Immigrant Voices Podcast Project

George dreamed of coming to the U.S. to further his education as a young man, but Lebanese politics got in the way of a student visa. When he was married with children, a family health crisis brought him to the U.S. for 5 months in 2018. The catastrophic explosion in Beirut in the summer of 2020 caused him to leave his life in Lebanon behind and resettle his family permanently in Boston. They arrived in at the height of the pandemic. Their first apartment was one-quarter the size of their Beirut house. Starting with no furnishings save a mattress on the floor, George slowly made a new home and a new life for himself and his family. 

Open to adventure and romance, at the age of 21, Milsy decided to leave the Dominican Republic to join her boyfriend in the United States. “Why not?” she said, and got her passport and visa. Within a year of her arrival, they married. When the relationship fell apart, Milsy was left to support herself and her daughter to start her life over again. Even though she had volunteered to help her Spanish-speaking community, she soon realized she needed paying work. And a better command of the English language. From house cleaner to floral arranger, to restaurant worker to teacher’s helper, her fluency grew as she balanced work, parenting, and her continued commitment as a volunteer. Now enrolled in college, Milsy is pursuing her dream of becoming a paraprofessional/teacher’s assistant. She’s gaining experience managing the childcare program for children of parents attending the adult ESOL program at the Gardner.    

Pay for teaching at a private school in Guatemala barely brought in enough money for Rudi to support himself. And certainly not enough to repay his parents for the sacrifices they had made for him. Instead, he decided to join his sister in the States to better his circumstances and be able to send money to his parents. Once here, he learned the plumbing and construction trades with dreams of starting his own construction business. Rudi is determined to find the best balance between career and family while improving his English. A devoted father and husband, Rudi is looking forward to using his recently earned U.S. passport to travel with his small family.

With poor prospects for college or broadening her horizons, Irani left her family farm in a remote part of Brazil in 1994 to join her brother and sister in the States. Her initial plan was to earn money and return to Brazil to buy a home there. Plans changed when she met her husband and settled into a busy life in Boston, eventually starting her own cleaning company. Caring for three children and running a full-time business left her little time to learn English, but she persevered. Her homeowner dreams have changed continents, especially after becoming a naturalized U.S. Citizen, an accomplishment she and her family are proud of.

Since his elementary school days in Turkey, Remzi’s passion for history, geography, and meeting people worldwide has never ceased. In his early 20s, he befriended American GIs stationed in Turkey to practice his English. His career as a professional tour guide took off as he showed them the historical sites of his country. Lifelong friendships between Remzi and his tourists led him to visit and eventually move to the States in 2009. I consider Remzi an ambassador for peace because he brings together people from many different countries and cultures. Living in the U.S. seven months of the year, he spends his summer guiding tours in Turkey. I caught up with him for this interview while he was still in Istanbul.

As a teenager and bait for gang recruitment, Pedro reluctantly fled El Salvador. This young father had to leave his wife and newborn son to seek asylum in the U.S., only to find himself ten years later deported. With his life threatened by gangs and his desperate need to return to his growing family in Boston, Pedro escaped El Salvador a second time. Arrested at the border, he was sent to a Tacoma, Washington, detention facility. Against all odds, Pedro won his release. Pedro’s story is a testimony to his resilience, passion for this country, optimism, and determination not only in the face of life-threatening gangs but also his intrepid desire to increase his English vocabulary word by word.

On course to become a graphic designer in her native country, Xiomara decided instead to join her husband, Pedro. He had escaped to the U.S. to avoid the violence and pressures local gangs in El Salvador exerted on young men. Leaving the familiar with no sense of what was facing her and unable to speak English, she and her young son Francisco came to this country in 2007. Working in a nursing home’s laundry with Brazilian immigrants did little to further her English acquisition. Slowly, with increasing confidence, she could speak and be understood enough in English to help her father grow his moving company. Now, as the business’s office manager, she writes quotes and invoices, administers customer concerns, arranges schedules, and works with people in transition from around the world.    

A few months after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Archange, a trained and certified accountant but jobless, left Haiti to join his sister in the U.S. His journey here started a more extensive personal and professional journey in his new home. Working first as a supermarket clerk and personal shopper, he earned money to bring his wife and children here. Still working, he attended multiple schools to learn English and to train to become a nurse’s assistant. While his English improved steadily, he became a U.S. citizen. After taking more than 40 courses to satisfy prerequisites, he has been accepted into a nurse’s training program in the fall of 2022. Ambitious, compassionate, and patient, Archange exemplifies the drive and resilience I have seen in many immigrants. His determination to make a new life and thrive in the process is unstoppable no matter the obstacles.   

An enterprising and resilient teenager in Vietnam, Jenny learned the art of sewing, creating stylish clothing for herself, her family, and her neighbors. Two more careers unfolded before marrying and coming to the U.S. at 30. Once here, this energetic, intelligent woman struggled through culture shock to gain enough English and confidence to make her way to a fourth career and a happy life. With her children in school, Jenny dreams of opening her own salon one day. Multi-talented, it’s clear that Jenny’s greatest passion and success are built around her love of connecting with people.

At an early age, William had dreams of growing buildings instead of the crops that his parents raised on their rural farm in Guatemala. In the 90s, as an 18-year-old, he came to the United States to widen his horizons and pursue his goals. Once here, he moved from restaurant worker to landscaper, handyman helper, and eventually became a licensed general contractor. William did all this while raising a family and becoming fluent in English beyond the few phrases gained from tourist books and audiotapes. A successful entrepreneur, William has more work than he can handle, and yet he has found that often elusive balance between professional and personal goals.