Bain students appreciate warm USA welcome

In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, people chat about what they are thankful for. Family, friends, jobs and health often top the list. On Tuesday, the English Language Learners (ELL) at Hugh B. Bain Middle School celebrated a special Thanksgiving dinner, sharing what they were thankful for this year. For many this marks their very first Thanksgiving.

“The students are so excited about this Thanksgiving dinner,” said Sheila Hopkins, one of the ELL teachers in the program.

The group of students is widely diverse, hailing from 21 countries and speaking 14 different native languages, and each is working hard in school to learn English as their second language.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal was made possible by donations from Aramark, Shaws, Stop & Shop and Dave's Market and support from Gerry Auth at the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC) and the Culinary Arts program, which cooked the turkeys.

“Our administration has also been so supportive,” said Hopkins

During the event, students shared the range of memories and emotions from their journeys. They are thankful to be here, where opportunities abound that did not exist in the countries they left. Sidra Tobal Hamo, from Turkey, has been in the United States for four months.

“My family and I went to the airport and I felt strange. I was happy and scared at the same time,” she said. “We were on the plane 10 hours until we got to the USA to begin our new life. My life in Turkey was so volatile. I am happy now because my life has changed for the better.”

Haneen Alsuwaidani, 9, and her family walked two hours to get from Syria to Jordan.

“I don't like to remember what happened to me in the past,” she said. “Right now I am living in America and I am really happy with my life and I enjoy my school and my teacher.”

Several students spoke about the mixed emotions they had leaving friends and family behind for a new country.

The night before he left Liberia, Jeremiah Williams told his friends that he was leaving and would not be back.

“They didn't know I was going to America. When they found out, they got sad,” he said. “When I was getting on the plane I started to cry because I knew I would never see my country again until I became a grownup. When I got on the plane I was so nervous I started to quiver. My dad held my hands and said, ‘Don't be nervous, God will protect us from evil,’ and I wasn't nervous anymore. When we arrived in New York City, I said to myself, 'Welcome to America. Then I looked around. Everything was different, the roads were paved, the light stayed on. That day was important to me because it was the beginning of my life.”

Cristian Urrego Gomez had to say goodbye to his friends in Colombia as well, but he was excited for his 2015 journey because he was going to be meeting family in New York City that he hadn't seen in more than a decade.

“For a lot of people going to the United States it could be just a dream, but for me it wasn't just a dream, it was more than that,” he said. “I was in my house anxiously getting ready to go to the airport when my friends called me. They wanted me to go play soccer with them. After we finished the game some of my friends felt so sad, they started to cry. Then when we landed at the airport, the pilot said, ‘Welcome to the United States’...I was so tired after a five-hour flight but I was happy as well. That day was like a new start for my life.”

Many students in the program were thankful for the ability to access healthcare.

“I am so happy that I have the freedom to go to the doctor because I couldn't do that in my country,” said Luis Guzman Canderlario.

The ELL program at Bain, including Hopkins, Mary Colannino, Corey King, Kerrie Lapierre on the Dream Team of seventh and eighth grade students, and with Sue Dean and Keo Phrathep on the Rhode Island Red Team of sixth graders. Their warmth and dedication they show to their students was evidence as a large number of students said they were thankful for their education, their teachers and the ability to be able to attend school safely, without fear.

“My family is happy we came here and are going to school," said Jennifer Santana Navarro. "I have some very good teachers and I am glad I am talking, making friends.”

Raul Poz Palma of Guatemala was also thankful for his education.“It's better here for a good education,” he said. “There are computers and technology here. There we didn't have books.”

Jose Dias, who moved here from the Dominican Republic, agreed.“I'm grateful for my education because of the teachers. They are always happy, they come here on good days and bad days, they teach us to learn and to be mature.”

Luz Marie said, “I am thankful because I have a family, I have good friends and an education here in the United States.”

It was the welcome from this country that impressed Axel Freulon of France, most of all.

“We are welcomed here in the United States,” he said.