December 2005
At fourteen years old, I moved from Ethiopia to Portland, Maine. In the beginning the hardest things in the culture were to learn the language, adjust to school life, and adapt to the climate. I had a difficult time while learning every step. School life was the hardest because I knew nothing about school in America.
I came to the United States by myself. My father sent for me and wanted me to come live with him in the United States. I do not know if I would have come if everything in Ethiopia had been peaceful. I had everything that I wanted, once, with my mother. My mother’s family in Ethiopia put me on the plane in Addis Ababa. The people at the airport hung a sign around my neck that said, “She doesn’t speak English.” My uncle—my mother’s brother—was the one who helped me with the process. He sat me down and said, “Don’t lose this paper. It’s very important.” I was on the plane from Addis Ababa to England with other people traveling from Ethiopia to other countries. When I got to England the group broke up. Some went to Georgia and I do not know where the others went.
I arrived in Boston after three days. When I got there people looked friendly, as if they would help me. I said, “Papa, papa!” They touched my shoulder and said, “Its okay.” Even though I had seen pictures, I was imagining how my family would look in person, especially my father. I had not seen him for eleven years. I looked around wondering if he was standing next to me or passing by me and I did not know it. However, when my father approached me, I knew who he was. He looked very familiar to me, maybe because of the pictures. My new family was waiting for me outside. It was dark. We kissed on the cheeks. I was happy but I didn’t know how to react. I kissed my sister at least five times, instead of the usual three times. I was so nervous! I went with my father to one car and my new sister and brothers went to the other car with my stepmother.
My first day of school was somewhat exciting for me because I wanted to see a bunch of young people my own age. At home in Ethiopia I was friendly. It was very easy for me to make connections with the people that were my age so I was expecting to meet new friends in Maine. I had not thought about how I was going to communicate with them. So I go to the school and they put me in beginner’s ESL class—English as a Second Language. It was horrible. I was left standing, not knowing what the students were saying to me. All I could hear was “rowrr, rowrr, rowrr.” I sat in a class with my arms folded while everyone else was writing or speaking to one another. Sometimes I slept in class because I would get tired of listening to people talking in the language that I could not speak or understand. After a week, I got sick of being in class.
I was not happy at King Middle School. Every time I walked through the hallways or went to the cafeteria to eat, I became irritated. I did not like being there, because some people would talk to me and I did not know if they were trying to be friendly or were just saying things that were rude. There were days when I did not know where a class was and could not find my way because I could not ask for help. However, I worked very hard to learn the language. When I started to understand it I found out that people were not being rude, but were trying to make me feel welcomed. I learned to understand the people and to communicate well.
Three or four years later, when I was a junior in high school a teacher who remembered me in middle school said to my father, “I am amazed how far she’s come because she knew nothing in the beginning!"
When I started speaking English, I enjoyed going to school. I was getting used to the people. I felt that my school experience was more peaceful than when I was in school in Eritrea. I remember walking to school with my friends and being afraid that something would go wrong. At the time Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. Bombs were exploding out of nowhere. My friends and I had to be careful walking on the sidewalks, and had to watch what we were stepping on in case it was a bomb. I was scared to go to school because I did not want to die on the way to school or on my way home. I used to wonder why we were in school if every one was frightened. I guess people had to work and students had to be in school to be able to survive. That was our life. When I compared the school in Ethiopia to the one in Portland I was glad to be in Portland High School even thought it was hard to adapt to the language.
After I learned to speak English, it was a completely different environment All of a sudden I knew so many people. Most of the students that I became friends with were from different countries like India, South America, Sudan and Somalia. Some were born here and others had grown up here. In addition, I met Ethiopian students. All spoke good English, but took ESL classes because there were seven steps that we all had to go through before we could take mainstream classes with the American students. It was not until I finished ESL classes and moved to mainstream classes that I got to know white students personally and became their friends.
They were friendly and they asked too many questions like, “Do people wear clothes in Africa?” or “Are there houses?” I wondered why these students felt as if Africa was a jungle and all the people in Africa lived in a forest. Once in English class a classmate asked if I had a lion or a monkey as a pet. I told her it is not possible to have a lion as a pet, because lions represent Ethiopia, they are symbol of respect to the country.
It was interesting being around the American students because I expected them to know everything. I did not think they would ask questions like that. Most of my friends had different backgrounds so it was easy to understand them. It was then that I realized why I was such good friends with people from different countries. My friends and I had so much in common because we were all newcomers.
Even though I was good friends with the American students I still knew many international students and interacted with them.
I joined different clubs and decided to share my ideas and culture. I was in the International club where I did fashions shows with traditional clothing. Every year we organized a fashion show for people in Maine. It was fun. The club was very diverse: Vietnamese, Cambodians, Latinos, Indians, Ethiopians, and Americans all showed traditional clothing. Any student who wanted to be in the fashion show was welcomed. In addition, club members performed cultural dances. We practiced for many hours. The International clubs of Portland High School still has a cultural fashion show. Portland High school was the most diverse school in Maine. I was the Vice-President of diversity club where I learned about different cultures and thought about my own culture.
