Transition

Hani Zeno

Just like a tornado comes without warning, people’s lives can be changed due to unexpected consequences. I lived in Syria all my life, and it was a wonderful stable life.  Then, the dark times of war came to take over my country, and turned the lives of many people upside down. As a result, everyone started to seek refuge to avoid this war because it had evolved and turned into a fire that eats anyone in its path. In fact, I was one of those fortunate people who had a chance to come to the United States, and when I arrived to Chicago, I didn’t care about anything expect that I had gotten rid of the war’s ghost. After a while, I started to notice big differences between my culture, and the one in the United States. Indeed, the United States, for me, was not only a place to seek refuge in. It has become a place that I have gradually adapted to a new culture and lifestyle.

 

A lack of free time was one of the first obstacles I have faced since moving to the United States.  My life in my country was relaxing, mostly because of the lack of responsibility, except the responsibility of focusing on my studies. I relied on my parents in every aspect of my life, and they supported me emotionally and financially. Honestly, I was living an ideal happy life. Months after arriving Chicago, I realized that my old life became something from the past, and I needed to be ready for the difficulties of this new life. As a result, my life became gradually more competitive, and all my concerns were how I could manage my time between going to school, working to cover my expenses, and doing other responsibilities, such as cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry. Therefore, I would have never known how complicated life could be if I had not come to the United States.

Besides the lack of free time, I also found difficulties in terms of making friends. I would have said that I had such wonderful, strong friendships in my country that would never be destroyed under any circumstances. Actually, we weren’t only friends, but also soul- mates. For example, if someone had a problem, the rest would hurry to offer their help. However, it is the opposite here. I have been in the United States for more than one year, and I still don’t have friends whom I could count on if anything bad happened to me. I would blame the lifestyle in America for that because life here tends to be more self-oriented rather than a collective society, due to fact that people here are from different ethnicities and backgrounds. Therefore, these reasons were strong enough to make not only me, but also other foreigners have difficulties in making friends.

Finally, the religious and spiritual life was one of the challenging obstacles. When I was in my country, I didn’t have any problem practicing Islam, such as fasting during Ramadan, which is the holy month for Muslims. During this Month, one must abstain from food, drinks, and sex from dawn until sunset. It is more of a time for spiritual reflection, prayers, and charity. Usually during this month, there is no school and people don’t go to work. Instead of that, they try to be close to god by praying and asking for his graces. Today, I am unable to fast the whole month because my time is full with school, work and other responsibilities. As a result, I understand that I’m not the only one, but other Muslims as well are having a hard time practicing their religion and spiritual life.

I have to confess that the tornado of war which struck my country has changed the life of many people, including me. Literally, I have spent a tough days in Chicago with no free time to enjoy my life. As a result, my social life became really constrained and limited due to my daily schedules. Moreover, this has resulted in restriction on my ability to practice my religion .However, I realized that life will never stop offering me alternatives and solutions, and the adaptability to the culture where I live is inevitable in order to survive. This has become my motto, and I hope I will succeed in making this transition.