Immigrant Voices Podcast Project

George dreamed of coming to the U.S. to further his education as a young man, but Lebanese politics got in the way of a student visa. When he was married with children, a family health crisis brought him to the U.S. for 5 months in 2018. The catastrophic explosion in Beirut in the summer of 2021 caused him to leave his life in Lebanon behind and resettle his family permanently in Boston. They arrived in at the height of the pandemic. Their first apartment was one-quarter the size of their Beirut house. Starting with no furnishings save a mattress on the floor, George slowly made a new home and a new life for himself and his family. 

Open to adventure and romance, at the age of 21, Milsy decided to leave the Dominican Republic to join her boyfriend in the United States. “Why not?” she said, and got her passport and visa. Within a year of her arrival, they married. When the relationship fell apart, Milsy was left to support herself and her daughter to start her life over again. Even though she had volunteered to help her Spanish-speaking community, she soon realized she needed paying work. And a better command of the English language. From house cleaner to floral arranger, to restaurant worker to teacher's helper, her fluency grew as she balanced work, parenting, and her continued commitment as a volunteer. Now enrolled in college, Milsy is pursuing her dream of becoming a paraprofessional/teacher's assistant. She's gaining experience managing the childcare program for children of parents attending the adult ESOL program at the Gardner.    

Pay for teaching at a private school in Guatemala barely brought in enough money for Rudi to support himself. And certainly not enough to repay his parents for the sacrifices they had made for him. Instead, he decided to join his sister in the States to better his circumstances and be able to send money to his parents. Once here, he learned the plumbing and construction trades with dreams of starting his own construction business. Rudi is determined to find the best balance between career and family while improving his English. A devoted father and husband, Rudi is looking forward to using his recently earned U.S. passport to travel with his small family.

With poor prospects for college or broadening her horizons, Irani left her family farm in a remote part of Brazil in 1994 to join her brother and sister in the States. Her initial plan was to earn money and return to Brazil to buy a home there. Plans changed when she met her husband and settled into a busy life in Boston, eventually starting her own cleaning company. Caring for three children and running a full-time business left her little time to learn English, but she persevered. Her homeowner dreams have changed continents, especially after becoming a naturalized U.S. Citizen, an accomplishment she and her family are proud of.

Since his elementary school days in Turkey, Remzi's passion for history, geography, and meeting people worldwide has never ceased. In his early 20s, he befriended American GIs stationed in Turkey to practice his English. His career as a professional tour guide took off as he showed them the historical sites of his country. Lifelong friendships between Remzi and his tourists led him to visit and eventually move to the States in 2009. I consider Remzi an ambassador for peace because he brings together people from many different countries and cultures. Living in the U.S. seven months of the year, he spends his summer guiding tours in Turkey. I caught up with him for this interview while he was still in Istanbul.

As a teenager and bait for gang recruitment, Pedro reluctantly fled El Salvador. This young father had to leave his wife and newborn son to seek asylum in the U.S., only to find himself ten years later deported. With his life threatened by gangs and his desperate need to return to his growing family in Boston, Pedro escaped El Salvador a second time. Arrested at the border, he was sent to a Tacoma, Washington, detention facility. Against all odds, Pedro won his release. Pedro's story is a testimony to his resilience, passion for this country, optimism, and determination not only in the face of life-threatening gangs but also his intrepid desire to increase his English vocabulary word by word.

On course to become a graphic designer in her native country, Xiomara decided instead to join her husband, Pedro. He had escaped to the U.S. to avoid the violence and pressures local gangs in El Salvador exerted on young men. Leaving the familiar with no sense of what was facing her and unable to speak English, she and her young son Francisco came to this country in 2007. Working in a nursing home's laundry with Brazilian immigrants did little to further her English acquisition. Slowly, with increasing confidence, she could speak and be understood enough in English to help her father grow his moving company. Now, as the business's office manager, she writes quotes and invoices, administers customer concerns, arranges schedules, and works with people in transition from around the world.    

