Qassim
I lived in my home country of Iraq for most of my life. We left because there is a lot of fighting in Iraq, and the country has many problems. It is very dangerous. There was the danger of being shot. We lived in Jordan for four years before coming to America. I moved here in 2018 with my wife, four daughters, and three sons. My aunt, siblings, and other family members are still in Iraq.
At first, when they told me we were going to the United States, I said that I didn't want to go. I knew everything would be new. I would have to learn English, and I didn't know what the food would be like. I didn't know if the people would be nice here. When we lived in Iraq, people were scared of the Americans because the troops caused problems. Now that I've lived here, I like all of the people, and I’m not scared of Americans. Everyone has been very, very nice to me.
I like that Fargo is a smaller city. Here, you can go out in the street and it is safe. It is quiet, and it doesn’t have too many people. When we arrived, we didn’t know anybody, but we found a community of Iraqi people here.
My wife and I cook traditional Iraqi food at home. I don’t like going to restaurants, so I would rather cook for myself. Everything that we make at home is good. Sometimes my children say, "Please dad, go get Chinese with us," and sometimes I do. In restaurants you risk eating pork, which we don’t eat since we are Muslim.
My wife goes to the mosque quite often and lights candles, but I don’t go as much. I prefer it when it's quiet and there’s not many people there.
We have upheld many Iraqi and Islamic traditions here, like fasting for Eid, but we also celebrate all the holidays that Americans do. We get a Christmas tree every year and our family gathers together.
When we came here, there were mountains of snow. We moved to the United States in March, and it was my first time seeing snow. When I first saw it, I was in awe. We were wondering how long it would stay. We didn't have a car, so we would have to walk or take the bus to get places. I still haven’t gotten used to the weather because Kuwait and Iraq are very hot. I don’t like winter.
I started going to Adult Basic Education in Moorhead this summer. I didn't know English before I moved here. My memory was better when I first moved here, so it was easier for me to learn. I would try to listen to the radio to learn English, but they talked too fast. Sometimes my children speak English around me, and I can't understand. It makes me very sad. I need to speak with people. My goal is just to be able to speak English in my everyday life. I listened to a CD for two years to learn information so I could take the citizenship test, and I passed.
Three of my children are married. One is in North Carolina, one is in Moorhead, one is in Dilworth, and one is in Fargo. I have five grandchildren.
I want to visit Iraq, and I might visit in a few years. Plane tickets have gone up in price, so it is very hard. I will visit for one month just to see my family and my sisters, but then I will come back. Life is good here.
At first, when they told me we were going to the United States, I said that I didn't want to go. I knew everything would be new. I would have to learn English, and I didn't know what the food would be like. I didn't know if the people would be nice here. When we lived in Iraq, people were scared of the Americans because the troops caused problems. Now that I've lived here, I like all of the people, and I’m not scared of Americans. Everyone has been very, very nice to me.
I like that Fargo is a smaller city. Here, you can go out in the street and it is safe. It is quiet, and it doesn’t have too many people. When we arrived, we didn’t know anybody, but we found a community of Iraqi people here.
My wife and I cook traditional Iraqi food at home. I don’t like going to restaurants, so I would rather cook for myself. Everything that we make at home is good. Sometimes my children say, "Please dad, go get Chinese with us," and sometimes I do. In restaurants you risk eating pork, which we don’t eat since we are Muslim.
My wife goes to the mosque quite often and lights candles, but I don’t go as much. I prefer it when it's quiet and there’s not many people there.
We have upheld many Iraqi and Islamic traditions here, like fasting for Eid, but we also celebrate all the holidays that Americans do. We get a Christmas tree every year and our family gathers together.
When we came here, there were mountains of snow. We moved to the United States in March, and it was my first time seeing snow. When I first saw it, I was in awe. We were wondering how long it would stay. We didn't have a car, so we would have to walk or take the bus to get places. I still haven’t gotten used to the weather because Kuwait and Iraq are very hot. I don’t like winter.
I started going to Adult Basic Education in Moorhead this summer. I didn't know English before I moved here. My memory was better when I first moved here, so it was easier for me to learn. I would try to listen to the radio to learn English, but they talked too fast. Sometimes my children speak English around me, and I can't understand. It makes me very sad. I need to speak with people. My goal is just to be able to speak English in my everyday life. I listened to a CD for two years to learn information so I could take the citizenship test, and I passed.
Three of my children are married. One is in North Carolina, one is in Moorhead, one is in Dilworth, and one is in Fargo. I have five grandchildren.
I want to visit Iraq, and I might visit in a few years. Plane tickets have gone up in price, so it is very hard. I will visit for one month just to see my family and my sisters, but then I will come back. Life is good here.