It was made up of different groups of students who had a desire to learn about diversity. The group was new, so we had a lot of responsibility. As a group, we come up with skits that affect people’s lives and presented them to different high schools in Maine. It was exciting because we were being invited to school to teach diversity to seniors who were about to enter college life. In addition, their teachers wanted them to know about diversity. For example, as a group we discussed teaching Portland High School students diversity issues to see how familiar they were with accepting differences. One skit was about Jewish people. We set it up in the Portland High School auditorium. Many students showed up. Three of us sat at the same table, my friend Yirgalem, a woman named Kathy and I. Kathy was Jewish. Yirgalem and I were Kathy’s friends. Kathy had two games she was giving out. I asked her if I could have a game and she gave me one.
Then Yirgalem said, “ Can I have a game?” Kathy replied, “ No I only have one left,” and Yirgalem said, “Come on Kathy, stop being a Jew!” Kathy got offended and left. The students laughed aloud. Then it occurred to me that there was much ignorance in Maine. We stopped acting and asked different questions of the audience.
For instance, I asked why they laughed when Yirgalem called Kathy a Jew. One student answered, “Jew means greedy, it’s what everyone says.” Students kept discussing.
At the end of the day I felt like I made a difference by teaching them that stereotypes hurt people and to accept one another for what and who they are!
Learning became part of me. Outside of school, I joined the IPD group (Institute for Practical Democracy), freshman year. The group consisted of a group of students from different schools, but most of the members were from Portland High. We talked about what Democracy means and about our rights in the United States. I learned how to be a leader and I was familiar with American schooling now. I liked having better opportunities, but there were things I did not like in Portland High School. For example, the way the ESL program was set up students had to go through seven steps before they could take American classes. Most students were graduating with an ESL education and not a mainstream one and therefore most of them could not get into college. It is important that colleges know that a student has taken mainstream classes.
Many students complained about the system because they wanted a better chance of getting into college. I was one of those students. Some of the students who were not happy with the way the ESL program was being run also joined IPD. We had to do something as a group and we came up with the idea of writing to the Education Department in Maine. We also got students to sign a paper that explained how students felt they were being held back because of their status as ESL students. The education department passed the letter on to Portland High’s Principal, Mr. Allen. There were rumors that the Principal and teachers read the letter and assumed that we could not have written that kind of letter because they believed ESL students could not write well.
The group kept making plans regardless. The Portland Press Herald interviewed some IPD students. Four of us from the group Sam, Alfred, Yirgalem and I made appointments to have meetings with the Principal and other teachers. When we entered the room most of our teachers were already there. I was nervous, but the four of us got through it. We told them we are not happy with the way the programs were set up and showed them the student’s signatures. The Principal was the main one asking questions and wanting to know how the program could be better. He seemed concerned, but the teachers looked disappointed. Everything started to change. My teacher was not the same. She ignored me and was no longer friendly.
It was hard and I was sad at times because my relationship with my teachers changed. But that did not change my mind. I wanted to be successful and I also wanted the other ESL students to move to mainstream classes so that they could go to college. As a result, the ESL program started to get better., the seven steps that students had to go through changed to four steps.
Besides school, other things were hard to adjust to. I grew up in a warm climate, but when I moved to Portland it was freezing. I did not want to go outside. I was overwhelmed by everything. I wanted to go back home so badly, but I had no choice but to stay. Each time I went outside, I felt like going into any house that looked warm. For the first time, I had to wear a huge jacket that was heavy. I hated wearing big boots. I had to learn to walk with my heavy jacket and big boots. It was hard for me because I was not used to it. I was always following my sister because she spoke English She used to walk fast in the snow as if it was nothing. I tried to catch up with her and there were times when my feet got stuck in the snow. It is funny for me to write this because it does not feel like it was that long ago. Over time, I started to like the climate. I now love wearing a huge jacket, and I especially like big boots because they make me look taller.
Once, I was like a newborn baby who could not say anything. Since then I have changed so much. I can now speak the language very well and talk to anyone about whatever subject I desire. Now that I can communicate, I feel more comfortable being around American people. I also got used to the climate that I thought was the worst thing in the world. I have lived in the U.S. for six years and I see things in very different way. Because of my experience, I am more open-minded. Now I am attending Ohio University for the African Studies Masters program. I have started a new life again.
The hardship that I went through has helped me learn so many different things. I know what it is like to move to a new environment. I have learned to be aware of my environment, to be careful with the meaning of friendship, to be honest to myself and most importantly to be 100 percent true to God’s ways and appreciate any opportunity that comes my way. I tell myself that life is a journey and at times I will be sad, crying and missing my mom and my family members back home. Other times I am happy to be here in America where I am able to support myself. I am happy most of the time because I know that my life could have taken a very different road.
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