When we refer to the immigration story, it is not about the statistics. It is about people, their experience, and the challenges they have to overcome. Since America was founded as a state, the energy of newcomers continually filled its potential. Their assimilation can hardly be considered smooth. My family originates from the capital of Iraq, Bagdad city. I used to work as a logistics employee for the U.S. army there. Therefore, seven years ago, we had to move to America, looking for a better life and opportunities for me, my wife, and our three sons.
We all probably do not appreciate the gift of life until facing war and death. That is why my immigrant story is strongly tied to despair, loss, wistfulness, and pain that yet need to be healed seven years later. My community in Rochester deserves tribute as it extended a helping hand to my family and provided it with all the necessary tools to begin a new life. Today, I will tell about how it helped my family survive and take roots in the U.S. starting from zero.
When my family came to Rochester, MN, we had nothing but our clothes. It would seem that in such a situation, with children on our arms, our spirit can be broken and depressed. The community helped us become part of them, having passed with us a steep path of adaptation from the beginning to the end. It started by providing us with furniture and food since we suffered from the absence of even these essential things. The community provided us with the shelter and, importantly, a sense of security and that we are not alone.
The next step to do was registering children in the school, and the community solved this issue. Growing up, they were fortunate to make nice friends of diverse backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities. Moreover, they were lucky to receive an education that will open many doors for them in their future lives. The fact that they are growing in a peaceful environment among smiling and courteous people favorably affect their worldviews and personal growth. There is nothing more essential and significant for parents than to see their children happy and to know that they have a life ahead of them full of opportunities.
The community gave us a push to go by the law and put our efforts to stay legally in America. Being honest and religious people, they never confused a moral right with a legal one (“Immigration as,” n.d.). The community affirms human compassion, seeks justice, and advocates for human rights, making people’s dreams come true. A lesson we can learn from this is that people should choose a path of hope and compassion instead of fear, nationalism, denial, and racism. The community taught us to arrange a way based on the recognition that we are tightly connected, being all together in this new life. I am grateful to it for all the support and opportunities given to me and my family. We are immigrants, but due to the community, we feel ourselves proud Americans either. Therefore, like any conscious American, I strive to make it a better and prosperous country.
So many lessons can be learned by thinking about who or what we admire as well as why. The first experience for me is that people should never turn their backs on refugee and immigrant populations. We should have a desire to nurture others and give them a chance to grow, develop, and contribute to America’s grandeur. The society should not let the core U.S. values to be changed, as the whole world has admired them through many years of exemplary inclusivity practices.
Reference
Immigration as a moral issue. (n.d.). Web.