Marcella Rahmon’s Story
As retold by Janasia Thomas-Gant
The Move: Part One
My mom is crying and embracing this familiar man
My father
It’s noisy
I look around
There are suitcases everywhere
This isn’t Palestine anymore
It’s warmer in Palestine
No color-changing leaves
I’m told that I’m in Toronto, Canada
At the new place there will be people like me
Other 6 year olds who have been in this position before
Hell Around Me
Arriving at the new home with old furniture
A huge change for me
My dad bought a Faygo Red Pop
Tasted like heaven
Compared to the hell that surrounded me
My bed smelled of urine
The darkness that clouded the room
The same darkness that now clouded my insides
The French girl across the hall will get me
Who knows what that friendship could be
“Home”
Realizing Charlotte, my new French friend
Went back to France with her family
Now 45 Greencrest
I mean “home”
Felt a little less “home” again
School is tomorrow
I can only guess how my day will turn out
Feeling of isolation got deeper
Alone
Cold weather
Feeling alone
I feel aloof
No one understood me at school
My words
My feelings
I ate lunch alone
The smells of my hometown foods made me stand out
Not in the way I like
That’s why I spent my first few years in silence
No words
No socializing
The Library
Everyday just felt tougher
I wanted to make the best of this
A refugee library
Where I found my inner peace
The librarian didn’t treat me different
In the library
I mattered
In the library
This feeling of isolation begin to release
The Move: Part Two
Leaving Toronto
Leaving my growth
Friends
Comfort
The idea of reality left behind
Being in Flint, Michigan
A move forward
While I was traveling back in time
I had comfort in Canada
This unfair decision
Just as tough as the first one
Feeling of isolation
Had build back up
Lost & Found
Lost
My cousins and Aunt Nadia may make the move easier
They didn’t
I felt alone
Back into silence for a year
My red 10-speed
My escape from feelings
I found my way to the public library
My safe spot
Where my mind felt clear.
I Will Stay
Everything felt better
My isolation
Self-imposed at this point
I made friends
I developed crushes
I found my way
I think about the “what-ifs” of Palestine
All the things I’m missing
With this life I am building
Flint is where I will stay.
Kind Note to the World:
I hope one day that I and other people who have gone through what I’ve gone through can be accepted and tolerated. We are all one human family. Just think of all the things we, immigrants, lost: Our families, our language, our peers. Be more empathetic. We, immigrants, bring a lot to the table.
Please don’t be afraid to partner with us, to reach out to us. Let’s just help one another. Let’s make one another better. That’s all I want. That’s all we as a human race need. Love.
-Janasia Thomas-Gant
This story originally appeared in Facing College: Immigrant & International Students’ Stories, a publication of The Facing Project that was organized by Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan.