The American Dream Reimagined

Interviewer: [00:00:00] This call is now being recorded. How are you?

Raudah: I’m good, thank you. 

Interviewer: Good. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. I so appreciate it. 

Raudah: No problem. So you a student in a college? 

Interviewer: Yes. I’m a student at James Madison University, which is in Harrisonburg , Virginia. 

Raudah: Oh, okay. Go ahead. Sure. 

Interviewer: Yeah, so I can, I can give you a little insight into what exactly this is um, before we begin. I am in a sociology of immigration course this semester at jmu and basically, what it has consisted of is really learning about the immigration process, um, kind of the state of affairs in the United States right now regarding immigration, um, the process of assimilating to the United States. Yeah. Um, a bunch of, a bunch of things like that. And it has [00:01:00] been an incredible class, and as this is for my final project, I was, I was, yeah, it’s, it’s to, um, conduct an interview and just really, I’m, my hope is just for it to be more of a easy conversation. I really just, I so appreciate you working with me and I wanna hear from you and, um, yeah.

Raudah: Okay, no problem. Me as well. 

Interviewer: Yeah.

Interviewer: So if you’re good to begin with some of the questions.

Raudah: Yes. 

Interviewer: Awesome. So if you don’t mind just starting with, um, your name and where you are originally from. 

Raudah: Uh, my name is Raudah I’m originally from Uganda. That’s East Africa. Uh, yes. 

Interviewer: And when did you, um, immigrate to the United States?

Raudah: 2016. [00:02:00] 

Interviewer: Wow. So pretty recently? 

Raudah: Yes. Pretty recently. , not so far. 

Interviewer: Um, what, what was your reason for immigrating in 2016? 

Raudah: There was a lot under my belt. I was I was running away from a not so good marriage, I wanted better for myself and my kids, so that’s why, and I felt it would be safer for me in a better environment for growth and stability, mentally, everything. So yeah,I made the decision. I made the decision to move. Leaving my very little kids behind. Not the best decision any mother would like to do . But yeah, I thank God that there, um, internet [00:03:00] and all this social media, I’m able to be in touch with them each and every other week. So yeah, that was mainly it .

Interviewer: Yeah, that, I mean, that’s incredible. And I, I will say that it is an amazing thing with technology and social media that its able to do that. 

Raudah: Yes. 

Interviewer: And what, earlier, before 2016, what would you say your, your childhood was like? Um, did you live, were you in Uganda for your entire childhood? 

Raudah: Yes. I’ve lived in Uganda my entire childhood. Traveled to other countries. , but that’s where I’ve been most of my life. So my childhood, I lost my father at a very tender age. Um, maybe I was five. Uh, I don’t remember, but maybe like I was five or four and I grew up [00:04:00] with a bunch of different relatives . I stayed with my mom for a while, but where I come from, there’s a culture where the, when you lose a parent like your dad, the side of your dad takes over the responsibility in case your mom is not in position to, so I was born in a family of five and my mom had a lot on her plate that time she was dealing with a lot and my dad died. So my, my paternal uncles took over the responsibility for me and my siblings, so I lived with a particular uncle of mine all through my childhood. I went to school, um, I graduated at the university and I, I did not, I, I studied psychology, but I did not pursue a career in it [00:05:00] because where I come from, it’s not something so common. Like it’s not a course that you’d get a job for when you graduate, so, yeah. And I kind of done commerce, um, uh, bachelors of commerce and I decided to venture into buisness. So yeah, I went to school, graduated college, um, got into business. Uh, my uncles were entrepreneurs. They were businessmen, so I learned a lot from them. I started working at a young age working with them, so I learned, I learned how to, to work basically . I was motivated by them. Yes

Interviewer: Definitely. 

Raudah: Yeah. My childhood was pretty much, I won’t say it was stable , Moving from one house to another, moving from one home to another, because different people are taking care of you. Before I had stabilized with a particular uncle when I was in my high school. I moved, I lived with [00:06:00] my mom a little bit. I lived with my granddad. I lived with another uncle of mine. I lived, I lived with another uncle of mine. I probably moved like in five households before the age of 13. 

Interviewer: Wow. 

Raudah: Yeah. So that’s how it was.

Interviewer: That’s, that’s very interesting. I’m actually, I’m a psychology major. Oh, that’s funny. Yes. 

