By Poorva Singal, Silver Chips Online News Editor and Op/Ed Editor
She was going to a world where there was said to be a pile of gold at every corner and a stash of money at every turn. She had heard rumors that the place was not much short of heaven. But that fantasy disappeared as soon as she got off the plane and took her first steps in the United States. America is nothing like what others in Ethiopia described it to be for junior Engidawork Kita.
Engidawork Kita and Selam Kabtiymer
[Photo by Gili Perl]
The lottery to another world
In 2000 Kita’s family won the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery that enabled them to make the move to the United States from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program annually makes 50,000 permanent visas available to a random selection of people who “meet strict eligibility requirements [and come] from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States,” according to the U.S. State Department web site.
Individuals who receive visas through the program are permitted to bring spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 to the United States and are authorized to permanently live and work in the country, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services web site. “Since everyone wants to come to America, it’s a way of randomly picking people,” Kita’s friend, senior Selam Kabtiymer, says. Although Kabtiymer’s family had also won the DV lottery, she and her family were able to come to the United States without the lottery’s help. Kabtiymer’s mother was already residing in the United States and so the rest of her family was able to get visas through her. Kabtiymer’s father had applied for the DV lottery in the case they were not able to obtain visas this way.
Junior Engidawork Kita and Senior Selam Kabtiymer Photo by Gili Perl.
For Kita’s parents, as for most others in Ethiopia, the chance to move to the United States was a dream come true. A war had been raging between Ethiopia and Eritrea since 1998 over a border conflict. Even Kita was afraid when she heard news warning the country that Eritrea threatened to attack. “I used to get scared because I don’t want to die of course,” Kita says.
Still, Kita’s feelings towards the move were lukewarm – she wanted to experience America, but not at the expense of leaving her relatives, friends and culture behind. “You want to see what it’s like to be in America,” she says, but at the same time she did not want to leave.
Making the transition
The difficulties of the move were only compounded by Kita’s limited knowledge of English. “It was hard,” she says. But making Ethiopian friends in school and receiving support from teachers helped Kita adjust to the new environment. “[The teachers] were really helpful,” Kita says. In addition, Kita took ESOL from fourth to ninth grade to help her get past the language barrier.
Although there was no pile of gold waiting for her in the United States, Kita sees some clear benefits of living in the country. She finds that there are more opportunities to succeed in school because there is so much support available from the education system. Even though Kita went to a free public school in Ethiopia, students still needed to purchase books and other materials on their own. It was tough luck if you could not afford them; here, public schools provide the books as well as financial help.
Kita also feels that there are more facilities available in the United States, such as easy access to computers. “There [were] no such things as computers in my school [in Ethiopia],” she says.
Kita adds that American schools are more laid back. “School is easier here…compared to Ethiopia,” Kita says. She offers that this is not so much because the subjects are easier but more so because the teachers are comparatively lenient in this country.
Kabtiymer agrees that education is stricter in Ethiopia and there is much more pressure from teachers and parents. School rankings are taken very seriously and so students constantly compare themselves with others, according to her.
School here has helped Kita adapt to the American culture. But at the same time, she tries to maintain certain aspects of her Ethiopian heritage. She celebrates some of the Ethiopian festivals and eats Ethiopian food daily. Kita is also a member of the Ethiopian club at Blair and hopes to participate in the club’s big show in early June, which features traditional dances, a fashion show and a drama.
Kita still misses her country at times and though she realizes that money does not come easy no matter where you are, she does not want to move back permanently. “I want to stay here now that I am used to it,” Kita says. “I like it here.”
7 thoughts on “Ethiopian student adapts to the American lifestyle”
god job! Engidawork and Selam, few people tell their really feeling specially after they arived in the western world. I usually hear they telling they loved ones back home that western world is more heaven than even they thought then.
Please this is a non sense topic. Poor mentalities always yearns very poor things and remain as slaves for ever. I do totally disagree that with your way of describing the opportutnities of Engidawork. Still there are many schools in Ethiopia with full of very modern computers. By the way, computer is some thing ordinary for many Ethiopians today. Ofcourse, most still do not have accesse to it. Yet, not all people in western world too has access to this equipement. Please, if you think that Engidawark is doing good in having such facilities you are wrong. I do not actually appreciate the ‘American style’. What does it mean after all. is it the one the poor slaved minded poor Abeshas (diaspora)are demonstrating when they are coming in Ethiopia or you mean what the Western Origin Americans are living. Know that, today, most diaspora are being seen as inferior compared to the many Ethiopians who have never been abroad be it in awaring the modern life and exposure to modern technologies. Only few diaspra Ethiopians are aware of the world where they are living. the rest are simply live only because to get money at the expense of all their diginity. This mentality has to be changed. We belive that we can do even better. Know that we are societies from where the Law governing the world emerged out. Know that we were the first to pace towards technology! know that we were the first to excersice libral addminstration where rights of gender equality, religious equality and other human rights were fully reconized. The key place for the success of the western is positive thinking! they belive that the can do and can take off themselves out what ever wrath comes. becuase of short sighted vision at Abeshas and Africans in general the many possible things are impossible but for westerns the ones that seam impossible are possible. We share culture and blood one of the most succesful people in the world the Jews! But we evolved differenly through time! we bow down for problems. instead of solving problems our mentality adapted to edure problems. Pls do not junk non sense things as if the American style in the way you expressed were some thing good. ofcourse, there are many other things we need to appreciate and follow the American style. But not the one you mentioned it. By the way, are you saying all Ethiopian students have to come to America to learn like Engidawork or what is the message of this topic. Ethiopians in Ethiopia today are far better than Ethiopians in America or els were in positive mentality.
