Interview with Emina Babić

By: Alysia Chavez

November 28, 2021

Alysia: When did you’re family come to the United States? And what was the reason you had to leave your home country?

Emina: During the war in Bosnia my family fled to Berlin to seek asylum, that is where I was born. We lived there in a camp-like village while the application process went on for 4 years, after we were approved we were moved to another camp and eventually assigned to Boise. I was almost 6 years old when we got to the USA.

Alysia: What was it like for your family when first arriving and settling down?

Emina: Well my family was very lucky because we had relatives already located here which is why we were sent here. My uncle was able to get my dad a job where he worked so that made it easier on him. But school was really tough for my sister and I. We knew hardly any English, kids would tease us for our accents, or our used clothing cause it was obviously older styles. Our teachers struggled to give us the help we needed, so we learned most of our English from cousins and American TV. The older we got the easier it got as we assimilated.

Alysia: What were things your family needed most when arriving?

Emina: I would say what we needed most was community, we did not feel welcome until we met other people who were here for the same reasons from our home country. My aunt was very social and connected with many other families in the area, there are actually a lot of events and gatherings held to celebrate our culture, we celebrate Bosnian holidays and even hold a yearly festival at Kliener Park in Meridian.

Alysia: What about material items or resources you guys needed?

Emina: A car was our most needed item, we were placed in apartments that were within walking distance to shops, but our walk to school was a 20 or so minute walk and our uncle would take dad to work. It made it hard to get out as a family because there was never enough room in my uncle’s car. We tried the bus but the bus system here does not go very far and we struggled with the structure of it. So I would say transportation was huge. If our public system worked better it would have been more manageable.

Alysia: Were there other struggles you guys faced trying to build comfort for your new lives?

Emina: Yes, many people do not realize that there is a large population of Muslims in Bosnia, so trying to find a mosque we could access was almost impossible before we had a car. When your faith is a large part of your life it is really hard to go without it, I remember seeing my mom upset and talking about how important it is that we do not lose our faith. We were pointed to a couple of places we could practice our faith but they were further away from our home, so we studied the Quran at home with our family, we made our own space until someone we knew recommended the Islamic Center of Boise.

Alysia: Do you feel the resources they provide to refugees now are adequate compared to when you arrived?

Emina: I cannot speak for other families, but I do see a lot more being done now, there are programs that we did not have and organizations working hard for donations and volunteering to help the cause. Our church does a lot of donation drives and fundraisers.

Alysia: If you could say one thing to US-born citizens about refugees what would it be?

Emina: How would you want your family treated if you lost everything you have ever known and were placed in a foreign land where you felt unwanted? We are people too and we have dreams for our families to live in peace just like anyone else.