Narrator: Abdul Nazari

Date: 07/02/19

Location: Raleigh, DC

Summary: A refugee from Afghanistan, Abdul came to the United States after being discovered by the Taliban for working with Americans. He describes the resettlement process with the help of an agency, finding employment at a food truck, and the struggles he faced to access education and stability. He also recounts how faith helped him and his family through transition, and the amount of support he received from his community in the States.

Topics: escaping violence, resettlement, family, faith, acclimation

Outline

Section 1: (00:00 - 6:53)

• Fleeing  - Abdul left Afghanistan to come to the US with his family because in Afghanistan he was working with the Americans, and the Taliban found out, so his life was in danger.

• Resettlement Agency - A resettlement agency helped Abdul transition from Afghanistan to the US and helped set him up with a house, and helped his wife who was pregnant at the time get the necessary doctor’s appointments

• Family - Abdul left Afghanistan with his wife and children, but his sisters and mom are still living in Afghanistan.

• Work - When he came to Charlotte, Abdul got a job working at a food truck. He said the work was hard because of how busy the food truck got.

Section 2: (6:53 - 10:44)

• Classes - Abdul wanted to take an English class when he got to Charlotte but was unable to, because he was working long hours at his job and also had to take care of his kids.

• Medical Appointments - When he came to the US, Abdul and his family had a lot of medical appointments. The appointments were for a variety of things such as vaccinations, his wife was pregnant, and when his wife gave birth to their daughter, their daughter was very sick too.

• Moving - Abdul moved from Charlotte and Durham. He said that it was made much easier because of all the support he had in the move.

Section 3: (10:44 - 21:07)

• Religion - Abdul and his family are Muslim. He is very religious and found that holding onto his faith while transitioning really helped him and his family get through their struggles.

• Community- When he first moved to Charlotte, the community really helped him get settled. They would bring food for his family and offer help when needed.

• Getting Help - When Abdul’s wife was in the hospital, they couldn’t bring their kids with them because of hospital policies. People from the community helped Abdul by looking after his kids while he was in the hospital.

Section 4: (21:07 - 28:15)

• Dreams - Abdul was never able to get a higher education in Afghanistan because he was the oldest in his family and had to take care of his family but he dreams his kids will be able to get the education they want.

• Painful Memories - His most painful memory in the US was when his wife was in the hospital and he was not allowed to bring their kids to the hospital. It was a very emotional time and by not allowing his wife to see her children, it made it all that much harder.

• Car Accident - When Abdul first got his license, he wanted to go pick up his wife and kids from the hospital, but on the way there he got into an accident. It was a very shocking experience for Abdul.

Section 5: (28:15 - 36:45)

• Refugee Experience - After all the help Abdul got when coming to the US, he wants to give the same support back to other refugees. He said he would do anything to help other refugees because he knows how confusing it all is.

• Support - Coming to America and transitioning to a new culture and way of life, all he wanted from his community was support. He just wanted someone who could answer his questions and help him. He did not want help in the monetary form but in an emotional way. Thankfully, Abdul was able to find that support in Charlotte.