Raudah: Oh, but interesting. Yeah. When, when you talk about sociology and yeah, it makes sense. Yeah. So I, I didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything with, with my, uh, degree in psychology. Nothing. No. I didn’t even practice it at all. Yeah. So that’s pretty much. How my childhood was, it was not stable. I wouldn’t say it was stable. I wouldn’t see my mom so many, so many like years without seeing her. And [00:07:00] yeah, it kind of broke me . Yeah. But I was, um, I was able to like see her more often later as I grew up. 

Interviewer: Yeah, definitely. 

Raudah: It was, it was a lot. It was a lot. And she wasn’t really, weren’t really getting along with my uncles, but you know, the, the ones taking care of us, saying the (inaudible) and everything. So that part kind of, you know, we lived along with it. We live along. That’s how, that’s how we grew up. Like you live along. You don’t decide, you don’t make choices. You have to live along. You learn how to tolerate people. Yes. We live in tolerance, where I come from. Yes. That’s how it was. 

Interviewer: Do you have any relatives in the United States? Did I what? Do you have any relatives in the United States? 

Raudah: Well, I have very close friends from where, like from back home, like we’ve been very close. And [00:08:00] then they came here, we became close. I have a sister who came after as well. Yeah. I have people that I, where in the state I am at, Massachusetts, there’s so many, um, people from my country at the same time, so I mean, yeah. It’s basically a very big community, so yeah. It doesn’t get so, so lonely, when you have people around you.

Interviewer: What would, how would you describe the process of immigrating? Like, more of that kinda.

Raudah: Well, I’m not really, I’m not . I’m not really, I, I don’t wanna lie to you, but I believe it slowed, everything kind of slowed down after Covid 2020, I believe. Cause I’ve been waiting for an interview for the last couple of years that I haven’t gotten, but, Um, I’ve been lucky enough to be getting my employment permit sometimes. [00:09:00] I think I got my first employment permit in 2018 and they’ve all been renewed successfully on time two times, now that my employment permits have been renewed. I never complain about that. I’m able to work because I really, really feel that is how I’ve grown up, working over time. So as long as I have my work permit, I’m good, but , it’s kind of a little slow for me right now. I don’t know what to do. First of all, I had a lawyer and my lawyer fell sick. He got a stroke. He had been sick when I, when I got to meet him in 2000, I think. 17. Yeah, he had a stroke already. He wasn’t in a good state. And when Covid came, I think he caught Covid and he went to the hospital ICU for six months and 

Interviewer: Wow.

Raudah: I, yeah, I don’t have a lawyer now and I don’t know, it’s been a little tough for me the last two years. [00:10:00] The past, the other years, I’m not really complaining and yeah, I don’t know. I’m just still trying to figure things out, how to get another lawyer . How can I get my case court hearing soon? It’s basically, I don’t know, I try on the internet to see how I can go about it because I mean, I need, I just need. I just need my kids. That’s all I need in the world right now. I’m working all the time. I work every day of the week and I (inaudible) up. But as a mother, I just have that in me. I want to see my kids. They’re growing up without me. I miss them. And you can’t rush the system. You can’t rush the system. But I don’t know, I, I don’t wanna say I’m complaining about immigration because I mean, a lot has gone, has taken trust since 2020. So, I don’t know, I dunno what to say. I don’t wanna lie to you, . That’s what I can say. 

Interviewer: Every, everything you’re [00:11:00] saying, I mean, you’re offering me great insight into this. I appreciate it. Um, and I can totally, I, as someone who has a very close relationship with their mother, I can, I can only imagine how badly you want your kids with you. 

Raudah: It’s very heartbreaking. I can’t even tell you , but you know, you live through it. You live through it. But hopefully one day I can be able to. 

Interviewer: When you left, when you left Uganda, did you have a lot of people who were disagreeing with your decision? 

