A Mother's Mission...

During a warm Sunday night in my backyard, my grandmother and I sat down for some wine and conversation. This conversation was actually an interview and I was the interviewer.  During my interview process we spoke in Assyrian. In Iraq, live an estimated 1 million Christians who are ethnically Assyrian. Our community descends from the various Mesopotamian kingdoms that once ruled the area and formed powerful empires in the Fertile Crescent. Iraq was once Assyria, our Christian heritage is ancient. Many Assyrians converted to Christianity as early as the second century A.D. Assyrians define themselves as a broad category of Christian groups speaking Aramaic (the language of Jesus) that includes followers of the Chaldean Catholic Church (in communion with Rome), the Syrian Orthodox Church and the main church which is the Assyrian Apostolic Church of the East. Under various Iraqi governments, particularly those following the British withdrawal in 1945, Christians in Iraq have been politically suppressed.  From this interview you will learn about why she had to leave her homeland, the struggles of being an immigrant in the United States, and about her life 29 years after her migration.

Interview

            I, Victoria Rasho, migrated to the United States of America at the age 45, 29 years ago, in 1980 from Iraq. I was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1935. Initially I came to the United States because education opportunities for my children were extremely limited because they were Christians in Iraq, which is mostly a Muslim dominated country. I wanted the freedom to pursue what I loved rather than what the government chose for my family and I. Additionally, I desired the freedom and opportunity for my children to prosper and learn about the world. Due to discrimination against Christians, the government tried to force their political and religious views on every Christian family in Iraq. From July of 1979 when Saddam Hussein took over Presidency the discrimination got deeper. As soon as I heard about the Iran/Iraq conflict, I quickly made plans to leave this country and move my family to the United States.

My oldest son Romil had already served his time in the Iraqi military but not under Saddam’s regime. Saddam tried to forcefully enlist all Christian males in to the Iraqi Army when the conflict started. I didn’t want both of my sons to serve in this war. I made contact with a distant relative who I heard was working at the American Embassy in Iraq. William David was his name and he was the reason my family made it out before the war started. He was a young Assyrian man in his late 20’s at the time. He was very tall and handsome and a very bright young man who we call “Jwenkah” in Assyrian. His connections with high ranking officials helped get the visas for the whole family. The process took about three months to complete. However that three month process drained every ounce of energy in my body. I took trips to the embassy everyday for three months to see him and workout all the details about each family member. It was a 30 minute bus ride to the embassy from Baghdad. Luckily, I already had my two daughters that were already married and had been living in the Unites States. My daughter, which is my fifth child, Doreen, filed for our families immigration papers after she became a Unites States citizen in 1979.  She moved to the United States after she was married to her husband which had already been in the United States since he was a young boy. She use to send us all the new clothing styles from popular name brands in America along with money every few months. I never agreed with the idea of sending money back because she was married and soon to be taking care of her own children but she did anyway going against my word. Many families arranged their daughters to marry anyone they could find because they wanted money but I never stooped to that level. I made sure the men my daughters married came from a good family and had a stable career so that they could live comfortably.(Note: This was a good example of Small’s, Voyages: From Tongan Villages to American Suburbs, seeing how her daughter sent back money and goods from America to Iraq.)  This time I told her that we are in the process of moving to Chicago and that she had to file for our papers. It only took five months for the paperwork to be reviewed and accepted. At the time it was easier to immigrate but our processing time for our immigration papers was a blessing from God.

Imagine leaving your home, your friends, and everything you know to move halfway around the world. Imagine having to learn a new language, explore a new culture and meet new people. Well it was finally time to leave and there was no turning back. Two days before we left we had shipped out a few items to my daughter in Chicago. The items included quilts, pillows, antique tea pots, picture albums, and my favorite sewing machine. During those last two days all of our neighbors and friends came to wish us success and happiness in America. With them they brought food, gifts, and of course tears and laughter. It was hard on my family and I but this was the sacrifice we had to make in order to have our freedom.

