(gentle music) - Funding for Off 90 is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(loon calling) (rock music) - Cruising your way next, Off 90.

An Egyptian immigrant shares his stories.

Local musician Luke Smith shares a performance.

We meet Javier, whose dream of becoming a barber, led him away from his home in Puerto Rico to Rochester.

These stories and more, are coming up on your next stop, Off 90.

(rock music ends) (upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Barbara Keith.

Thanks for joining me on this trip, Off 90.

Bassem Fadlia is a business intelligence analyst living in Rochester.

He was recruited by a U.S. company when he graduated from college in Egypt.

After Bassem became a citizen, he returned to Egypt for a visit and felt like a tourist while he was there.

(gentle music) - Voice over: Bassem Fadlia is a 45-year old, business intelligence analyst.

He lives in Rochester with his family.

- I'm married and have three boys.

They're 16, 13 and 4.

My wife has recently became a teacher.

The older kids are now, they don't want anything from me.

The older one is doing his sports or meeting his friends.

And so, right now, it's only me and the 4-year old.

(upbeat music) - [Speaker 3] As a student, Bassem excelled in the classroom.

- I was good in math.

And if you go into an engineering, the top choice was to go into computer science, at least in Egypt.

I got a bachelor degree in computer science.

Back when I graduated in 1998, There was a lot of recruiters used to come and come to Egypt, or other countries and interview people and hire them and start processing the paperwork for them to move there.

(upbeat music) I was 24 when I moved to the United States.

Immigration through employment-based process.

It's very slow, it's very complicated.

And many things can go wrong at any time.

So for me, it took, since it started maybe 11 years, from the beginning until I got my citizenship.

And all that time, your life is on hold.

In the beginning of the immigration process, it's easy to travel.

And then, later in the immigration process, there is some risk that they would think that this travel means abandoning your application.

So that made me not travel for a long time.

After you get your permanent residence, after five years, you apply for the citizenship and you have to pass a very basic English exam.

And it's like a hundred multiple choice questions.

We like to involve the kids and have them, okay, ask us the question.

They like changing the roles because we are the one's testing them the whole time.

(upbeat music) - Voice over: In September of 2016, Bassem and his wife, Nala, obtained their U.S. citizenship.

- Until I got my citizenship.

I didn't travel.

It was more than 10 years until I traveled in 2018.

- Once back in his home country, Bassem went to the places that meant the most to him.

- I haven't been in the country for more than 12 years.

So I acted like a tourist.

I went to Cairo and went to all the pyramids and the old mosques and museums.

And even in my hometown in Alexandria, I went to my university and my elementary school, the place where my parents lived.

- We asked Bassem how he views the recent rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. - I had some people, when they were congratulating me on getting my citizenship at the same sentence, they tell me, and good that you did it the right way.

And I snapped back at them, don't use this moment to insert your anti-immigrant feelings.

Even those undocumented people, they're hardworking.

You didn't choose to be born here.

They didn't choose to be undocumented.

They're trying to make a better life for their family, just like all of us.

And if we see the humanity in every one of us, it will be much better for everyone.

(upbeat music ends) (rock music) - Luke Smith is a singer-songwriter from Faribault, Minnesota.

He started playing guitar at the age of 13, and he's been writing songs ever since.

He writes pop and folk music on his guitar, and EDM and hip hop on his computer.

Here, he's performing his original song, "Morning Coffee".

(gentle instrumental music) (rock music) - Rochester chef, Shari Mukherjee, shows us how to make an easy treat, as kids prepare to go back to school.

- Hi, welcome back.

My name is Shari Mukherjee, and today, I am coming on to teach you guys how to make a super easy recipe.

School is about to start up again.

I know mornings with kids can be rough, even if you're heading off to work and it's just yourself, that can be rough too.

So today, I wanna show you a really easy, fairly nutritious recipe you can make in no time.

It is a three ingredient.

We're gonna add a couple other things to it, though, just to make it a little fun.