Raudah: Of course. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah. , I did. I did. Because you know when you get married, where i come from, when you get married, it’s like an achievement as well. I think like most people, and people where I come from, don’t believe in divorce . Like, you just wake up one morning and like, I’m tired of this marriage. I want out. Mm-hmm. , where I come from, people, [00:12:00] it, it’s, it’s, it’s a tug o’ war and then your, your relatives can keep telling you, oh, you can keep trying. No, it’s gonna work out. That’s how it is. Da da da. But no. Someone who has gone to school, they can tell the difference between abuse and normal. Someone can tell a difference between emotional abuse. Someone can tell a difference between, uh, being not wanted and you know all that. But, uh, well, when we are growing up, our mothers, we watched our mothers, the women that I grew up around stand abuse because it’s normalized. Yeah. Like it’s okay. That is what the grown ups think. So when, uh, the generation that we’ve grown up in, We see things a little different. We are more exposed and we maybe think it to social media and TVs and everything so you can tell what’s right and what’s wrong, what your partner is supposed to do, and what they’re not supposed to do to you. So I got to a point where I felt [00:13:00] I would not turn this anymore. And me being a public, I won’t say I was really a public figure, but my, my ex-husband was a public figure. Everything that happened was always in the news. Everything that happened was, was always out there. So being out there made me feel, um, mentally drained.

Interviewer: Yeah. Understandable. 

Raudah: Because. I like my privacy as a person. I like being private and being in the public eye. It’s a little different and everyone is going to know your business even when you don’t want them to or you know what I mean? And I just got to a point where I felt that’s not the kind of life I wanna live, and that’s not the kind of environment I want my kids to grow up in . Yeah. I want them to grow up with a mother that is mentally stable, a mother that [00:14:00] is loving. And I can only achieve that when I’m far away from people that are causing that. So I made a choice and in making the choice. It’s not what everyone would’ve wanted though. Not, not like everyone was fighting with it. You know what I mean? But some people. Just can’t tell you to keep trying or telling you it’s okay when it’s not okay. So I just felt the need to have myself out of that and better myself because I knew who I was. I know who I am and I know what I can achieve in life. And I know when someone tricks me and right or wrong, and I wanted better for myself and my kids. So, it didn’t matter to me. It didn’t matter whether people, I had made a decision by myself. I didn’t care what people were going to tell me or what they were going to say. No, no, no, no. I cared [00:15:00] about my mental health. I cared about my kids first. Everyone else, I was like, nah, it’s me, who knows exactly how I feel about what I feel and what I’m going through. No one else can even understand that. So, absolutely. I didn’t care what everyone, anyone said, but of course there’s always people against it. But it was okay with me. Yeah. 

Interviewer: No, I, I, I agree. At that point, you absolutely, your first focus should be you and your kids, and that’s what it was. 

Raudah: Yes. 

Interviewer: What would like your, when you first arrived to the United States, what would, I know this is kind of a broad question, but what would you say your initial thoughts were about the United States, about this , everything.

Raudah: Well, initially, you know, when you’re just watching something on tv, the only thing is I had, I had people here, that I’ll talk to friends and they’ll tell me [00:16:00] exactly what it’s like. Yeah. But the United States we watch on television is not what is on the ground, it’s two different things. it’s two different, it’s two different things, to tell you the truth.

Interviewer: Absolutely. 

Raudah: But, uh, when I first got here, uh, everything from the food to the weather , it’s totally different from where I come from. Um, the weather, we have rain and sunshine throughout the year. Like it’s warm throughout the year. It only gets cold, the river, I think it can drop up to maybe sixties farenheit. I don’t think it goes less than that, so, the weather, it was, it was very cold. Ah, and then the food, the food tastes different. Believe me when I tell you the food tastes different. We have these Irish potatoes where I come from, these sweet potatoes, the beef, everything tastes different. [00:17:00] Mm-hmm. . So when I got here and I was eating the food, I was like, okay, now this one tastes different. It’s not the same like where I come from. So it took time for my pallet to get used to the food here, let it be the eggs. The eggs too are different. The eggs taste different. So I mean, it was a culture shock kind of on so many things. But there is so many things and um, where we come from, it’s not the best with security, but people are more close to each other, like neighborhood and all that kind of thing. But when I got here, I realize people don’t interact so much. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, like people don’t interact so much. Like, just like that. You can have a neighbor and you do not know them for years, but in my country, that’s, that’s a no no. Um, people, like it takes a child to bring up a child. I mean, it takes a village to bring up a child. That is what it’s like where I [00:18:00] come from. You do wrong, and you’re a child and someone is watching. I’m telling you, they’re going to punish you for doing something wrong even when they’re not your parents. So there’s silly things that are different here. The one thing that really missed me is that there’s jobs everywhere, like jobs available. Like people. People are working all the time. Lemme tell you something funny. People are very hardworking here. Where I come from, I can say, yes we are, but people, we do not work like people here, people here work two, three jobs. Where I come from, I haven’t heard about that. People work from nine to five. And it’s just one job . So people are very hardworking here. People are like, it’s like you have to be working all the time anyway. Uh, the bills are a little different from where I come from as well, so many bills here, [00:19:00] the internet, everything. Everything. 