A few months after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Archange, a trained and certified accountant but jobless, left Haiti to join his sister in the U.S. His journey here started a more extensive personal and professional journey in his new home. Working first as a supermarket clerk and personal shopper, he earned money to bring his wife and children here. Still working, he attended multiple schools to learn English and to train to become a nurse's assistant. While his English improved steadily, he became a U.S. citizen. After taking more than 40 courses to satisfy prerequisites, he has been accepted into a nurse's training program in the fall of 2022. Ambitious, compassionate, and patient, Archange exemplifies the drive and resilience I have seen in many immigrants. His determination to make a new life and thrive in the process is unstoppable no matter the obstacles.   

An enterprising and resilient teenager in Vietnam, Jenny learned the art of sewing, creating stylish clothing for herself, her family, and her neighbors. Two more careers unfolded before marrying and coming to the U.S. at 30. Once here, this energetic, intelligent woman struggled through culture shock to gain enough English and confidence to make her way to a fourth career and a happy life. With her children in school, Jenny dreams of opening her own salon one day. Multi-talented, it's clear that Jenny's greatest passion and success are built around her love of connecting with people.

At an early age, William had dreams of growing buildings instead of the crops that his parents raised on their rural farm in Guatemala. In the 90s, as an 18-year-old, he came to the United States to widen his horizons and pursue his goals. Once here, he moved from restaurant worker to landscaper, handyman helper, and eventually became a licensed general contractor. William did all this while raising a family and becoming fluent in English beyond the few phrases gained from tourist books and audiotapes. A successful entrepreneur, William has more work than he can handle, and yet he has found that often elusive balance between professional and personal goals. 

After the government threatened her livelihood as a trained social worker who championed the homeless, mentally ill, and gay population in a small Colombian town, 24-year-old Sandra sought asylum in the U.S. She soon found work in the restaurant industry, providing enough flexibility to care for her growing family and learn English. Still, she yearned to resume her chosen profession. Eventually, a volunteer position at a long-term facility filled the gap and reawakened her dreams. Last year Sandra earned certification as a nurse's assistant in geriatrics and she now works full time, fulfilling her passion there. Sandra is grateful for every step along the way that led her to her new life.

Exposed to the United States through Hollywood films, Yongxing developed a craving for all things American. When a business trip brought him here for the first time, his infatuation with our country grew into a full-blown romance, and he decided to relocate. After obtaining green cards for himself, his wife, and his daughter six years ago, his dream was about to come true. His daughter preceded him to do her high school years in Maryland. At the same time, Yongxing stayed in China to bolster his finances. Three years ago, Yongxing burnt his bridges behind him to start a new life in this country. Unable to speak or understand English, he immersed himself in the language. His studies intensified during the pandemic attending 20-25 online English courses a week. You'll hear how Yongxing's optimism and determination carried him over the most unexpected and challenging part of his immigrant journey.  

Now In his mid-20s, Caio came to this country from Brazil with his parents when he was four years old. Although he has siblings still in Brazil, he hasn't met them. Even though with the help of technology, he has grown up with them, it is not the same. Caio is a Dreamer—a very accomplished, educated, inner-directed young man with lofty goals yet with his feet planted firmly on the ground of reality. Mature beyond his years, he has had to live with uncertainty about his future status. Ever anxious about his parents' welfare, over the years, he has assumed the role of interpreter, legal counsel, and financial advisor for them. Despite shouldering so much weight and responsibility, Caio is an optimist with an excellent sense of humor who puts anyone at ease. 

As she looked back over her thirteen years as an immigrant in the U.S., Maria's biggest regret after leaving Guatemala and walking through a desert filled with venomous snakes, not enough food and water, was the good-byes she never said to friends and family. Especially family members now separated by death—her grandparents. Denied a visa, at twenty, Maria risked the journey here to join her brother and reunite with the “love of her life.” Three children later, and still happily married, she had been right to follow her heart. Haunted by the death of those she will never see again, she remains undeterred as she pursues a career in Early Childhood Education while balancing her roles as mother and student to keep her family healthy and strong.

Curious to experience life abroad and improve their finances, Aleide and her husband Adson—whose interview was one of the first in this series—decided to emigrate to the United States from Brazil in 2007. Their twin daughters were in college, old enough to take care of themselves, and so the couple's living-abroad-adventure began. Filled with an entrepreneurial streak, Aleide soon started her own house cleaning business endearing herself to clients who quickly became her friends. Despite the strong roots the couple grew during their fourteen years in the U.S., their hearts were pulling them back to Brazil. This interview is in two parts. Aleide's life here in Boston and then just a few days before her tear-filled departure back to her homeland. The flute music you hear in the background is by Aleide's devoted husband, Adson. 

Ever since receiving her green card hours before the travel ban in 2017, Sarah is able to navigate between two worlds. With her residency card and on a path for citizenship, she can still visit family left behind in Iran while residing in the U.S. Working as a pediatrician in Iran for over 25 years, Sarah witnessed the cultural/religious revolution that set her beloved country back 1000 years. She dons the hajib when she arrives in Iran and then sheds it once she puts her feet back on U.S soil. A lifetime learner, Sarah has reached a fluency in English that is remarkable. Even though she considers herself retired from the work world, her thirst for knowledge never stops. During the pandemic, she enrolled in various online courses in everything from English to yoga. Libraries, community centers, whatever is available to learn more, Sarah steps up to the task. A lover of music, she hopes to learn how to play the santur, the Iranian instrument you hear in the background.

Out of economic need and a desire to improve his family's lifestyle, Geraldo and his wife arrived in the United States with their youngest son and a ten-year visa. Despite his college education in law and experience in banking, Geraldo rolled up his sleeves to clean houses and restaurants. As the years passed, learning English became a driving force for Geraldo. When the visa expired, they risked uncertain immigrant status to continue their lives in the U.S. Thanks to today's technology Geraldo and his wife connect daily with family members they left behind in Brazil. Still, it's a connection that can never replace the too-long delayed joy of hugging the grandchildren he has never met. Determined to expand his world beyond the local Brazilian community, Geraldo founded a home maintenance, cleaning, and handyman LLC business. An established entrepreneur, Geraldo boasts over 25 clients, continually expanding his offerings while ever mindful to keep his work life and family life in balance.

In their search for political asylum, Yenny and her children escaped Venezuela in 2015 to make their way to the United States. Unable to speak or understand English but with a determination to master the language, Yenny approached the task with the same vigor she had called on to earn her university accounting degree and her commitment as an academic tutor to adults while in Venezuela. Language acquisition became her major goal while at the same time pursuing all channels to earn a living. During the pandemic she pooled her talents, including her musical abilities, to create instructional videos to teach Spanish online to children. As you listen to her story, you will be amazed at how much English she has acquired in such a short time. I caught up with Yenny by phone after the pandemic was well underway. At that time, resilient as ever, she was already teaching online and delivering packages for Amazon. The music you're hearing at the start of this introduction is a tiny sampling of Yenny's playing as she joined in a family celebration.

With poor job prospects, and feeling unsafe in her native country, Adriane decided to leave Brazil and follow her mother and brother to the states in 2003. Crossing the border from Mexico into Texas proved a challenge, especially the last three days without food and water, a place to sleep, and only a trash bag to keep her dry during a major downpour. Crowded in a van with 11 other Brazilians she made her way to Boston in borrowed men's clothing—her height demanded it—and she fell into the arms of her mother who had sold her car to finance her daughter's trip. A dishwasher by day at Legal Seafoods, Adriane would return at night to clean the restaurant. From there housekeeping jobs began. Today in business for herself, Adriane has more than 30 loyal customers —a thriving business that employs several workers. In 2019 Adriane became a U.S. Citizen and is a proud and grateful American.        