Peanut butter, waffle, mug cake, whatever you wanna call it, however you wanna do it, it's gonna be delicious.

So we're gonna start out with two eggs.

Go ahead and crack your eggs right into the bowl.

Usually, I would have a bowl here to put my trash in, I forgot to grab one.

So we're gonna go ahead and just crack them in.

And then give it a little whisk.

Now next, we're gonna add in three tablespoons of peanut butter, this is six tablespoons.

I should say, I am doing a double batch.

So typically, it would be one egg, three tablespoons of peanut butter, one to two tablespoons of sugar to your taste.

And if you want, I'm gonna add in a pinch of baking soda and also some jam, just to make a play on that peanut butter jelly.

So anyway, here I have six tablespoons of peanut butter.

So I'm gonna go ahead and just add this in.

This is a recipe I really love, it's super easy, it's delicious.

You know, you can control the amount of sugar.

If you want to, you could use crunchy peanut butter.

You could also add peanuts or nuts, if you prefer.

The one thing I would not do is don't use the natural peanut butter.

It just will not cook up quite the same.

So here, I'm gonna add in, I'm gonna go with about three tablespoons of sugar, because I am actually gonna add in some jam, as well.

Like I said, I'm gonna do a play on peanut butter jelly.

And the nice thing about this is, let's say, you're in a rush in the morning and your kids need to eat.

We're gonna throw this in the waffle iron.

You can have them eat that in the car.

Just give them that dry waffle, it'll be nice.

And when I say dry waffle, it's really not dry.

The texture is really good and it does, it tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

All right.

So we have our mixture here.

It's really nice.

I am gonna add just a pinch of baking soda.

You do not have to do this.

I mean, really, it is truly a three-ingredient recipe, but I am just gonna add that just for a little, extra rise.

So we're going to want to be mindful when this is cooking, that we just add a little bit less to our pan or to our mug.

So here, I have it all nice and mixed.

We're gonna go ahead, I have some jam here, it's just a little bit of pomegranate jam.

If you want, you could add some fresh blueberries, fresh fruit in here.

Just make it really nice, chocolate chips, the play on peanut butter and chocolate, people love that.

Right?

Okay.

So here, I have this mixed together and it is ready to go.

It's beautiful consistency.

So now, we're gonna go ahead and my waffle iron is here.

It's heated up.

I'm gonna go ahead and just open that up.

And I'm not gonna use the whole scoop.

One thing I love when I'm making waffles or muffins, I always use a cookie scoop, an ice cream scoop, to transfer the dough or the batter because it just makes for easy cleanup.

So, just a little bit in the center of that, and I'll go a little bit more.

And I did spray this with some nonstick spray earlier, so we shouldn't have issues with that.

And then, just go ahead and close that.

I could actually need just a little bit more, guys.

I don't wanna have it roll over on me though, either.

(laughs) All right.

So we're gonna let this cook.

While this cooks, I'm also gonna show you what else you can do with this batter.

You can make a one-minute mug cake.

I mean, that is really how simple this recipe is.

So I am gonna go grab a mug quick and be right back.

All right.

I have my mug, just a standard mug.

I'm gonna go ahead and grab a little bit of cooking spray.

Just spray a little bit in there, and then I'm gonna fill this about one fourth to one third of the way.

Now, because I used baking soda, it will cause it to rise a little bit more.

So you do not wanna fill it too high.

All right.

So I have the batter in the mug here.

And now, it's so simple.

We're just gonna pop this in the microwave for one minute.

That's it.

So I will be right back while this cooks, our waffle is gonna cook and they will both be done.

All right, everyone.

It has been one minute.

I pulled the mug cake out of the microwave.

I don't know if you guys can see the steam coming off.

It's very hot.

But it's nice and springy, just like a cake should be.

So what I would do is, with my kids, I would just put a little bit of berries up in here.

Maybe some whipped cream, however you wanna do it.

But I'm gonna just show you what this looks like, so you guys can see, and it is very hot.

So that's something to consider with the kids, as well.

So it flops right out.