Interviewer: For sure. 

Raudah: Yeah. So everything is a little different. Is a little different from where i come from, but, I mean, when you get used to it, you pretty much, uh, fit in and you get into it. Yeah. 

Interviewer: Going off of that, what would you, was there anything specific that was super helpful in getting you settled? Getting you acclimated? 

Raudah: Yes. So when I got here, I had friends. I was very curious as a person. Mm-hmm. . So the, the community where I come from, uh, they’re more into the health sector. So many of the people that I know that come from my country are doing certified nursing assistant kind of jobs. But, uh, when I got here, I’ve never been interested in the medical field. Like I just did not want to work [00:20:00] like in the medical field. But, um, when I go to many people, those are the kind of jobs they would recommend, and it’s what most of them know. But then I was very curious. I was like, okay, I want to get to a point. I want to get to the corporate, uh, world in, in the United States. Like, I mean, that’s what I wanted it, I admired people the way they work and I wanted to experience something different. I want to, you know, so what I done, uh, through talking to different people, I had a friend that recommended me to go to Boston Medical Center. Um, they got to the crew there. I mean, they’re amazing. Boston Medical Center. So I, when I started going there for my, no, actually I had gone there for medical checkups sometime. And then there was a lady that, um, recommended me to go to, there was a training, uh up for [00:21:00] the refugee at the, at the refugee center. So when I went to that training, it was a three month training. It was like a job training. 

Interviewer: Yeah. 

Raudah: Teaching you, teaching you how to get to the corporate. She’s called Linda, the lady. She’s called Ms. Linda. She’s so amazing. I hope I get to see her one day again. I know I’ll go back. So she started, uh, training us for three, uh, months. With different, uh, refugees with her, and while I was training there, at the same time, I was doing voluntary work at the Boston Medical Center. Still there was a farm . There was a farm up. Uh, we were, uh, growing vegetables. So I would, after my training, I would go and do volunteer work at that farm. Growing at that greenhouse, where we would plant and water vegetables. Yeah. There was another amazing lady there. Yeah. That I was [00:22:00] working with yeah, I was working with her. Kind of many different, um, refugees there. So I done a training for three, uh, months and I got a certificate. They were teaching us how to apply for jobs, how the American market is like, uh, the corporate, you know, because that’s what I want in my mind I wanted to better for myself. So when I got after the training and then doing some volunteer work at, um, for a couple of months at, uh, the rooftop, at the Boston Medical Center. Eventually I applied for a job. I worked in the, I worked in the, uh, health sector. I did the certified nursing assistant job for some time, and then eventually I applied to work at the airport. I went on the internet. Yeah. I mean, I just went on the internet because while Ms. [00:23:00] Linda was training us, she, she showed us what to do. You know, you can just go on the internet, type this da da da, uh, you can go to the website. Like indeed. She was very, she was pretty helpful. God bless her. So I went to, I went to the internet, I applied to work. Uh, there was a job application. So I applied to the American Airline (inaudible) Service section. I got a job there working at night. I, it was, uh, I got it through entry level. I was very happy about it. So I went, I started working there. I worked there for like a year cause it was a night shift job. So I would hardly sleep. I would sleep in the day because I did the job at seven in the morning and then I would start, I had to be out of the house at four cause I got two jobs. I worked at Qatar Airline customer service for four hours, and then I would run to Terminal B to go to work [00:24:00] American Airline, the baggage station at night, still seven years. So I would start with Qatar Airline who would start at six, checking in for four hours and then when we’re done, as long as the customers get boarding, I would immediately leave. And different terminal B from E to B. Anyway, uh, I realized it was taking a toll on me. I was exhausted all the time. Even on my days off, I just wanted to be in bed. And then I, I realized, I’m like, nah, I’m going to burn myself out. So I decided to look for jobs. I created a LinkedIn account. I dunno if I pronounced it right, , I, I created, I created a link in account and, you know, I put my resume and everything there. After a few weeks of, um, then I got a, a call from Asurion Insurance. It’s a phone company and they were looking for people in Boston. It was the first, it [00:25:00] was the first kind of, uh, they were having in Boston and they needed people badly. I did a fun interview, and then they’re like, okay, going to start off. Do you have a car? I had bought a secondhand car. Then I was like, yes, I do have a car. They’re like, okay, you’re going to work. And they gave me the time I was going to work, how I was going to do, and the kind of job that I was going to do. I was going to do customer service representative, um, in home whereby we were delivering insurance phones for company, for Asurion insurance. Like if your phone is broken, you need a replacement. We are the people that were doing that. So we would drive the, the team that I was in, we were, we were covering lot of, uh, Massachusetts . We were covering the whole of New Hampshire and South of Maine. So that means depending on the day’s orders I had to drive, uh, around you could have like four to six customers or nothing. Uh, then I, I’ll drive delivering phones in New Hampshire. I was very amused by [00:26:00] the job because it gave me time to explore more of the country, like just different places. I had never been to New Hampshire, so when I was driving there, I was like, damn, it’s beautiful. They have so many mountains. I mean, the trees, I love and the south of Maine, it was different as well. I mean, I pretty much loved it, but then my car kind of started wearing down . Was a second hand car and I couldn’t do the job anymore. But the good thing with Asurion, uh, they have different departments. So I asked them if I could work from home. Actually, uh, when I started with Asurion, Covid 2020 hit. So uh, they asked for people to go and work at home with Asurion still, but customer service and I volunteered to do it. So I stopped driving for like four months. I went ahead working from home and during that 2020 Covid still, I drove, uh, Instacart. Where the [00:27:00] personal shopper. 