We left Baghdad, Iraq on March 15^th 1980 on a windy Saturday morning. Before we arrived to the United States we made one stop in Holland for about four or five hours, which was actually a nice layover because of the beautiful scenery. My first impression of the United States was that of a surprise. When I arrived in Chicago, Illinois, I was surprised that not many people were walking along the streets most people were driving. In Iraq people walk everywhere and the streets are constantly flooded with people. Furthermore, I was pleased to see how clean and beautiful the streets were, compared to some parts of Iraq. I thought the United States would be a different world. I always pictured romanticism and a completely different way of life when thinking about the United States as a little girl. But it turned out that this country was more similar to my life back home and to reality. When we arrived to our apartment that my daughter had reserved for us, I was amazed to see a melting pot of several different cultures such as African-American’s, Hispanic’s, Greek’s, Jew’s, White’s, all in one complex. That was something we weren’t use to back home. We had always heard news about riots and violent acts back when we were still in Baghdad. It was a middle class neighborhood so we didn’t really worry about any major problems. (Note: Her answer to my question was a perfect example of Crossing the Boulevard because of her description of the complex and its ethnical diversity.)

We encountered several initial challenges as newly arrived immigrants. I didn’t learn English quickly but my children had to, as we didn’t know much when we arrived. We also had to live with very little money. My husband was an electrician and finding work was difficult at first. An experienced electrician in Baghdad made enough money to support a family of eight. Both of my sons worked at a label printing factory to help out with our rent and other expenses. My daughters found secretarial work because of their descent English. I stayed home to cook, clean, wash, etc. Getting to know the customs and getting over our homesickness was also challenging. Overall, we were treated pretty well as immigrants. I noticed the friendly and caring atmosphere immediately. However, we did experience discrimination during the start of the Iran/Iraq War as we were insulted and others threatened us during this period. I have optimistic view of the American political institution. The system is very good because people can freely express their opinions. Freedom of choice, the friendliness of the people, the opportunity, all of it is great. People generally do not bother you here, which is the most important thing. I believe that immigrating to the United States was and still is incredibly rewarding to my family and I. My children have achieved the American Dream, as they call it. We did not have anything, and now we have everything.

My family is grateful that we made our move before it was too late, especially after all of these conflicts with Iraq since the 1990’s. I feel as if I was given a sign by God to start a new life, even if we had to sacrifice the people we loved and our homeland. We still preserve our language and culture by sticking together as a family. My children always come to me for advice about every obstacle they face. We still make our traditional foods from back home but times are changing for my grandchildren. I am afraid that my great grandchildren and generations to come will slowly lose a piece of their cultural values and traditions. I constantly tell all of my grandchildren that when they have children of their own, they should enforce the language and faith because that’s all we have as Assyrians. All of my children have done well for themselves because of their strong personalities and their faith in God. It’s funny that I was the one who brought them here yet I was the last one to receive my citizenship twenty years later. My English is below average and I only know how to write my name and telephone number. I never cared to learn new things and speak fluent English because I only came here for my children’s success and happiness. I spent my whole life protecting my family and making sure they lived the best possible lives.

Baghdad will always be my home but I probably will not live to see it again. Due to the war against these extremist many of our people cannot go back due to the high level of danger. America is paradise and going back to visit would be pointless in my eyes. It would hurt me to see my homeland in shambles. My son in law Sargon Sr. and my oldest son Romil are currently working with the military as linguists on a military base twenty minutes outside of Baghdad near my parent’s hometown of Dora. I have seen many pictures and videos they have brought back and it has brought tears to my eyes because of these horrible images of our hometown torn apart. It truly is sad how such a beautiful country is in total chaos. All I want and hope for is that my grandchildren will take advantage of being natural born citizens and become even more successful than my children. As we say in Assyrian “Alah Rakhmanh’ lah” (which translates to God’s Blessings or God is Kind).

Conclusion

             Now, it has been 29 years since Victoria and her family have been in the U.S., and they are well-settled. When Victoria first came here, she wanted her children to be well educated and to become good American citizens, and she truly believes that these dreams have become realized. In our interview I learned many details in which I was unaware of. My grandmother’s reasons for migrating all revolved around her children. This interview examines many key issues in which we have covered through-out this semester. There was no way of finding a better life in Iraq due to discrimination against Christians. Her family is now American, but at home, they still speak the same language; Assyrian (Modern Aramaic), eat the same food, practice the same holidays and the same religion, but they also celebrate every American holiday such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day.