Israel and Ngozi
Nwidor: Episode 3
Israel runs into problems six months after
landing the factory job. A bit of soul searching
leads him to quit and get a job as a security
guard at a Marshall Fields department store
so that he has time to take computer classes
and study to apply to business school. "I
have to improve myself so that I can get a
better job, so that when my children grow
up, they will be able to go to school.
"Surely I’ll go back to my country
one day. And they’ll ask me, ’What
did you bring from America?’ I don’t
[want] to tell them I was doing punch press
work all my life in America."
When Ngozi gives birth to their baby boy,
Israel names him Karm, after the strongest
tree in their homeland. But their joy is cut
short when, two weeks after the baby's birth,
Israel finds out his older brother Brendan
has been killed in a car accident back in
Nigeria.
Israel takes the loss hard and, coupled with
continuing economic woes, the normally resilient
Israel has begun to lose his optimism. "If
an Ogoni man would want me to advise him about
America, I would just ask him to think about
America, not as a second heaven. Don’t
have high hopes."
Israel's melancholy does not dim his dedication
to his children's future in America, though.
"My dreams are gone now. I'm just working
and hoping my kids' dreams can come true… My
kids feel America is their country. They have
high hopes. All I want is, just let them grow
up here. Try to make their own life the way
they want to make it. Decide what they want
in life."
As we leave Israel and his family, he reflects
on the significance of baby Karm: "At
this moment, he’s an American. I’m
Nigerian. You see two countries living in
the same home."
Barine Wiwa-Lawani: Episode 3
Barine, an experienced businesswoman, decides
to become a sales representative for Mary
Kay Cosmetics on top of her three cooking
jobs. "I like meeting people," she
says. "I know I have the flair to sell,
if only I have the time… You just move
step by step. By the grace of God, I will."
She continues to struggle with her twin daughters
over boys and college plans, but as they receive
their high school diplomas, Barine is beaming.
"When you’re in this country it’s
not easy. They have to come from a different
environment to come here. I remember my own
days, when I was a teenager. And I know it’s
tough. What I’ve seen now, I think they’ve
fit in good, too."
Soon after the twins' graduation, Barine buys
her first home in America on Chicago's South
Side. With her daughters heading off to college,
Barine feels at home in her new world and
finally enjoys some hard-earned success.
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| Israel studies
at home |
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| Karm Nwidor |
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| Barine’s
twins Nini and Zina with a friend on graduation
day |
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