Journeys An Anthology of Adult Student Writing 2011 Chau Yang, Saint Paul Mission The mission of the Minnesota Literacy Council is to share the power of learning through education, community building, and advocacy. Through this mission, MLC: • Helps adults become self-sufficient citizens through improved literacy. • Helps at-risk children and families gain literacy skills to increase school success. • Strengthens communities by raising literacy levels and encouraging volunteerism. • Raises awareness of literacy needs and services throughout the state. Acknowledgements The Minnesota Literacy Council extends our heartfelt thanks to Elizabeth Bance, Stephen Burgdorf, Katharine Engdahl and Sara Sparrowgrove who have donated their time and talent to the planning, design, editing, and production of this book. Special thanks also to MLC staff Guy Haglund, Allison Runchey, Melissa Martinson and Cathy Grady for helping make Journeys a success. Fi- nally, we are deeply grateful for the generous donation of $500 from Todd and Mimi Burke through the Burke Family Fund in memory of Todd’s late mother. The Minnesota Literacy Council www.theMLC.org 651-645-2277 Hotline: 800-222-1990 700 Raymond Avenue, Suite 180 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114-1404 © 2011 Minnesota Literacy Council, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. ISBN 13: 978-0-9844923-1-2 ISBN 10: 0-9844923-1-3 ii Table of Contents Introduction iv I Am… 1 My Family 23 Traditions and Customs 47 Memories of Home 56 For Those I Love 75 Poetry and Prose 87 Struggles and Decisions 109 Learning and Lessons 130 Hopes and Dreams 154 Index of Authors and Artists 170 Cover Art by Abdir Ahman Samatar, Rochester • Back Cover Art by Vue Xiong,Saint Paul iii Introduction Dear Reader, The following pages are filled with stories by Minnesotans whose voices are rarely heard. Some are immigrants or refugees writing in their second or third language. Others are shar- ing their writing for the first time after years of frustration over their low literacy skills. All of them are improving their lives through education – often along with huge work and family responsibilities. We are grateful these writers have taken the time to share their thoughts and experiences with us in Journeys, the Minnesota Literacy Council’s annual journal of original writing and art- work, now in its 22nd year. The authors represent adult literacy students across the state who are enrolled in reading, English as a Second Language, GED, and basic skills classes. Each one has worked hard over the past year with the help of their teachers and volunteer tutors to be able to share their experiences with you through the written word. Year after year, we call upon learners to submit writing and art for Journeys because we believe it speaks to our mission of sharing the power of learning. It provides a forum for the cre- ative expression of adult learners, a text of authentic learner stories for teachers to use in the classroom, and an acknowledgement of the contributions adult education gives to the larger Minnesota community. When Journeys was born more than two decades ago as a thin stack of stapled pages, we never could have imagined how it appears today: a bound literary journal with nearly 600 writing and drawing submissions. We owe its growth and success to the dedication of volunteers. The 22nd annual anthology would not have been possible without our four interns, Elizabeth Bance, Stephen Burgdorf, Katharine Engdahl and Sara Sparrowgrove, who donated hundreds of hours of their time to producing this book. Thank you for supporting us by purchasing Journeys. I hope you enjoy it. Sincerely, Eric Nesheim Executive Director iv Ming Hai Zheng, Cloquet v Lucy Brown, Hugo vi - Journeys 2011 I Am... Glad for the Animals of the U.S.A. Oo Thundarah, Saint Paul My name is Oo Thun Darah. I am from a Thailand refugee camp, but I am originally from the Karen State of Burma. I came to the United States on April 29, 2008. At that time, I didn’t know anything about America. I was scared to go outside because the people here showed their hands and said hello to me. I didn’t know how to say anything back to them. I only worried about that. One day, my friend took me to Phalen Lake. I saw many birds and many squirrels play- ing in the trees. I felt happy to see them and to smell fresh air. I wondered why were they not scared of the humans? “Why are they tame with humans?” I asked my friend. He said, “All the animals here are free. Nobody can hunt them. If you hunt them here, you could get in trouble. If you want to hunt, you need to have a license. You can hunt them many places where the government allows.” That is what I dreamed before when I lived in my country. I thought about the animals. I wanted them to be free. But that was only my dream. The reason why I thought that was because I had to run from bad situations many times with my people. So I didn’t want them to run away from us, like we had to run away from the military. When we began to settle down in the jungle, we heard many kinds of birds singing and many kinds of animals calling in the mountains. After one year, I didn’t hear the birds sing or the call from the animals on the mountains. I felt sorry about that. Sometimes, I thought to myself, about how we ran away from soldiers and now the animals run away from us. Maybe they thought we were a bad situation for them to. We were not fair with them. But we are the humans. We need to sympathize with them. If I were a person who has the power, I would give them freedom. That is what I dreamed before. It never happened like my thoughts, but it really did hap- pen in America. I am really glad for the animals here, but I will always feel sad for the animals in my country. Oo Thun Darah has been a student at Lao Family English School in St. Paul since July of 2008. Earlier in his life he lived in Burma, where he was born in 1967. He became a Buddhist monk because of his interest in peaceful existence for all creatures, as evidenced in his Journeys story. He is deeply concerned with suffer- ing, whether that of a human being or any other living thing. I Am... - 1 Story About My Life and said come to the interview. When I went there I Nhia Thor, Saint Paul met a woman and a man and they asked me many questions. Mostly I didn’t understand because I never I was born in Xiengkhouang, Laos. When I was a went to school for English. I only know how to read child, I liked to run, play with my neighbor kids and I and write my language, Somali. I remember the last loved to draw. I was a good drawer in school. I came to question she asked me was what time are you available the United States of America in 2008 from my native to begin work, and I didn’t understand. I will never country of Laos. I came to this country through mar- forget that day. Anytime I see Saint Mary’s Hospital, rying an American citizen. My muscular, handsome I remember I have never had a good job since I came husband is Gary. We were married in June 2009. I to the United States. I am a very hard worker, but my don`t have any children yet and I don`t plan to have luck has never sent me a good job. any children until I finish school. I live in Saint Paul, Seven months later we moved Minneapolis and Minnesota. I like my place and my neighbors because my wonderful sister got married. When we came to they are nice but I don`t like some of the neighbors’ Minnesota my sister found Hawthorne Education teenage kids because they smoke and they wear baggy Center and she said to me, “You have to go to school clothes and their pants hang way below their butts. because without education, life is very hard.” So I That makes them walk like ducks. Every day, I go to started Hawthorne Education Center, and I am very work and go to school. I like to go running around happy because I can read, write, and understand now. Lake Phalen and go bowling and I like to dance. I My life is better than before and I say to every teach- love to learn and I believe in education. I`m learning er in Hawthorne thanks because they are wonderful English and I want to improve my English skills. My teachers. I will study and one day have my chance. goal is to finish college and have a good paying job so I can help my family and relatives back home in Laos. Anisa Hersi is originally from Somalia. Nhia Thor is 22 years old and is originally from Laos. My Story Fardowsa Ahmed, Minneapolis My name is Fardowsa. I am from Somalia. I live in When I Came to America Minneapolis, Minnesota. When I was younger my Anisa Hersi, Rochester country was fighting. Then my family and I went to Kenya. I missed a lot of my friends. Some died. That My name is Anisa Ishak. I was born in Mogadishu, day was sad for me. After two years I came to America.