Our Stories

Pictured on the right here is my mother. People say we look alike, but sometimes I don’t see it. Her name is Maria Rienah Reyes Rouse. However, she prefers to be called Rienah. My mother is an immigrant from Cebu, Philippines. She is here today because she met my father through mutual friends online during the late 1990’s. Through extensive emails and letters, they decided to meet and get married. After a few months living together in the Philippines, they moved to my father’s home in Durham, North Carolina.

My mother wanted to move to America to have a better life; her family was in poverty and she was abused as a child. Her grandmother wanted what was best for her and highly encouraged her to move. Thankfully, she chose to. She wanted to have a secure job and a family to take care of. She wanted true happiness.

Upon arriving, my mother didn’t really know how to speak English; she only knew what was taught in school. This was one of several barriers when she tried to adjust to the “American Lifestyle”. Her first job was at Subway, which didn’t end too well because she decided to quit after someone (probably her manager) stole her jewelry…

I asked her if she liked living in America. She said, “Of course I do. I have you, dad, and our two little birds. Life couldn’t be better. Though, I wish we had more money haha,” But then she brought up another interesting point about America. She said, “I also wish there wasn’t a lot of violence here… The government, who are the people, treat others so unfairly. I appreciate you doing what you do at school. More people need to understand the problems.”

Overall, my mother appreciates living in America, but she doesn’t appreciate the stereotypes that America had (like it being the “dream land”) before arriving. I’m not sure if her discovering this stigma would have impacted her decision to move, but I’m glad she’s here. She is my mother after all.

Perver Baran often remembers her hometown of Istanbul, Turkey; back where she could wander freely from town to town, watching the colorful eyes of street lamps sparkling and the neon street signs shouting while making small talk on a metro in the late hours of the night. She remembers the sound of children laughing in the park as the warm summer air melted worries and ice cream into the earth and people embraced the blanket of darkness that the night brought with it as the moon rocked back and forth in the sky. The cars always arguing for space on the road, and the busy hustle and bustle of people, crammed together like sardines and buzzing to each other like bees always brought a smile to her face. Although her city was flooded with people, it felt more like a garden; each person like a plant, down to earth and humble. Just like plants, the roots of each person intertwined together, making everyone feel like family and friends. Homesickness was an illness she had yet to experience, her friends and family just a short bus ride away, always ready to chat while sipping warm tea on an even warmer night. But after she came to the US, walking into cafes with friends and sitting and talking for hours suddenly became replaced with being ushered out of her seat for taking too long to eat. Her long walks in the park were replaced with an early retirement to her home as the lights in the city all close their eyes. Her daily short strolls were replaced with short excursions in her car, as she is dependent on this metal machine for survival in this land filled only with roads. Friendly strangers are now replaced with people full of icy stares and rude comments. Constantly called out for being different, she often struggles to feel connected, like she once did in her botanical city. Homesickness is now a common illness for her, only masked by a yearly visit and the electronic phone calls she makes. However, she feels no regrets and no remorse. She came here for the man she loved and embraced her new home and the many new experiences and people that it brought. Despite all the differences she has experienced, she has learned to love this country just as she loved her last.

Josef Walter Neuhofer, my grandfather passed away March 29, 2016, he had a harsh upcoming and here is his story. Born in Stadl Pauer, Austria, September 24, 1936, he was the fourth of seven children. His father owned a lumber company in the town and was the wealthiest man in Stadl Pauer. The fact that his father was very wealthy allowed my grandfather to leave Austria, to work on a cruise ship as a first-class steward. It was on this cruise ship where he learned English and was eventually was hired by his eventual first man, to work as a salesman at Plasser and Theurer, a small railroad equipment manufacturer. He came to America after a short while back in the Austrian branch, to Virginia Beach, VA. It was here he made his home and met his wife, my grandmother and one my best friends. In Virginia, he was asked to lead the Plasser American Corporation, a company that today is worth millions of dollars. Josef was given multiple awards by the Austrian government for successful life and business development, however; he refused to go back to Austria to accept these awards because he didn’t want to leave his new home and his striving business. This task was not an easy one though, the company was hit with corruption, cleaning staff and a close call with bankruptcy. He found guidance through God and he said this to me around 4 months before his passing, “God put you on this earth, don’t waste what he did for you. You will always find a way to solve your problems”. I know this quote sounds cheesy but, it has stuck with me. I feel more responsible for my actions and realize now because he’s gone I can find a way like he did to America. I called him Opa, which is German for grandfather. Opa loved this country, more than I think anyone else did. He was born and raised in Austria, America was his home though.

When Camil Samaha moved from Lebanon in October 1983, his country was amidst a civil war. He came to America looking for safety in a time of distress, and he came without looking back. At just fourteen years old, he enrolled himself at Broughton High School in Raleigh, and devoted his time to learning his third language after French and Arabic, English. His dad wasn’t able to leave his job in Europe, and his mom split her time between Europe, Lebanon, and the United States, so Camil and his siblings often had to fend for themselves. In order to pay for food and rent, he got his first job at a pizza parlor at the age of fifteen. Throughout high school, Camil balanced school, work, and keeping up with his family far and wide, and was immensely successful in all respects. Camil attended North Carolina State University after high school, and received both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Science. Alongside his graduate studies, Camil also worked tirelessly towards earning his United States citizenship in the late 1980’s. While working in Washington, DC at his first real job, he met and fell in love with his future wife, Kathryn. Later, with the help of his brother, he created his own Information Technology Company in North Carolina called Intrex. In 2017, Camil has sold his business and become a senior manager at Amazon back in the DC Area. He and Kathryn also have two children, named Julia and Joseph. Despite all that Camil has been through, he goes through life with a smile, and is genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met. I am truly lucky that Mr. Samaha is an American, because had he not been, I would have never known his daughter Julia, who is one of my closest friends. He never took the easy route, and with hard work and dedication, Camil was able to become successful in every sense of the word.