“She forced me to talk in English…She would say, ‘No try to communicate to me in other ways besides using Spanish.’”
In high school Carlos played soccer, volleyball, and tennis and stayed involved in the community. After graduation he found a strong passion for immigration related issues when he began volunteering at the Diocese of Providence as an assistant to the immigration caseworkers. While staying involved with the Diocese he attended Bryant University where he received a degree in finance. After graduation he returned to work for the Diocese full time. Currently he is an Immigration case manager Carlos also takes part in a Bolivian festival here in Providence, Urkupina, by dancing to folk music.
Carlos broadened his horizons while at Bryant as he took part in classes that had him get involved with the community even more so than before. He took part in a management class where Carlos and his group worked with the Diocese of Providence where they ran a citizenship class and assisted twelve adults who were preparing for the U.S. citizenship test. Carlos and his team would help the adults with interviewing skills, grammar, and the history of the United States.
Through teaching the citizenship classes Carlos developed his skills as a leader while also preparing himself to become a U.S. citizen, which he will undergo next year. Carlos and his mother both received their residency four years ago, one of his biggest accomplishments.
“I think getting my residency to be here legally in the United States is important because if not I would have had to go back home and wait for my residency and that can take a long time… To go back home, to live somewhere where I didn’t grow up, would be out of my comfort zone.”
Having lived in Rhode Island almost his whole life Carlos considers himself American and wouldn’t want to permanently move back to Bolivia.
“Rhode Island is awesome; everything is so close by. I’m a big foodie; I love restaurants. I eat out a lot and I love coffee. I love coffee shops; Rhode Island has some of the best coffee shops. I like supporting local business and mom and pop shops. I like little hole in the wall places in Providence, and there’s a ton. There’s the Coffee Exchange, which has coffees from all over the world from South, Central America. “
His favorite restaurant is India, on Hope Street and a Bolivian and Peruvian restaurant, Los Andes, on Chalkstone Avenue. Carlos has an optimistic view on diversity and community, believing that society is becoming more progressive and that acceptance is more relevant each day.
“I think we are all immigrants ourselves. We come on a boat, plane… We come here to better our lives and better our families back home.”
Written and compiled by Trey Tremblay and Lauren Waag
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Passang Chauwan was born in the western half of Bhutan, but at the age of eight she moved to a refugee camp in Nepal where she remained for over 20 years, “In Nepal, we sat in a small house, and had a difficult life in camp.” In the refugee camp, she went to school because only single women were allowed to attend. “If women were married, they could not go to school; they had to stay with the children.”
After 20 years of living in the refugee camp in Nepal, Passang resettled as a refugee in the Unites States with her two daughters, husband and mother-in-law. The refugee resettlement process was not easy.
“It was different from when we left Bhutan to go to Nepal. The United States government had a process for refugees, which involved a form that took two years to get approved. Each family at the camp had different problems. The form asked why we left Bhutan to go to the United States and questions like that.”
On February 12, 2012, Passang left Nepal for the United States with her two daughters. “Yeah, we were worried about leaving our friends in the camp, but we knew we had family in the United States.” The trip from Nepal to the U.S. lasted two days and Passang was only able to bring a suitcase and a couple dresses. Through sponsorship from Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island she settled into a Nepali community in South Providence.
“I am happy to reunite with my husband’s family [who came to Providence first]. I am happy I was able to come here to Providence. Some cases you don’t get any choices where you go so they did me a favor by letting me meet up with my husband’s family. We have a nice community now.”
Passang and her husband live in Providence, Rhode Island, with their twelve and seven year old daughters. “The community is nice and the neighborhood is good.” Passang jokingly said the only part of Providence she could do without is the snow. “The only difficulty is the snow. In my country (Nepal) we don’t have snow, only the mountains do.”
Passang works at Falvey Linen Supply and is also taking English classes in the morning at Dorcas International Institute. She also works “part-time at another job.” In addition to working and taking English classes, Passang takes care of her husband, her children, and her mother-in-law. Both of her daughters are full time students and have grown accustomed to American culture. Passang hopes that they will still hold on to the traditions the Nepalese have practiced for generations.
Initially Passang was nervous if her children would fit in to American culture. She hoped that they would enjoy school and make friends. “The first day of school they were crying, but after a week they were happy.” During her first days in Rhode Island, Passang felt welcomed by other Nepali refugee families who had moved here previously. The Nepali community is tightly connected and helps support one another.
