James Aleu
Age: 38
Region: Bahr Al Ghazal
I am an only child and both my parents passed away. In 1999, when I was 22 years
old, I left my home because it was unsafe and I was afraid for my life. I went to the
church and asked for help. The church gave me money so I could leave Sudan. From
Khartoum, I took a train to the border of Egypt. From the border, I took a boat to
Cairo.
In Cairo, I stayed in a rented house that I shared with other people because Egypt
refuses to make camps for people. My house had two small rooms, a kitchen, and a
bathroom. It was too small for all of us, but at least I had accommodations. Finding a
place to sleep and finding food were the hardest things I experienced. I sometimes
had to stand in long lines to get food. I usually ate bread, beans, rice and fruit.
After staying in Cairo for several years, I applied to the United Nations to come to
the United States. Two years later, my application was finally accepted and on
January 25, 2004, I came to the United States.
The most surprising thing about American culture is that when I came here,
whenever I saw a neighbor, they wouldn’t say “hi” to me. I thought that they didn’t
care. What I like the most about the United States is that I feel safe here and the U.S.
has good people. I used to take some classes as Glendale Community College. I
studies English. I really like Arizona but the weather is very hot!