Lewiston, Maine, U.S.A. – As a young child, Adelina (Lina) Kadima moved with her family from Angola to Maine to escape violence and war.
Now 22, she has no desire to return. The United States is the country she calls home.
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While her father stayed in Angola to work, Kadima moved with her mother and siblings to Maine about a dozen years ago.
“I started fourth grade here,” she said. That’s when she began learning English, Kadima said, recalling a wonderful teacher who did a lot to help her learn.
Now a second-year student at Central Maine Community College, Kadima is focused on her education.
“I’m so passionate about studying and school,” she said. “I really want to get a degree.”
Deciding to leave Angola
She doesn’t remember much about her family’s immigration story because of how young she was, but Kadima is aware of how dangerous it was. And she knows that it was rough for her parents.
Her parents were born and raised in the southwest African nation of Angola, but didn’t think it was safe for their children.
“My parents just wanted a better life for all of us,” said Kadima.
The family is in the process of seeking asylum in the U.S.
Angola was violent, and “just not a good place for kids,” she said. “It was really dangerous. That’s the reason why we came” to America.
It was so dangerous, she couldn’t play outside because of all the crime, she said. There were guns and war.
Kadima said she does not plan to return to Angola.
“I never thought of going back to my home country,” she said. “I just don’t have that connection. I never think about it, don’t want to go back there.”
America, she said, is “what I know.”
She no longer speaks Portuguese, the official language of Angola.
She likes living in Lewiston and America in general because of the environment and beautiful scenery. She loves walking, hiking, and being outside in nature. She likes that there are many trees in Maine and enjoys its beautiful scenery.
“I love it here,” she said.
Early challenges
The language barrier was a big challenge for the family when they first arrived in the U.S.
Even something as simple as going to the store for food became difficult when they couldn’t read the bus schedule and ended up walking through the snow to the store.
Between the language barrier and the paperwork, it wasn’t easy for her mom.
“She had a hard time getting a job,” Kadima said.
Now, both she and her mother work at the John F. Murphy Homes, a company that cares for people with disabilities.
The promise of America
Being American means “being free,” said Kadima, and “having your own opinion and having dreams.”
Kadima said she doesn’t feel the promise in the Declaration of Independence – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – right now under the current government.
“But maybe in the future,” she said.
Right now, she said, she feels safe here about half the time.
What she wants to see, is for people have freedom, to be able to go outside without fear and to “just be who you are.”
Samya Young is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
Read more from the YJI series American Reflections: Young voices on an old promise by clicking on the logo below:
