I came from a very small town in Kenya. Mainly it was the refugee camp. So there are so many different because there's there's no light, there's not a lot of cars. And when we, get here, United States, it was the summer. So there was it seems really beautiful. So I didn't speak English at all, and my family did not either. So and then we didn't have a lot of opportunity that a lot of people have it right now because a lot of Somali community grew. And then there's a lot of interpreters available right now. But when we get here in the United States, that time there was not a lot of community that will support you with the language and lead you on and make you very easy for you to assimilate in a community. So that was really hard and challenging. Food was hard in American culture because as Somalis, we eat three times a day and we're America. Everybody snacks all the time. which is in our culture, we eat breakfast, no snack, and then we eat lunch. no snack. And then we eat dinner, no snack. And it was kind of confusing people eating food all the time. And that was their part of their culture. But to me it was like, why would they keep eating? You know why? And and I always had that question. But I think one of my teacher answered me, and that was their part of their culture. And my first world was not really appropriate world because I thought that was how to say good morning, which was kind of insulting because you know, how kids are when you ask them, how do you say good morning? They will teach you really bad words and any language you learn. You start with the bad language. I don't know why, but it's any language. So a kid, who was a friend of mine, actually, she's from Ethiopia too, but she was there a little bit before me, and she was comfortable with the language. So I will ask her if I get confused with or if I want to say something. So mainly she became my voice in the classroom.
--Deka Ali / mother & cultural navigator from East Grand Forks, Minnesota