Interviewer: Oh yeah. 

Raudah: Yeah, I worked with Instacart as well, you know, just to be able to make ends meet. and yeah, eventually I worked from home for four, four months, then I got back to the road, then my car could keep breaking down. Then I told them, no, I need to change the department. If you can let me, my car, I can buy another car right now, I need to, um, yeah, go back to, to the drawing table and save again. So, uh, lucky enough, in 2021, four months away, I applied again. I had left Asurion, worked with Instacart. I had another car that I, I was using briefly. Worked with Instacart for four months and then applied again to Asurion, where I’m still working to this day. So they gave me a, a job where I can work from home. And at the same time, I work in the, in the store. So, like today, I’m in the, I’m in the store, but so many days I’m working from home. Yeah. So [00:28:00] I’m, um, I’ve been lucky. I don’t know, maybe cause of my, my curiosity and persistence. Mm-hmm. with the work. I’m not complaining. I’ve been very aggressive getting in the field. I wanted to go back to school but being a mother, there’s so many responsibilities I have, so every time I calculate to go back to school, I even, I was offered something at Boston College. Uh, Boston University. Yeah. But I, I, it couldn’t fit in my schedule, so I kind of let it, yeah. I’ve been trying to go back to school, but next year, 2023, I promised myself I have to go back to school cause I need to do better. I know I can do better so that’s how far i”ve come, the hustle has been real, but it’s worth it. 

Interviewer: Yeah. Would you, um, when you think about like what your expectations were, if you had any [00:29:00] before coming to the United States, do, would you say that, like how, how would you say your real lived experience has compared to what you expected? 

Raudah: Uh, there’s something about me. I think there’s something about me that. Just, I think (inaudible) so quick. Mm-hmm. Maybe, depending on my background, where I’ve grown up. Yeah. When I came here, I expected, I don’t know, I expected it to be simpler for me. I don’t know. I don’t know why I thought life would be easier for me, without putting in the work. Um, it’s just, it’s just, uh, some mentality I had, you know, I didn’t, I didn’t know people worked two jobs. I didn’t know people worked two, three jobs. I swear to God, I was very shocked. Uh, [00:30:00] but getting in the system, I got to know why people have two to three jobs. And I realized education is very, very important too. Like the more books you have, the more money you earn and the less hours you work. Yeah. So I learned, I learned that education is very important. Yes. So important. And it never fails you. Whereas where I come from, it’s kind of, the education sector is a little different. The system is kind of broken. So many people don’t have jobs . it’s, it’s, it’s frustrating. I don’t want to go down there, so that’s why I feel I have to go back to school. But, uh, it’s, uh, well before, at the beginning it was shock. Everything was shocking to me. Everything was different. But a few months down the road, I got into the system and I just blended[00:31:00] in it . So it was, yeah, it was a little different from what I thought in my mind, from what I had when I was still back home.

