Parish welcomes Bosnian family

Last week, the Garibovic family arrived in Albany with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a few personal items they couldn't bear to leave behind.

Muslims who fled Bosnia more than seven years ago, they were suddenly thrust into the world of refugees sequestered in Germany. When they arrived at the Albany International Airport on July 25, sponsored by the refugee resettlement program at St. Madeleine Sophie parish in Guilderland, they had finally found freedom.

Settling in

When it came to actually talking, however, they were wary, perhaps because of what they have been through in the last decade.

Their temporary house holds just enough furniture to accommodate the family of four. It has a "For Sale" sign in front, but for now it is the place they will call home. Inside the three-bedroom house, furnishings provide the bare necessities of living until the family can learn English, get jobs and settle down.

Go-between

"Mostly what I do from this office is sponsor what we call 'reunion cases,'" he said. "These are families that wish to join family members that have previously settled in the Albany area through our program. The family members that are already here write letters to our office, asking that we sponsor additional family members."

During the extensive application and acceptance process, applicant families must undergo periodic interviews and medical exams while they are waiting for acceptance.

Once a family is approved by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Church World Services notifies Mr. Detwyler's office that a family has been accepted and will be relocating into the area. He must then be able to assure CWS that he can place them in a local home or apartment.

Parish involvement

"This is the fourth family that our parish has sponsored," said Lorraine DeCuyper, a resettlement committee member. The parish seeks for volunteers for the committee and then sets about collecting donations of furniture and money to help the family when they arrive in the U.S.

For the Garibovics, the parish made arrangements to rent and furnish a house. They also provided spending money for the first 30 days.

"We completely stocked the pantry with food and gave them some spending money," Mrs. DeCuyper said. "We also gave them a little money for bus tokens so they can get around town and discover their surroundings."

Learning English

Mr. Detwyler said that after the first month, the family becomes eligible for public assistance. This includes medical coverage and food stamps. However, according to his records, most refugee families are off this program within eight months of their arrival because they have obtained jobs and regular incomes.

"They are all eager to work and become self-sufficient," he said.

Meeting the family

* Halil, who was born in 1959, is a machinist by trade. Before the family fled to Germany to avoid being killed by the Serbs, he worked in construction in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Six months before U.S. involvement there during the Gulf War, he returned to his family in Bosnia.

He is very thankful for American hospitality and the assistance of all those involved in the process of resettling his family in Albany. He likes to "go fishing" for relaxation and loves to listen to Bosnian folk music.

* Mirsada, who was born in 1961, wants to learn English and get a job in Albany. She said that it is very hard to adjust to life in a new country. She and her husband were "surprised" at how friendly everyone in the U.S. has been since they arrived. In a few years, she hopes to return to Bosnia to visit the family and friends she has left behind.

She loves to crochet and do needlework, something she learned when she was 11. She managed to bring some of her cherished crocheted pieces with her to America, along with several, but not all, of the figurines she spent a lifetime collecting.

* Izet, who was born in 1982, finished his formal schooling in Frankfurt, Germany. He plans on taking English classes and then hopes to obtain "a nice job" to help support the family.

His favorite music includes rap. In Germany, he played basketball; but since he has come to the U.S., he is very interested in learning how to play baseball. He is not familiar with too many of the baseball teams here but does know about the New York Yankees.

* Safet, who was born in 1985, speaks some English and is fluent in German. He was studying drawing and art while in school in Frankfurt, and assumes that all his studies are "now gone." So, he will continue to learn English while attending high school.

His marks were very high in Germany, so he hopes that they will help him get into college. He barely remembers living in Bosnia.

His favorite music is "anything hip-hop," and his favorite sport is soccer and playing center forward.

(For information on how a parish can sponsor a refugee family, call John Detwyler at 370-2995. For information on the St. Madeleine Sophie program, call Lorraine DeCuyper at 355-0421.)

(08-16-01) [[In-content Ad]]