“Each weekend we go to a different house and get together and discuss and ask questions to each other what is difficult for us in the United States and we try to help everyone out in our community…If somebody passed away, then maybe we get together and discuss how much money we need to raise and donate to the family. Also, we talk about citizenship in the United States. Some have no driver’s license, no car, and that’s difficult in our community.”
Passang is very happy to be in the United States and feels blessed to be out of the refugee camp. “I was born in Bhutan, grew up in Nepal, and now I am in America today. Now I have a story like this, the refugee. I have the life.”
Although Passang is happy to be in the United States, she still said, “I miss my family all in Nepal.” Her family still in Nepal includes her mother, sister, and brother. Unfortunately Passang’s mother is constantly sick and struggles with health problems and remains in a refugee camp. “My mom is always sick; she is in a Nepali refugee camp. My sister and my brother, everybody, is in the refugee camp, but they are all in the process [of coming here].”
Passang’s dream for the future is for her daughters to continue school and attend college. She helps her daughters with their school work and also provides financially for the family. “My big mission is for my two daughters. I will work long, and hard, and pay for good knowledge if they want, I will help them. That’s why I came to the United States”
Written and compiled by Alex Napoli, Matt McDermott and Briana Di Prizio
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Song Heng was born on July 7, 1957 in Thailand but grew up in Cambodia. His last name, translated as lucky, is fitting for his journey to where he is now.
As a young child Song’s life revolved around school and music. His father, a traditional Cambodian music master, pushed Song to the limit, forcing him to dislike music. Song’s routine became very mundane and very demanding. From very early in the morning, 7 am, until noon, Song went to school. After he came home, he studied, practiced playing Cambodian traditional music, went to the temple to pray, came back and played some more music. Song never liked music as a young child and he only did it out of respect his father.
In 1970, at the age of 13, Song became a soldier for the Cambodian government because the Khmer Rouge Communist Party was attempting to take over. In 1975, Cambodia fell to the communist forces despite government efforts. Song’s life would drastically change soon after.
The Khmer Rouge Communist Party forced a new way of life through violence and aggression. The Cambodian people were forced to perform agricultural works and Song was enslaved to work on a farm for three years. He lived in a prison-like state, fearing for his life with barely any food and no medical care. Approximately three million Cambodians were killed from 1975 to 1979 as a result of the regime. After meticulous consideration Song decided to escape and made his way to the Khao I Dang refugee camp in Thailand. Song recalls:
“I was really skinny, and I walked day and night. I had one bag of rice. I knew that I would die if I stayed in Cambodia. [If I left Cambodia] I might [also] die, but [there was also the chance that] if I [was] lucky enough I would get through. So I walked little by little. I am very lucky.”
He escaped through the Vietnam border with his girlfriend, making sure not to step on any of the abundant landmines. He witnessed terrible things: families abandoning their crying babies because the Border Patrol wouldn’t let them through and people becoming savages towards each other. In Thailand, he encountered a United Nations bus that led him to the refugee camp, and then he went to another refugee camp in the Philippines where he attended English classes and learned the art of jewelry making.
In 1985, Song Heng and his girlfriend were finally able to be resettled to the United States as refugees, stopping first at San Francisco then transferring flights to Rhode Island, the place he now calls home.
Song was ecstatic to come to the United States. He arrived on a snowy day in February and was surprised by the cold weather. Although he is still not used to the cold weather, Song is proud to be standing on American soil. He says,
“Since I was young I always thought America was a paradise that was very rich. I [wished to] be in America but I never expected it because only the very rich people could come to the Unites States. So [it] is very, very fortunate that I [was able to come] as a refugee and the American government and the people … that welcomed me. Just like I’m born again. That’s how I feel.”
Soon after arriving to the United States, Song continued his jewelry-making studies at a jewelry school and applied for jobs. When he came to Rhode Island the steel business was booming, another reason he felt very lucky. For nine years, he worked for jewelry companies. Today, he has his own jewelry business and lives in Cranston, Rhode Island with the family he formed with his beloved girlfriend.
Regretting the fact that he never valued his father’s teaching of music as a young child, Song now greatly appreciates Cambodian music and playing music brings back good memories for him. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, and teaches people how to play. In fact, Song travels around the United States to perform. Song gives back to his community as much as possible.
“When we come, we come with nothing. When we go, we only go with one [shirt] and one [pair of pants] so not much counts. Whatever you can give away, give away.”
He is most proud of living in the United States and experiencing the American Dream first hand. “I’m so happy. I’m very, very happy, and I’m so proud of myself and so proud that my dignity can be here. I thank, still in my mind, [and] in my life, I thank American people and the government.”
Written and compiled by Elaine Caban and Nick Ellis
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Paola Fernandez was born in 1973 in La Plata, Argentina, just outside of Buenos Aires. Although reluctant to come to America at the age of ten, her parents decided it was best for the family due to the uncertainty of the Argentinean economy. After her father spent a year in the United States, Paola, her sister, and mother joined him in Alexandria, Virginia. Initially she struggled because her school did not have English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
“We knew very little English and didn’t really know what was going on in the class. The teachers didn’t know what to do with us. There were no other Latino kids or teachers in the school which made it very, very difficult for us to communicate.”
For this reason, along with many others, her parents made the decision to move their family to Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Paola’s life took a turn for the best when she moved to Pawtucket. Not only was she put into ESL classes but she also was able to reconnect with her father’s side of her family, which was already established in Rhode Island. From this, she made the life-changing discovery that she was not only Argentinean, but also Cape Verdean. Learning this, she was able to connect with her newfound heritage as well as a whole other side of her family with whom she could share new traditions and experiences.
After graduating from Shea High School, Paola moved to Laurel Hill, Florida where she worked for a family owned gourmet food-distributor. There, she met people from all over the world with similar experiences. Her time in Florida helped to reconnect her with her roots and she realized that she was not alone as an immigrant in America.
“As a young immigrant I spent many years trying to figure out where I belong in this culture. I think many immigrants find the first years difficult because we have left our culture behind, while trying to assimilate to a new one. We stand out because of our accents, our interest, and our love for the memories and of our countries.”
This new outlook led her to return to Rhode Island, “I came back with a different attitude and a renewed appreciation for my culture. I embraced who I am and where I’m from and made a commitment to celebrate Argentina because it’s my heart, and to also celebrate America because it’s my new home.”
In Rhode Island, she went back to school and received a bachelor’s degree in management from Johnson and Wales University. After a short time as the administrator for an assisted living facility, Paola joined the United Way of Rhode Island where she currently serves as Director of Public Policy and Government Relations. Paola is passionate about her work and is humbly motivated by the inspiration in the communities she is a part of.
“There’s a strong sense of community in Rhode Island. The drive and enthusiasm of the people in this state to help each other motivates me. In everything that I do, I want to help those who need help and I just give it my all.”
One issue she would like the Rhode Island community to focus on is the education system. She wants everyone to concentrate on taking a, “serious look at the education system and consider what our children need in this day and age to be successful.” Paola believes that there is more to be done and that a lot of the answers lie within the students and the experience they are having. If adults take the time to, “just sit down and listen, and ask them to be a part of that change” a lot can be accomplished.
Paola lives in Cranston where she is a wife and mother to two children. She spends a lot of her time with family and makes it a priority to pass down cultural traditions, foods, customs, and knowledge.
“I think it’s about remembering where we come from, building on our life experiences along the way, and helping make a positive difference in the lives of others which is most important.”
Written and compiled by Elizabeth Longo and Hayley Linabury
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Michel Schtakleff was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, but his parents were Bulgarian and Palestinian, He came to America not by choice, but in fear of becoming the next civilian casualty of the growing Israeli-Palestinian civil war. Prior to then, Michel enjoyed Lebanon very much, and did not want to leave.
“One other really disturbing moment for me, that I will never forget is that of New Year’s celebration from ‘75 to ‘76. Everybody who had a gun, and many people had guns, militias of all kinds, decided to shoot up in the air all at the same exact time. The sky was blood red like Armageddon. Even though they were not shooting at each other but they were shooting up in the air it was a sick form of celebration. The noise was deafening and I felt sick to my stomach. It was horrific… So after that my parents said you need to go…”
Michel actually had a choice between going to Europe or the United States because he had family already in Europe and in several states in America. He decided on California, where his brother lived. While in Lebanon, Michel attended a multicultural school and was taught English. This made his adjustment to life in California easier. Rather than struggle with the language barrier, Michel found that he struggled with the idea of identity.
“I never thought of [of my identity] before I came to California. What is my identity? Where am I from? Because I used to be with people who are similar, people who are from all over the place. We didn’t ask each other where we are from, because we are from all over the place! So it doesn’t matter. When I came to California, the first question was, “Where are you from?” And I would say ‘oh, I was born in Beirut.’ And they would say, ‘Oh so you’re Lebanese?’ ‘Yes, but I am also Bulgarian, I am also Palestinian, I am also all of these different things!’”
After spending time at California Institute of the Arts, Michel and a friend decided to open their own graphic design studio focused on graphic design for websites; for “dot-commers.” They decided to relocate and start their business in Rhode Island. However, just before they opened, the dot-com sector crashed and the bubble burst, leaving them closed permanently before they even opened. Michel, despite this obstacle, enjoyed Rhode Island thus far, and decided to stay. “I didn’t want to leave Lebanon, but I never went back. Never visited, and I don’t have the desire to.”
Michel has taught classes in the arts and English as a Second Language at various colleges and schools including, Oakwood High School, Community College of Rhode Island, Bryant University, and Roger Williams University. He currently teaches English at the International Institute of Rhode Island. He now knows how much he enjoys teaching, and plans on continuing to do so in the future. Michel also creates film documentaries on various subjects.
“There is a documentary I want to produce, that is related to “Global Soul”… [Immigration] is politicized and there is such negativity and people that come here looking for work, everything is politicized and it is not helpful, especially because we are a country of immigrants. It seems like every group that comes in after 50 years, they discriminate the next group that comes in, and on and on and on. But now it is getting bad for the people who come here; there are a lot of unnecessary problems. I see it with my students. They are struggling and now they have to add it to their burden.”
Michel is a firm believer that in order to make things easier for immigrants coming to America in the future, the key is access.Michel believes that had he not had the language skills already honed before coming here, he would not have had the tools necessary to properly adapt. By giving immigrants access to the proper resources, together we can help make things easier for them.
Michel believes that he is truly fortunate that he was able to migrate to America without some of the common struggles that others face. He does not take for granted that he was able to follow his dream of being an artist, teacher, and filmmaker, despite being displaced from his home country.
“My greatest accomplishments…are ahead of me. The fact is that I am happy that I have been able to produce artwork that I can reach people and the fact that I have found out that I love teaching. And when you realize that you have something that you can offer and you enjoy it. That is the best thing that can happen. Teaching is a great thing because you are doing something and being useful.”
Written and compiled by Alice Horne, Logan Bruneau, and Rachel Backner
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Teddi Jallow grew up in a small village in The Gambia. Although education opportunities for women in The Gambia were slim, she walked four miles to and from school every day, in the hot or cold weather.
In her last year of high school, her husband of two months, Omar Bah, faced many threats because of his position as a journalist. A dictator ruled The Gambia and through his power its citizens lacked freedom of speech. Those who went against the dictator’s views faced serious threats and danger including death. Even in the face of this daunting imposition, her husband continued to pursue his career and due to his reporting Bah’s family began receiving threats.
“We don’t call it a war zone but it’s kind of like that. Because whatever you said, if you were opposed to him [the dictator], you were dead. They killed so many people there, and he was the guy who was out there writing whatever he saw.”
Because of the seriousness of the situation, Bah had no choice left but to flee the country. He spent his first year away in Ghana and then was relocated to Rhode Island as a refugee where he spent two more years before reuniting with Jallow. In June of 2009, Jallow began her journey to her new home. Her trip took a day and a half and three different flights: from The Gambia to Belgium, Belgium to Newark, and Newark to Rhode Island.
The decision to come to Rhode Island was out of their hands. However, it ended up being a perfect fit coming from one of the smallest countries in Africa to the smallest state in the United States. Upon arrival, Jallow was welcomed by Bah and some of his colleagues. The adjustment to her new environment posed some challenges that both Jallow and Bah had to overcome, such as getting used to transportation, housing, and new foods.
A memory that Jallow recalls from her first day in Rhode Island was her surprise to see all of the cars in the parking lot, thinking that they were all for sale. Bah had to explain that those were the cars that people drove around every day. This concept was new to her and after some hesitation she was able to recognize the fact that people didn’t walk to places as much as she was used to.
After having some time to adjust to this new way of life, Jallow began studying nursing at the University of Rhode Island during the week, while also working throughout the weekend and raising two young boys, Barry, 3, and Samba, 1 ½. Even with this busy schedule, she continues to look forward with a positive attitude. Jallow is inspired by the independence and motivation that she sees around her.
