Resettlement

Stage 3

Samandar: At the end of six months in Pakistan I received news, that I would be resettled in the U.S. I was so excited, words cannot fully express my feelings. Some of my friends from the Marines were there and no matter which state I would be sent to, the U.S. was there.

When I landed in the U.S., I couldn't believe I was alive. I also thought of the ones who did not make it. The ones who are missing. The ones who died defending our families. And the ones who will give their lives in the future for our nation. I arrived in Rochester, New York, and found that my neighbors were Afghans like me. People who wanted to rebuild their lives. We lost our home. We had to change our occupation. We lost our language. The naturalness of reaction. With the simplicity of gestures and the unaffected expression of feelings, but we gained a bigger perspective on life.

I do have moments when I grieve my culture, but I keep in mind that adaptation is the key to feeling fully integrated, and I am practicing my English as much as I can. I don’t regret being here. I do miss my family, but I try to keep positive. But I am grateful to World Relief, my case manager, and every volunteer who helped me. One thing I am determined about, I will not stop dreaming because of what happened. I want everyone who is listening to me to know that I received a second chance, and I wish everyone in my situation could have one because, in a violent world, we never know who will be the next victim.