Interviewer: Were there specific like traditions or behaviors that you,

Raudah: Traditions, behaviors, everything. Everything. Americans are very aggressive. Like they’re like, I mean, they’re very aggressive in everything. Definitely work. Like they, like go-getters, I should say. Mm-hmm, they’re go-getters. They need, when someone puts their mind to something, they have to get it done or they have to have it. That’s it. So, yeah, I mean that’s pretty much kind of inspired me. I was like, I have to be like them. So I’m very aggressive. [00:32:00] I’m, I just blended into everything. The culture is definitely, definitely the tradition is different. The culture is totally different, uh, with where I come from. Yeah, it’s totally two different worlds, believe me. But I always tell people. I always tell people that I meet, I, I would like you to go down to my country and see how we live, it’s totally different. You know, you get to know when you get to travel, you get to learn and get to know people, how they live, how they think, how their mind, you know. It’s very, and it’s pretty interesting. I like it because it’s interesting. So, I mean, I, I blended in and I’m now into the American culture. 

Interviewer: Do you, would you say that you feel that the American culture appreciates immigrants?

Raudah: Most of the people that I’ve come across do , I’ve been lucky, yes. Yeah. 

Interviewer: And [00:33:00] kind of going, going off of that question, how did you feel like you were received in the United.

Raudah: Uh, I, I would say, uh, I don’t know, maybe being in Massachusetts compared to what I see everywhere else. I feel like it was okay. Yeah. Was okay. Yeah. 

Interviewer: And is there, hold on. I’m looking at my question. 

Raudah: No, no problem.

Raudah: How have you, I know you said 2016. So in that past, I, I guess its been

Interviewer: about six years, how have you seen anything, um, majorly change in the United States [00:34:00] since being here? That could be about anything. It could be about like attitudes towards immigration or just changes in the culture of the United States that you’ve witnessed. 

Raudah: I, I can’t talk much about immigration because on my side, I’m talking about me and the few people that, um, I know. No one has really, the only thing that they’ve really talked about and that I can speak on myself, is for the delay of the interview. Yeah. Like when someone puts in yeah, that is, that is the main thing they talk about, but I haven’t had any other [00:35:00] experience. The most surprising thing is this year when my, uh, work permit expired, I didn’t realize till I wait to the expiration, I don’t know why. And then, I immediately went online and filed and, uh, filed for a renewal and I was very surprised that in two weeks I had my work permit delivered to my address. That was, but that was very surprising with the fact that I had been saying, , uh, they waited for a year or month without getting their work permits and everyone was like, maybe because of Covid. Um, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s the delay of the interview. I haven’t had any other poor experience with immigration. I don’t want to lie to you, so, no, I don’t really, I cannot say, I cannot say I haven’t had any.

Interviewer: No, that was, that was wonderful. Um, [00:36:00] would you, when you came in 2016, did you immediately go to, you’re in Boston, right? 

Raudah: Yeah, I’m in Boston. 

Interviewer: Did you immediately go to Boston in 2016? 

Raudah: Yes. 

Interviewer: And how do you, do you feel like that has had any, um, impact on your experience coming to the United States, choosing to be in Boston?

Raudah: I believe so. I believe so. Do you know why? I believe it? It made it easier for me because first of all, the community, like my country where I come from, it’s so many people here in this. I think this is the state that has most abundance, Massachusetts, and then the other thing, to me, Boston is diverse because there’s so many students here. There’s so many universities, sorry. So in these universities have people coming from different parts of the world. So I believe people are [00:37:00] more diverse because of that, because of education, because of the education sector here. So people are used to seeing other people from different countries and believe that’s why it has made it a little bit easier for people like us to interact. 

Interviewer: Yeah. Definitely and I’m, I’m coming up near some of the last questions. This has been so wonderful. Thank you. 

Raudah: You’re welcome. 

Interviewer: What would you say that you are most proud of that you have accomplished through this?