“You see these seventeen, sixteen year old girls that are working. Like, everyone here is working and independent. And everyone is going to school, so you see that is the life that everybody wants. Being able to be independent: go to school, go to work, be yourself. You don’t have to follow anybody to give you anything. You don’t have to be like ‘Oh you are a woman you have to stay in your house, take care of the children’. No that’s not the case. So you have all of these opportunities; you need to make use of them.”
Jallow understands the importance of education, especially since it wasn’t easy for her obtain in her home country. In Rhode Island, Jallow wants to improve the education system so that youth may see its value. She is also concerned about bullying in schools, regarding the lack of understanding that the children have of each other’s differences.
“Children are our country’s future. When they go to school, they are the [future] presidents, they are the [future] law makers, they are the [future] jobholders; they are everything for us. So if you educate kids to be better, I think that will make a big difference.”
In order to create a more welcoming environment, Jallow believes that it is important for immigrants and refugees not to be the recipients of sympathy.
“Incorporate them, let them be independent, let them be themselves, [help them] to be able to do things for themselves, because we have so many opportunities here.”
In light of all that Jallow and her family have faced, she continues to work hard to better her future and to teach her kids to take advantage of every opportunity presented to them.
Written and compiled by Katherine Cantillo and Hannah Sorila
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Dominique Gregoire was born in France in a small village in the center of the country in 1948. As a child, Dominique enjoyed the time he spent vacationing on the farms in the countryside in Brittany. Some of Dominique’s best years were in Paris as a college student at Sciences Po and the Paris Faculty of Law where he enjoyed the culture that surrounded him. After finishing his studies in 1970, Dominique went to work as the Chief of Staff in Normandy where he helped develop the city center.
Soon after, Dominique met Donna, a woman from Providence, Rhode Island, and married her. After starting a family in France, it was decided that Dominique, Donna and their two daughters, Julia and Claudia, would make the journey to the United States where there were better job opportunities.
Upon arriving to Rhode Island in 1986, Dominique and his family stayed with his in-laws for a few months until they could sell their homes in France. Staying with family made the transition very smooth, and for the most part Dominique felt welcomed.
“There were some times that I was confronted with people that did not accept me. That was somewhat of a challenge.”
Dominique gained employment relatively quickly in Rhode Island. His first job was working for a modular home company that transported homes to people and set up the houses at the foundation. Dominique then worked for the Governor’s Office and later for the City of Providence.
Dominique is now retired from mortgage business and has been working on a project he calls the “Jewel of New England” which includes a place for pedestrians to walk freely, with tons of cafes around the downtown Providence area. He also has ideas that would increase transportation so that more people would visit downtown. Currently, Dominique is considering finding another job position in the non-profit sector, possibly in the education field.
Dominique believes that Rhode Island can be a great state if the people come together towards a common goal.
“The state of Rhode Island is beautiful. The coastline, the towns, and Newport. People are easy-going. There are a lot of people who have done a lot for the state and we ought to give them credit.
When thinking about the future Rhode Island Dominique wants for his children, he imagines “a place where they will have good professional opportunities and a place where they will be able to contribute to the community. A place where they will be able to raise their children, comfortably. And a place where it is fun to live is very important. An urban environment that is fun to be around where you have cultural opportunities and festivals.”
For the last 15 years, Dominique has been the president of the French Alliance of Providence, which offers language classes, lectures and concerts at their headquarters on Smith Street. The French Alliance allows Dominique to stay connected to his home country and language when he isn’t traveling to France.
A large part of Dominique’s life is his two daughters, Julia and Claudia. He has taught them certain values so that they have grown up to be the women they are today.
“You have to be ambitious, have goals, and be educated. We insisted on education with our children and they’ve gotten a good education, but also the values of family, love, affection and taking care of each other. That’s what we tried to do and so far it has been working.
Although Dominique enjoys living in the United States, he is concerned about inequality, gun violence, and the amount of people who are incarcerated. He believes that the United States has a lot of potential to fix these problems, but it will take time and effort.
“To a certain extent, I really love this country and I think it has enormous potential. We have people with imagination and creativity and we have the best colleges. People create things every day. But we still have a long way to regain the soul of this country.”
Written and compiled by Jacqueline Shepard and Jake Scearbo
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