So sorry!
Here in the United States, the greatest equalizer of the nation is education, hence take the best advantage out of it.
Gowaa~, it’s the attitude like yours that need to worked on. You kept saying “we were this” , “we were that”. Just look where you are and where you are heading to, to better judge yourself.
Sorry LoveUSA. I raised history not to proud on vacant areas. I mentioned that to let you aware how we evolved to here. Yes, what I said already is true! Only when we think things positively that we can be successful. People like the author of the above topic think that it is progress for Ethiopian to learn in America. In so doing he is encouraging the kids to adapt what he called it American style. This is actually what we already have been suffered with. No need of his alert. You might hear that, in Todays private schools in Ethiopia kids are being grown with mentality of loosing their own potential. I was very much shoocked when I hear a student from an 8th grade private school who can fluently speack English but do not even read the English she is speacking let alone having additional knowledge in Science. This is the kind that most people today are saying a’style’. But know that in such private schools every thing is like America even more. Computers, DVDs, M3 and so on. Please also know that I am currently in western world having access for some very advanced technologies. I have only learnt that many things are possible but our bad setted mentality could not allow us to even try. This is what I mean.
‘We were this’ or ‘We were that’ is not my targe but I really feel remorse for the so called history we are said to have had. I can not deny that only becuase there are standing evidences for that. otherwise I would have damned all. Yes, having that kind of history is not bad. But I feel sorry are our mind has completely been slaved. We almost are unable to think very easy possible things and we fear all as if they were impossible. But the look the westerns. They are totally with possitive mentality. Here, Children are grown with such mentality purposely under the hands of professional psychologists.
‘Americanstyle’ as it has described above for poor Ethiopian born child will never bring her/him to final success! Yes, I believe I can bring Impact! Yes I believe that we are potentially dynamic. But we are grown in poor mental set up. Success for us perhaps is to land in America! To have a degree. Is there any Ethiopian who is dreaming (true vision) novel prize. The doomed scholars of Ethiopians could even not change the tools of Ethiopian poor farmers which we inherited the ancient people. Because we can not change! Why do you think!!!
I agree with you Gowaa. I have the same feeling. We only appreciate what we don’t have. The difference between an American kid and Ethiopian kid is only psychological. Having spent in Ethiopian school as well as in US, I see that availability of recourses for education doesn’t guarantee success. Success is in you and how you are interested. It is how you make yourself. I fall short of words to describe this. If you look at American students , do they have better skills than the rest of the world in terms of Science, just because they have good computers, better libraries and so on ? NO. They ranked 29 th in science in the world.
But they are positive thinkers as you have mentioned. I think that is something we have to work on in Ethiopia. I wonder if there is any course designed to help boost self confidence and positive attitude early in childhood. I wish somebody come up with a course that is given to elementary or high school students to change the way they think. After all it is your attitude not your aptitude that let you reach the altitude. Our poverty, poor governance, work ethic all depends on the way we brought up and our attitude. I hear that students are getting Civic education. That is not bad. But we all essentially need is positive attitude. We have been copying text books as was designed in other world, Can’t we design a course in elementary school to meet our especial needs? Like maintaining positive attitude to make a change in life. I guess that needs someone with same attitude, i wish someone brought that up.
Zaga, thank you for understanding what I am saying. By the way, the so called civics ofcourse is being given in Ethiopian schools. But I do not feel that it is being given to improve students way of thinking. I have but little knowledge why it has failed. I learn from some of my friends whor are teaching in Universities that most students that are currently coming to the university are unfit. What they have passed through elementary or highschools seem learning this destorted so called Civics. They ask only what they call it ‘thier right’ but totally ignored what their obligation is. Imagine, for a university student it it is ‘his/her right’ to pass an exam wheather or not he/she work it. This is by the way, the kind of so called civics that is being given in Ethiopian schools. Civics in principle is a very essential subject. Still it demands a skilled person how to convey information to students so that students grow being mentally matured. When students mature and develop confindence as early as possible they will spend the rest of their time working on things beyond their surrondings. They still need support by creating very competitive atmospher. If you they pass things easly with out competetion, I hardly see they will perform good when they are exposed to actual world independently. Yet, we need to work on the already existing students too by still letting them know the right way of thinking but encouraging them for success. To speack the truth there is big problem in the current Ethiopian education condition. Very sorry! Unless we can not competer we will have no confidence!
Sorry all the above story actually do nothing with the topic posted here. I just am telling you about the so called Civics in Ethiopia. By way, I have not even understand what the writer wanted to tell us about Engidawork and selam here. He neither mentioned any success in their life nor said some thing informative. Why he posted such topic here? Ok Engidawork and Selam have come to America! What is new? what is special here? He even could not tell us how Engidawork adapted the American style? He only mentioned she adapted the American culture! What is American culture? after all nothing in his story tell any vissionary succes of Engidawork. He even stated some thing that falcify realities. We all passed throught Ethiopian schools on very serious competitions. May be we are one of the most screened students. Books in public schools were also free. I am not sure how it is working today. Ofcourse, there were limitations of resources. That however is not because of the style of America. it is because of the economy differences of the countries. here both countries have same style unless they differ in level of delivering resourcesd. Imagine how much he is destorting realities and may also influence people in such ill mentality. American style I feel has nothing to do with what he mentioned here! Yetereta Chinqilat Yebetachinetun lemedebek Yebelay yemimeslu negerochin Bemezebareq yale ewqet netifo yiqeral.