Raudah: Well, my progress. I’m proud that I am where I am today. Yeah, I’ve come from far. I come from far and I’m just so grateful for all the people that have I met on my way up, up where I am right now. Yeah. I’ve met so many amazing people. I’ve interacted with so [00:38:00] many amazing people. I’ve worked for amazing people. Like the company I’m working for right now, Asuria, it’s one of the best. It’s one of the, the most diverse, um, companies I’ve been at. 

Interviewer: Oh, that’s wonderful. 

Raudah: The thing is, the other thing is that I’m so happy about the companies here, basically the training they give, first of all. Mm-hmm, when I went to work at the American Airlines, um, I, I knew nothing. I knew nothing completely. I was like, oh, am I going to be able to make it? I went for training in North Carolina. , uh, uh, north, yeah, North Carolina. I went for training there and it, they just made it so easy for me. And then I realized, okay, I can do this. And then when I joined Asuria as well, I had training. Like they train you everything. And when you start work, they give you time to learn. And believe me, I’ve learned more things, [00:39:00] in my life since I came here. I’ve learned, I don’t know, I’ve learned especially with, uh, work. And technology and I can pull a phone apart and put it back together. I mean, I find it impressive for myself, uh, with technology.

Interviewer: No, absolutely 

Raudah: Everything. There’s so many things that I’m able to do that I wasn’t able to do. I mean, the skill, the skill that I’ve learned, sorry, let’s go back to the question again. I think I’m kind of getting off my, sorry, 

Interviewer: You’re answer answering it perfectly. It was, it really was just what are you most proud of?

Raudah: Yeah, so I’m proud of myself from how far I’ve come and what I can do now. I look at myself and I’m like, okay, yeah, you, you. I mean, I have too many dreams. I haven’t achieved them yet, but I’m on my way to achieve them, and I know I’m going to achieve them. Yeah. So I’m just so proud that my mind is open now. I’m more confident. [00:40:00] I am more, there’s so much in me that I didn’t know I had. I’m more talented than I could. Yeah, I’m, I don’t know. I just feel so proud every time I’m talking to my kids and explaining to them how much, how they can be, what they can be, how they can become, what they want to become in life, how I feel to inspire them, I feel. So, I don’t know, I just keep pumping so much into them because of where I’m at right now, how far I’ve come, what I’ve seen. I feel I can achieve and they can achieve anything in the world. Anyone can. So America, yes, the American Dream. I haven’t gotten there, but I’m going to get there. Because they make it true. Yeah. When you get here, as long as you work, as long as you work, you can get there and you have a good education, you can, I just haven’t gotten the education yet, because one thing about Americans, when you come with your degree from where i’m coming from, you have to, you don’t consider it. You [00:41:00] have to go, you have to go back to school. Yeah. So, but that’s okay. I mean, it’s, that’s okay. So I just want to go back to school and when I know when I go back to school, I’m going to be way, way better than I am, but I’m not complaining. I’m grateful for it, for it very much right now. So, I mean, it has opened my eyes. It has opened a lot of, so many things that I didn’t know I had. I think different. I think totally different. So I’m proud of myself.

Interviewer: No, you absolutely should be. That’s, you really are truly incredible. I mean, everything, everything you’ve said, I’m, I’m, this has been wonderful and I, I am down to my last question. Um. But kind of going off the last one, this one is just how do you think that your life would be different today if you hadn’t immigrated and as you’ve, as you’ve made, I think I’ve heard from you, [00:42:00] um, are you confident in your decision. Yeah. 

Raudah: Yes, I am, I am a hundred percent, I’m a very different person from whom I was six years ago. Believe me. 

Interviewer: Absolutely. Oh, well, thank you so much. 

Raudah: Thank you too. 

Interviewer: No, you re, like your answers were incredible. This went a million times better than I could have asked for. Thank you.

Raudah: You’re welcome. Thank you too. 

Interviewer: Yeah. And I, I hope, yeah, I hope everything continues to go well for you and that everything works out.

Raudah: Thank you. I appreciate it. I wish you all the best . 

Interviewer: Thank you. You too. Have a good one. 

Raudah: Hopefully one day if we can meet. Have a good one as well. 

Interviewer: Yes. 

Raudah: Bye-bye. 

Interviewer: Bye-bye.