When the events of 9/11, 2001 caused the U.S. to cancel all visas to Myanmar, Soe Soe reapplied. Her urgent goal was to come to Boston to join family members already settled in the States. She needed to help her ailing father and give her younger sister a hand with the care of her first born child. In 2002, Soe Soe succeeded and traveled here with an older sister whose hearing impairment prevented her from getting work. Not only did Soe Soe become a major caretaker for her family in her new country, but she also worked three part-time jobs outside her home.  Eventually she began to learn English and through a fortuitous connection with a new friend from Burma, Soe Soe parlayed her Burmese University training as an accountant into a job at a Boston bank where she still works today. Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2008, she has returned to her native country numerous times to connect with the relatives she left behind. 

In a search for a better life and to escape violence and the oppression she felt as a young woman in Guatemala, Blanca and her husband decided to pursue the American Dream. They left their two young children in the care of her mother-in-law and started out for this country on January first 14 years ago. After many delays in Mexico and a loss of money spent on disappearing smugglers, they made it across the border two months later. Unable to speak English, devoid of friends and family, they made a humble beginning. Blanca took on three housecleaning jobs working from 8 a.m. to midnight and her husband found work in construction. After eight years working for others, all the while trying to improve her English, Blanca started her own cleaning company. She now employs two other workers. Never forgetting her humble beginnings, Blanca hopes to expand her staff by offering a helping hand to newly arriving immigrants in search of work. This recording took place first as an initial phone conversation about the coronavirus followed a few days later as a regular podcast episode. 

Raised on a farm in poverty in Honduras, the youngest of seven siblings, Silvia’s prospects for bettering her life were slim. One sister had already emigrated to the United States and Silvia at the age of nineteen decided to follow. Along her treacherous journey, in the midst of traveling on trains and buses and for the most part walking and walking, she discovered once she reached Mexico that she was pregnant. Her choice was to return back to Honduras or continue on toward the U.S. border and face a life in a foreign country as a single parent. Resilient and courageous, after one month of traveling, Silvia reached her sister and started her life over again. She found work, she gave birth to her precious daughter, and she began to learn English. Today Silvia provides a safe and secure home for her small family, and is a proud member of the Gardner Pilot Academy Adult Immigrant learners community.  

When her marriage fell apart, Gloria decided to answer her brother's invitation to emigrate to the U.S. from Brazil with her two small girls. She needed to start her life over again. The prospect of staying in Brazil with her mother whose child-rearing philosophy was in conflict with Gloria's was not an option.So Gloria took the leap, letting fate decide if the pieces for her move fell into place without a major struggle. Her visa came through and an apartment opened up in her brother's building in Boston. So whatever obstacles might have kept her in Brazil melted away. She soon discovered that paying rent and getting her girls into good schools wasn't going to be easy. She started her house cleaning business Nice and Easy Cleaning Service. That's when she encountered the people she would call her earth angels who became part of her adopted family. Most of this interview was recorded just before 2020 lockdown when Gloria and I were able to meet in person. I caught up with her later by telephone to get her take on living through this pandemic. And you'll hear a few minutes from that conversation.  

On a quest for adventure, Lelys traveled to Spain from Venezuela in 2016. An accomplished language teacher of Portuguese and Italian, her career plan A was to make her living in Europe teaching languages. That’s when she met her Spanish husband to be—a long time Bostonian— on vacation in Madrid. The couple’s bond soon grew into a decade-long-distance relationship before Lelys made Boston her home. She soon discovered that her international certificates as a Zumba instructor, career plan B, rather than her language teaching credentials morphed into her plan A. Being a Zumba instructor, ignited a passion in Lelys and attracted and inspired students of all ages and body types. Her students say going to fitness class with Lelys is like coming to a great party! Lelys adapts the fitness routines to the needs of the students, always encouraging them to top their personal best without shaming or pushing too hard. This interview was recorded just before the 2020 lockdown when Lelys had plans of opening her own brick and mortar fitness studio in Boston. Without skipping a beat, she brought her Zumba classes online to great reviews. Hopefully once the pandemic is behind us she’ll open her doors to her loyal students who follow her anywhere for her unique brand of fitness fun.

