Ahed Al-Soufi

Honors 1000 The City

Essay #1

Living in Syria during the late 1800s was very difficult for me and many of the people
there. There were periods of religious warfare between Muslims and Christians, land disputes,
and often times intertribal fighting occurred between the twoi. As well as hunger and poverty that
lead to thousands of my people dying. Despite all the chaos going on around me, I didnt give up
on life. I decided I couldnt live like this anymore so at that moment, my main goal and only goal
was to travel to the United States. There lied open opportunities, factory jobs, and a whole new
life just waiting to be happened. I decided to leave everything behind the first opportunity I had
to try and start a better life that would suit my needs. Arriving in the U.S., life was no easy task.
In front of me lied difficult obstacles that I had to overcome. I had begun to lose hope but in
time, a window of opportunity came that changed everything for me. My name is Mahir
Abdullah and this is my story.
Ever since I can remember, Ive been living a lonely independent life. I had no family, no
relatives, and no friends. In addition to that I was an only child. At a very young age of 14, my
parents died in a tragic accident leaving me to fend off alone in the streets. Life was cruel and
difficult for me. As a kid, I would roam the cold dark streets looking for food and seeking shelter
to hide in. It is now 1913, and I am now a young man at the age of 22, looking to find a stable
job which is nearly impossible in Syria. At that time, Syrians were beginning to migrate from
Syria to the U.S. in hopes of finding jobs to work and make enough money to bring their family
there. I saw this as a great opportunity so I set everything aside and focused on getting aboard

ship to migrate to the U.S. Luckily for me, those who were being immigrated mainly consisted of
young men and women while the rest of the family stayed behind until enough money was
earned to send to them. After a 3 1/2 months passed, and I saved up enough money, I grabbed my
best clothes and set aboard the ship. I knew full well life was going to be difficult for what was in
store for me. Going to a country: not being able to speak their language, not having plenty of
money, and on top of that no idea where to look for a job but that didnt stop me. That wasnt my
concern at the time being. My main focus was to arrive there, and from there I will take offii.
Its now summer and its been three weeks since I boarded the ship. Ive finally arrived to
the U.S., but specifically Ellis Island, New York harbor. There are so many different people of
different race here even though most of there skin color is the same. Its really easy to distinguish
whos who just by there physical features, facial hair or clothes. For me and a lot of my people
that immigrated here. We all have facial hair such as full grown beards and tan skin. We wore a
loose, one piece robe called a Didashah and a turban. I believe we stood out the most from
everyone there which honestly made me feel uncomfortable. It was mainly in the way they stared
at usiii. Once everything was done, I didnt know where to go or what to do so I began to walk,
but before I did. A person who I traveled with, Alhasan, yelled out my name. As I turned around,
he was slowly approaching me and said, Is there by any chance you know of any jobs around
here anywhere in New York? I responded no to him and then he told me about a job but wasnt
anywhere near hear. He said, Well okay thanks anyways, and in case you havent heard. Ford is
paying all his workers $5 a day but thats only if they follow his Ford Manual.iv When Alhasan
said that to me, a bit of joy appeared on my face. He explained to me that in order to find the
place, I must head to Detroit. Once Im there, I shouldnt have a problem finding out where it
was.

About a month has passes and its winter now. I finally saved up enough money to travel
to Detroit, Michigan. In getting there I bought a bus ticket that would take me from Elizabeth,
New York to my destination for $2.50. As I hoped into the bus everyone looked at me and
nodded as a gesture rather then openly comment something racist or give me a dirty look. I
suppose its because Ive adopted their customs to minev. I put away my Didashah and bought
only one set of clothes. I only had enough money to buy a trouser, a shirt, and managed to find
some dress shoes that were getting thrown away, but were in decent condition. I was now part of
society in a way. The trip lasted for 1 day. As I was dropped off in a place called downtown, I
slowly looked around me and saw lots of beautiful buildings. So many people were there as well
that the city itself was alive, filled with peoplevi. I continued touring cites as well as looking for
any clues to the Ford Company. I decided to ask a stranger but with only being here for not even
two months. I had no knowledge of any English besides a few works and my accident is very
noticeable. I walked to the stranger and asked, Where Ford is? The man was a bit confused but
understood when I said Ford. He showed me a map and directions and I was on my way. From
there I went forward and never looked back.
Its been 20 years now since the start of my journey. I worked at Henry Ford for 5 years
and saved up enough money to go back to my country. I now own a business and its running
smoothly. None of this couldve been possible if I stayed in Syria my whole life. Thanks to
Henry Ford I was able to learn English, make enough money for a living, and enjoy life happily.
Without him and the opportunities he had to offervii. I wouldve never been able to enter middle
class. Since coming to the U.S. Ive realized how much all this experience has changed me.
Everything Ive been through so far taught me a valuable lesson and made me a stronger person.
It was a struggle through my whole life but I kept pushing and I am where I am today because of

it. All the negativity thats been thrown at me was used to fuel me. I was lucky to have this life,
while others struggle worse then me, and for that Im thankful.

i Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life

ii Fortnight in the Wilderness
iii Ethnic and Racial Studies
iv Michigan City: Mind and Spirit
v Place, Age, and Culture
vi Detroit: A biography
vii Detroit Industry

1. Ajrouch, Kristine, and Abdi M. Kusow. Ethnic and Racial Studies: Racial and Religious
a. Contexts: Situational Identities among Lebanese and Somali Muslim Immigrants. 30 Vol.
Taylor & Francis, 01/01/2007. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
2. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Jeneen
a. Hobby. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Americas. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 342-44. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|
CX1839300189&v=2.1&u=lom_waynesu&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=00ecbc71e0246df
c4f5b53dd9da766af>.
b.

1. Ajrouch, Kristine J. "Place, Age, and Culture: Community Living and Ethnic Identity among
o Lebanese American Adolescents." Small Group Research 31.4 (2000): 447-69.
ProQuest. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
2. RoseAnna Mueller. Chapter 6, Mind and Spirit. In Michigan City. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia
o Publishing, 2005). Pg.83-94
1. Pierson, George. Chapter XX, Fortnight in the Wilderness. Tocqueville in America.
o (Oxford University Press, NY: Published). Pg. 230