And here, you have this beautiful, beautiful, little cake.

I split it in half so you guys can see the texture of it there.

It is a beautiful cake.

This would be easy for on the go.

It took less than five minutes to make this.

Top it with maybe a little bit of jam.

If you're eating it in the house, you're not in too big of a rush.

Maybe some fresh berries and you have something super easy and super delicious.

And now, with that same batter, remember, we also were making our waffles.

So let's check that out.

Looks like our waffle actually stuck here.

(laughs) But in the waffle iron, it should come out of it, our waffle is sticking a little bit, guys.

Should've added a little bit more cooking spray to that, but really, this is an easy recipe.

Something quick for on the go with the kids.

Your kids are gonna love this, especially if they're peanut butter jelly fans.

You cannot go wrong with this.

So I hope that this helps you in the mornings when you're rushing out the door with the kids or you're rushing out the door yourself.

I know that you will love this three-ingredient peanut butter mug cake or peanut butter waffle.

And until next time.

I hope you guys enjoy.

(rock music) - Nicolas Vargas grew up in Bogota, Colombia.

He wanted to change perspectives, experience other places, see other cultures and learn a new language.

So, he immigrated to the U.S. Nicolas feels that moving to a new place opens new opportunities.

- My name is Nicolas Vargas and I grew up in Bogota, Colombia.

Growing up in Bogota was great.

And I have two brothers and a sister, and it was a great childhood.

I wanted to change perspectives.

And because I was in Bogota my whole life, and I have not visited many other places in the country.

I wanted to explore the world and see what else was out there.

I couldn't travel much at that point.

So I wanted to experience other places.

See other cultures, learn a new language.

So when I first came to the States, I arrived to Cincinnati, Ohio.

So I came to visit and I was presented the option to stay and complete my paperwork to become a citizen.

And I took it.

The immigration process is not super easy.

I did it on my own.

Thinking back, I would probably seek for help from somebody at this point, like an attorney.

But that's what it was available for me at the time.

So it wasn't an easy process.

It was cumbersome.

You had to fill a lot of forms.

You had to gather a lot of paperwork.

And then also, English, being my second language, there's some things that I didn't quite understand.

So I will probably recommend looking for the help of somebody if you were to do the process.

My parents have mixed feelings because at the time I was studying mechanical engineering and they wanted me to go back and finish the career.

But then, I had second thoughts about the career itself also.

So I thought it was a good opportunity to explore other areas and to study something different.

The reason why I decided to stay is because I felt much more in peace here than in Colombia.

Other states that I have lived on are Washington state and Illinois, and Michigan.

And we have traveled with my wife extensively, the United States.

Before moving to Minnesota, we were living in Michigan.

And we had the opportunity to move to a few different states in the country.

But we felt that having two kids or well, one kid at that time, it was better to just be close to the family.

After I went to college and I was established, I was able to visit more places, other countries.

For example, we had the opportunity to live in Argentina for two months.

While we were there, we were exploring all of south America.

Which it was unthinkable back on the day when I was living in Colombia, to be able to make that kind of a trip.

(gentle music) In the near future, we will be traveling to Yellowstone.

And my son has been already there once, but he was too little, so he doesn't remember yet.

And he has the dream to go and visit Yellowstone.

So he wants to go and explore like his dad and his mom.

So coming to the United States has allow me to visit other places and explore the world.

And I don't think that will have been a possibility if I were to be still in Colombia.

I have some friends that have been able to do it, but they said, you really has more percentage.

I think you have a bigger chance of accomplishing that, living in the United States.

I have found that once you move, new opportunities come up.

So I think pushing yourself and making the decision of going somewhere else is also a new door that you're opening.

The United States has been very welcoming to me.

And I'm really happy that I made the choice to stay here.

I have visited some other countries and yes, they do have good things, but there is no, I don't feel in any other country, the same way that I feel when I'm in the United States.

(rock music) - Javier Ortiz decided to move to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico, 25 years ago.

Originally, Javier was going to school to be a paramedic, but decided that wasn't the path for him.

