MY JOURNEY

When I lived in Rwanda, I lived in a small village. We did not have running water in our village. The only water we had was the water from a river, but the river was far from where I lived. I used to have to fetch water from that river to use to bathe and to cook with. It was difficult. The buckets were heavy, and I had to carry one on my head and carry one with my hands. If we did not get enough water, no one was able to cook, and we would come home from school and we would not eat. Sometimes, we had to go to school the next day without having eaten.

Yvette Ingabire

Class of 2022

I used to live with my parents, my two siblings, and grandparents in India. In 2019 my parents moved to the U.S. leaving my siblings and me behind. My grandparents were very sad. My parents used to video call us daily. Slowly, I got used to living with my grandparents. My grandparents took great care of us. I know they knew that we missed our parents but still they never let us feel sad and cheered us up a lot. My grandma is my inspiration. She always stays positive every time no matter how difficult life is. After a year, my mother decided to come to India, but the pandemic happened, and lockdown started. She never made her trip. We all were locked up in our homes; my parents in Chicago and my grandparents, my siblings, and I in India. Then, after five months the lockdowns eased, and flights started again. My father called me and said that he booked a flight for my siblings and me for the following week. He told me that we were flying alone to America. I was shocked and very sad to leave my grandparents. After a week, we flew to America. Now, I have been in the U.S for about six months. I really miss my grandparents and wish they were here in the U.S. with us.

Aayesha Memon

Class of 2022