{"id":353,"date":"2017-05-26T16:09:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T16:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/?p=353"},"modified":"2018-07-16T12:05:22","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T18:05:22","slug":"coming-to-america-reluctantly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/coming-to-america-reluctantly\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming to America, Reluctantly"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-353\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-353-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-353-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-353-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-353-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/ruben_Iraqi.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/ruben_Iraqi.mp3\">https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/ruben_Iraqi.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-353-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-353-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-353-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><strong>By Ruben Kimmelman<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rawdhah Al Salihi was scared to come to the United States. The 49-year-old Iraqi immigrant had seen movies depicting Americans as mean and unpleasant. Some experiences she and others had with U.S. soldiers led to similar conclusions. When death threats forced her to flee her country, Al Salihi was reluctant about making the United States her home. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But all that changed when Al Salihi walked into a Denver &nbsp;IHOP.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe first day in the United States, was like 9 in the morning, we came here to the IHOP and everybody was welcoming and everybody was, \u2018Hi guys how are you doing?\u2019 And, it was wonderful,\u201d Al Salihi said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, many of Al Salihi\u2019s perceptions of the United States have completely changed. As a case manager at the Northern Nevada International Center, Al Salihi uses her experiences from her own journey to help newly arrived refugees and immigrants. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI encourage them to start all over again,\u201d Al Salihi said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Al Salihi is from Baghdad, Iraq. She fled in 2006 after receiving a series of death threats, which she believes were a result of her work with the U.S. Agency for International Development. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though her husband was American, Al Salihi first fled to Sweden, because she was hesitant to come to the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cYou built this knowledge from interaction with the army, so it\u2019s different than when you interact now, with the people, the American people, they are very nice people,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She initially wondered how friends and family would react to her move, based on their opinions of Americans and U.S. soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the movies, which depict the U.S. as a country of \u201crape,\u201d \u201cdrugs,\u201d \u201cgangs\u201d and burglary, Al Salihi said, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">there were other reasons behind these negative opinions of Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got a lot of friend and family accidentally hit and shot by the American army,\u201d Al Salihi said. \u201cI'm telling to everybody now, when I see the generosity of American people, just separate the power, or the politic, from the normal people in, in the States, they are very, very nice people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-353-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-353-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p>After receiving a death threat through e-mail in Iraq, Al Salihi was motivated to hire a driver to keep her safe during her commute. After just a few weeks of driving, the chauffeur resigned due to intimidation and being forced to relay another death threat to Al Salihi.<\/p>\n<p>Al Salihi flew across the border to Jordan to live with her sister for two months. She returned to Iraq only to receive yet another death threat in the mail \u2014 a bullet wrapped in a threatening note. The letter advised her to leave the country within three days.<\/p>\n<p>Al Salihi knew she had to leave for her safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have a money, if you have anything in the world, but you are not safe, it doesn't mean anything for you,\u201d Al Salihi said.<\/p>\n<p>She headed to Sweden, where she lived in a refugee camp for three months, sharing a room with an Eritrean woman and a Somali woman.<\/p>\n<p>Al Salihi came to the U.S. for the first time in 2009 for three months on a temporary visa. She eventually returned to Sweden, but was later approved for a green card to relocate to the United States in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>She remembers arriving in Denver, where a U.S. Customs and Border officer said to her, \u201cWelcome home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The interaction would leave an impression on her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like still in my mind, and \u2018Welcome home.\u2019 It\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That greeting and her first experience at the Denver IHOP continues to shape her view of America today. &nbsp;Every Saturday, she and her family go to the restaurant, where they sit in the same booth and the waiters already know what they\u2019ll order \u2014 no pork, only turkey bacon.<\/p>\n<p>Al Salihi claims to be hooked on the French vanilla creamer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful, it\u2019s like a family,\u201d she said. \u201cYeah, I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-353-1-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-353-1-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-353-1-2-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-491 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DSC_0036-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"413\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DSC_0036-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DSC_0036-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DSC_0036-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DSC_0036-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rawdhah Al Salihi,&nbsp;49, talked about her first days in the United States on Tuesday, May 23, 2017&nbsp;. She wore a new necklace for the first time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her 7-year-old son, Jacob Hasenhohrl asked her to purchase the necklace, as well as a matching one for him to wear, from a gift shop on the USS Hornet during a recent trip to Alameda, California. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The necklace is half of a broken heart, incorporating the American flag. Jacob, who was born in Sweden and is a dual citizen, wears a similar necklace adorned with the heart\u2019s other half. <\/span><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Iraqis ask \"Why you are helping them? Why you work with our enemy?\" says Rawdhah who says her <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAID\">@USAID<\/a> work led to death threats <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/nextgenradio?src=hash\">#nextgenradio<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lHuXxM4zhc\">pic.twitter.com\/lHuXxM4zhc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ruben Kimmelman (@R_Kimmelman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/R_Kimmelman\/status\/867526285618106368\">May 24, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-353-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-353-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-353-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-slider panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-slider so-widget-sow-slider-default-6d39609536fd-353\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sow-slider-base\" style=\"display: none\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sow-slider-images\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-settings=\"{&quot;pagination&quot;:true,&quot;speed&quot;:800,&quot;timeout&quot;:8000,&quot;paused&quot;:false,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:false,&quot;swipe&quot;:true,&quot;nav_always_show_desktop&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nav_always_show_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;breakpoint&quot;:&quot;780px&quot;,&quot;unmute&quot;:false,&quot;anchor&quot;:null}\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-anchor-id=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t>\t\t<li class=\"sow-slider-image\" style=\"visibility: visible;\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2328\" height=\"1552\" src=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1.jpg\" class=\"sow-slider-background-image\" alt=\"Al Salihi In A Booth\" style=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1.jpg 2328w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi1-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2328px) 100vw, 2328px\" \/>\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"sow-slider-image\" style=\"visibility: hidden;\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2328\" height=\"1552\" src=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2.jpg\" class=\"sow-slider-background-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2.jpg 2328w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi2-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2328px) 100vw, 2328px\" \/>\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"sow-slider-image\" style=\"visibility: hidden;\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2328\" height=\"1552\" src=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3.jpg\" class=\"sow-slider-background-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3.jpg 2328w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi3-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2328px) 100vw, 2328px\" \/>\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"sow-slider-image\" style=\"visibility: hidden;\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2328\" height=\"1552\" src=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4.jpg\" class=\"sow-slider-background-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4.jpg 2328w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\r\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/AlSalihi4-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2328px) 100vw, 2328px\" \/>\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul>\t\t\t\t<ol class=\"sow-slider-pagination\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"#\" data-goto=\"0\" 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href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?via=nextgenradio\" class=\"twitter-share-button\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rawdhah Al Salihi was scared to come to the United States. When death threats forced her to flee her native country &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"coauthors":[12],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reno2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}