Javier moved again from Rochester, New York, halfway across the country to Rochester, Minnesota.

In New York, Javier worked at a place where he was one of 17 barbers.

In Minnesota, Javier owns his barbershop and works one-on-one with his clients.

And he's much happier.

(upbeat music) - The year 2016, October 1st.

That was my opening.

And that was the time, the hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.

My name is Javier Ortiz.

I live in Rochester, Minnesota, and I own Javier Barbershop.

I started cutting hair 25 years ago.

My inspiration was my cousin in Chicago.

He was a barber, something very captivating about that.

And I was going to school at that moment to be a paramedic.

I finished but I knew that was not for me.

And the way that my cousin interact with the clients and the people, I think that was a very good feeling for me.

I've fallen in love with the job, ever since.

I have this previous day in New York, when I used to work there, it was 17 barber working under my way.

And I said, if I change, be working by myself, that's all I wanna do.

I wanna do like one-on-one client and put on more attention to detail to the person.

You cannot really replace that.

It's more like an old fashioned way, but in the new era.

- I feel very comfortable coming here because I feel like it's a more one-on-one experience.

And I feel like here, it's more home-like.

- I think I learned that from my grandma.

My grandma always, mo matter what, people come to the house, everybody was welcome.

It's in my DNA.

It's includes in me.

No matter what, somebody comes down here, I just try to welcome them in the same way.

The haircut is another part of the story.

But I believe that you do that to people.

People immediately relate it with you.

Puerto Rico is a very small island.

you can rode the island probably 16 hours, probably.

If I'm not misunderstanding, I think it's a hundred miles long, 35 miles wide.

So it's very, very, very small place.

But they had a lot of flavor, that's for sure.

It's a lot of beautiful things over there.

I live at the south part of Puerto Rico.

It's Juana Diaz.

For whatever reason, people have to immigrate for better opportunities.

Even though we are U.S. citizen, but the job is, they're not really good.

They don't pay as good.

So the island is so small.

So, you have to immigrate to some places, the bigger place, more opportunity, more job.

I moved here to the States in the 2000.

Primarily in Rochester, New York.

I was living over there for at least 15 years.

My wife at that moment, she was a travel nurse.

She ended up working here in Rochester, Minnesota and I've fallen in love with the place.

Like I've really fallen in love with the place.

And I decided to stay because immediately, I really knew it's a very family orientated.

It's a good job around, good location.

It is something about this place that reminded me a little bit of my home.

For example, like the Silver Lake.

Where I lived, it was a little lake around our home.

Like a little trails, something like that.

It's something reminding me my home.

And the Menlo Park, like at this place, it's very mellow.

And I feel very, very, very comfortable at this place.

That's why I love Rochester, Minnesota.

I wish to move here sooner at this particular part of Minnesota, it's a great place to live.

But the past is the past.

This is the future.

Now, I can move forward.

And hopefully, I can finish to raise my little boy here in Minnesota and do other great things in the future.

(gentle rock music) - We've reached the end of this tour, Off 90.

Thanks for running along.

See you next time.

But before we go, we travel a century back in time to learn about the Mankato Winter Carnival.

(gentle music) - [Speaker 4] The Mankato Winter Carnival was a grand event held in Mankato in 1920, over the course of five days.

And then never happened again in the city.

The celebration began on January 19th with the grand parade, with many organizations and businesses from Mankato joining the festivities.

A king and queen were coordinated and with their court, presided over the festivities from the ice palace, built up the Union Depot, especially for the carnival.

A toboggan run was established on Main Street Hill, along the streetcar track.

The ski slope was set up near where Stadium Hill is located today.

A dog sled race was held and people from across America came to participate.

At the corner of front and main streets, the city built a skating pond.

Even with all the attention the event got and all the people who came to participate in the different activities, the Mankato Winter Carnival was never held again in this fashion.

For more information about historical topics, visit our website at blueearthcountyhistory.com.

(upbeat music) - Funding for Off 90 is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(birds squawking)