Learning To Smile
When I first left my country I did not think about the fact that I will be called a “refugee.” I was too worried about our safety as my mind played out all of the scenarios of things that could go wrong. We may get caught and deported, or worse, end up in jail. With my two younger siblings and mother, none of whom speak any language other than our own, I could feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. If you ask me how I felt about Jakarta when we first arrived I wouldn’t know what to say. Back then my mind was filled with nothing but anxiety and uncertainty.
One year ago my biggest surprise came true. After four and a half years of waiting for resettlement in Indonesia, the United States accepted me as a refugee. I felt I was in a dream. I was in shock and wondering if the United States and International Organization of Migration had made a mistake. I had waited for this moment for a long time and now it was finally here.
My story began in Yemen. I lived there with my family until I was fourteen years old. We had a quiet life in Aden. I attended school with my brothers and enjoyed playing soccer in the street. Then, in June 2015, war broke out and I had to flee after many members of my family were killed and my home destroyed.
I took a crowded boat to Somalia and stayed at a refugee camp. With the help of a neighbor from Yemen, I received a passport and a plane ticket to Malaysia. From there, I went by boat to Indonesia and I made my way by bus to Jakarta. I stayed at a mosque for a few days until I overheard two men speaking Arabic. I was overjoyed! I talked with them, asking them to help me find the United Nations. At that time, I was not familiar with UNHCR. They drove me to the UNHCR offices where I applied for help.
For the next month I lived in the street, moving from place to place. At night I walked around the city, always stopping for the day at a mosque. I moved around a lot looking for people who might speak my language and to keep from becoming a target of local bullies. I could not sleep in the parks because I would get kicked out. I walked so much. It was horrible. After a few days I found some people who spoke Arabic. They helped me until I was finally accepted as a refugee at a UNHCR shelter for youth. I stayed there for the next four years.
At the shelter my friend told me about a school for refugees called Roshan. I applied and joined. Roshan Learning Center became my second home in Jakarta. Roshan gave me a good environment, the place that took me from the darkness. I learned a lot of skills there. One of them was smiling. Seeing all my teachers in the morning with a smile on their face every day kept me excited to learn more.
Salah presenting his project at a coding class held at Roshan.
At Roshan I learned how to be an adult at an early age. I learned how to manage my time, solve my problems, and use what I have learned in my real life. There are many things I loved in that school and I have a lot of memories in that place with my friends and my teachers. The teachers really helped me in my bad days. They gave me the environment I needed and they made me feel I was in a safe place. That was my biggest gift.
When I was in Indonesia I felt like there was a big stone on my back that made me think every day, “Where is my life taking me? What am I doing in this place with no family?” But I never stopped moving forward, never stopped thinking about tomorrow, and never stopped believing in God. I have experienced a lot of bad things, but God never forgets me. Yes, there was time I missed my family, and there was a time I wanted to end my life, but every time I lost hope God was there.
People were there for me too. I found people who treated me as I am one of them.
I lived in a shelter around people from many different countries. I had best friends who really supported me. I will never forget those days. Yes, I have experienced bad things but all that taught me a good lesson. I learned who was a good friend and who was not. Luckily, I had more friends who were good. I learned their languages and cultures.
“They pulled me out from my hopelessness. They gave me the feeling of home and family that had been erased from my memory.”
Especially, there was a woman named Ibu D who called me son and I called her ‘sweet mom.’ She loved me like a son. I wish I could do a lot of things to make her happy and thank her. Such lovely people supported me and my friends. I got support from people who did not know me well. They pulled me out from my hopelessness. They gave me the feeling of home and family that had been erased from my memory. I hope that my friends, my teachers, and all the people who love me read this and know how much I appreciate their help and their support.
I remember when Ibu D and two of my best friends took me to the airport in Jakarta. I looked in their eyes and saw how happy they were for me. I was sad that I was leaving them; they had become my family. I hid my feelings from them to not see my sadness.
I was also happy that my dream came true. On June 28, 2019, I felt happy when my legs stepped on the airplane. I saw the cloud from my window like a mountain. I was looking out for hours and hours, imagining how my new home may look. How my new life would look. I did not stop thinking about what was waiting for me in the other world.
I arrived at my destiny, Michigan. I was not tired at all. I met my case worker Brittany. She was a lovely person who likes helping people all the time. I know that it is hard to work with refugees sometimes, but for her it was different. I saw her smiling every time. I was lucky she spoke Arabic and I was surprised that an American spoke Arabic so well.
There was one problem. I lost my bags and I had no clothes left to wear. I felt that my life was repeating itself since I started my life in Indonesia with one bag, and now I was in Michigan like starting from zero again.
Knowing that God will not let me down and knowing that I can change my life for the better and work hard to buy what I need, gave me a good start. Believe me I was so sad missing my friends and family but that did not stop me from starting again. I had learned that I am the only one who can change my future for the better. I was in a hotel for two weeks and learned that one of my Roshan teacher’s sisters lives in Michigan. Even better, she lived near me and that's how I met Melissa. She took me to the Detroit stadium. There was a soccer game and that was a great day. It was the first time I was in a stadium and I met wonderful people.
Whether in Indonesia or America, I love meeting people. I have seen people good and bad. I was lucky that I had the best people around me when I started in America, especially Brittney. She helped me to begin my new life. From Indonesia, I learned how I can share love and how I can make people trust me and accept me as I am. I learned how to make people comfortable. I am living with a wonderful family now who support me, from finding school and a good job, to teaching me a lot of things to start my life with them. They gave me the feeling of home and having family.
I work in a restaurant now and am finishing high school online. This is my life, living with a wonderful family and being around people who really accept me as I am one of them. I have made family and friends in the United States, and like I learned to do at Roshan, I often find myself smiling.
My name is Salah. I was born and raised in Yemen. I lived in Indonesia for four and a half years and was a student at Roshan for one or two years. Roshan was my home and still is my home. Now I am living in the U.S. I am a senior now at Fenton High School, where I am also a Coach Assistant for the soccer team. I work at a restaurant in Fenton as a chef.