When three attempts to gain a visa to the United States failed, Valtecir did not give up his dream. After 28 days traveling from Brazil through Mexico, he made it across the border. Unable to say more than “how are you?” and “goodbye,” he set out to learn enough English to work for non-Portuguese speaking contractors. For many years, employed by others, he honed his trade skills until Valtecir summoned once again his determined spirit to start his own company. After 6 years as an entrepreneur, he has grown Val’s Painting into a highly sought after supplier of services to commercial and residential clients. Valtecir and his expanding staff are licensed to remove asbestos and lead and are fully equipped with the most sophisticated and efficient tools of his profession to tackle any job including large scale wall covering installations. Still committed to perfecting his English, Val finds time to continue with English classes at the Gardner’s Adult Education program and is an active member of the GPA community.

In 2013, Connie knew her life in Colombia was in danger. In her eagerness to escape, she gave thousands of dollars to someone who had promised to safely escort her to the U.S. Instead, he brought her to Panama, then on to the Bahamas where he left her and three more Colombians, dumping them into a car headed for a remote hideout. For weeks, she shared one room with 12 other travelers, all men. One night they were put, without life jackets, into a four-person boat destined for Miami. A thunder storm raged and the boat leaked. With only their prayers for comfort, they were rescued by the Coast Guard. Today Connie exudes optimism. Her philosophy of hard work, always seeing the good, and counting her blessings has brought her a life of great satisfaction. She loves the United States and feels that her challenging experiences have made her stronger.

While Hermelinda pursued a degree in early childhood education from the University in Peru in the mid 80s, she interrupted her studies to come to Boston to help her ailing sister. Her advanced education in her native country did not translate to a career in her field because she knew no English. Instead, her first plunged her into to the world of donuts, muffins and coffee at Dunkin Donuts where she learned to serve her customers with a smile while increasing her language skills. After going back and forth from Boston to Peru to complete her university education, Hermelinda chose permanent residency in the U.S. With the help of classes at the Gardner her language skills grew along with her confidence and career goals. She now has a demanding job as a caseworker for the state of Massachusetts. In addition, Hermelinda, who has not forgotten her early struggles with English, volunteers at the Gardner Adult Education ESOL program where she inspires immigrant students to learn English, to stand up for their rights, to embrace their American life while preserving their cultural roots.

Once their daughters were enrolled in University in Brazil, Adson and his wife Aleide, left behind their careers to live life abroad. Culture shock hit hard. Not just the language and the food, but the snow and a sudden career change made Adson’s adjustment tough. As a concert coordinator, journalist, and musician in his native country, he found himself suddenly painting houses in Boston. After years juggling work as a journalist for a local Brazilian paper and as a construction worker, (while amassing a collection of musical instruments —you can hear him playing the flute in the background of this introduction), Adson started his own home improvement company. As a successful entrepreneur, Adson has made New England his home. All those who know him are grateful that he stayed.

At the age of six, Perla came to the U.S. from Guatemala. As memories of her homeland faded, she learned the vocabulary of her new country while never abandoning the culture and language of her parents. Despite crowded living conditions, and the ever-present threat of deportation, Perla’s hard-working family persevered to build a secure home. Having completed her masters in social work, Perla, who is now a DACA recipient, helps other immigrant families to navigate their lives while she continues to dream of the day when she can come out of the shadows of her uncertain status, become naturalized, and to revisit the land of her birth.

Nicolasa came to this country from the Dominican Republic at the age of 18 in 1987. Her journey to pursue her education was a long, rocky road that started with her earning her GED days before the birth of her third child. She suffered so many interruptions and delays in realizing her dream, but her resilience, determination, and desire carried her to her master’s in education as she brings technology support and services to over 100 immigrant families in Boston.