Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108o c t o b e r 2 0 1 6 6 3 from left: courtesy photo; meaghan maurice 44, who taught biology to high schoolers in Iraq, impressed the importance of hard work on Salim and his younger brother, Salar, 15, from the moment they arrived. “I told them, ‘You’ll have to work twice as hard to prove yourself.’” Salim admits he initially struggled with motivation during middle school. “I felt like no matter how hard I worked I’d always be at a disadvantage to the kids who’d lived here their entire lives. I stuck around with kids from similar immigrant backgrounds to myself.” Salim credits moving to Deering High, the most diverse high school north of Boston, and a summer spent with Seeds of Peace international camp in Otisfield to changing his mentality. “I guess I realized I had this potential. All I had to do was work for it. I pushed myself in high school and made so many great friends. They made me feel like I was at home. They are my extended family in America.” Apart from a maturity that’s rare in most 18-year- olds, there’s nothing to suggest that Salim is anything but your average Portland teenager, spending his high school weekends at house parties, in the Old Port, and driving to Scar- borough Beach. However, he’s always aware of the duality in his identity. “I’m in this gap between being American and being Iraqi.” Is it a comfortable gap to inhabit? “Not real- ly,” he says. “But I think perhaps it’s made me more thoughtful.” Sanaa has made an effort to balance their American life with their cultural roots and Islamic beliefs. The Abduljabbar house- hold is strictly Arabic speaking, and they eat food prepared in keeping with the family’s Iraqi/Kurdish heritage. Sanaa, who works as a Community Health Worker at the Maine Access Immigrant Network and as a Neigh- borhood Coordinator at The Opportuni- ty Alliance, is quick to share her experience to the families she works with. “I always tell them: You can keep your culture, your re- ligion, your language. No one here will try and touch that!” Meanwhile, Sanaa’s hus- band Aymen, 47, works in manufacturing for L.L. Bean. “He’s involved with making Bean boots,” Sanaa says and laughs. “It’s the most Maine job ever!” For the family, the simple pleasures of the sea, the greenery, and the surrounding natu- ral beauty have made adjusting to their new life on the other side of the world from their home and family that much easier. “Portland is a small city, and there are so many tree and green spaces,” says Sanaa. “I would have hated living in a big city! We love taking our lunch to Deering Oaks or the beach. We plan to go up to Acadia National Park soon and explore. Iraq is my homeland and always will be, but Portland is home. We are happy here.” They may not have chosen Portland, but they’ve thrived here. You could call it luck, hard work, fate–or all three. n In Portland,you can keep your culture,your religion,your language.No one here will try and touch that.“ –SanaaAbduljabbar