Mohammad, Rona and their three kids had only a few words to describe seeing America for the first time — the destination of their resettlement journey away from Kabul, Afghanistan. “Beautiful,” Mohammad said, sitting at a table with family members, a landlord turned lifelong friend, a reporter and lots of Afghan tea. The family left almost everything behind in Afghanistan, bringing with them only clothes and anything that could fit in a large duffle bag.
The family, who asked to withhold their last name for safety reasons, lived in Kabul for decades. As refugees, their journey took them to Germany and eventually Allentown. The resettlement process lasted a few months before they moved to the Lehigh Valley in February.
After fleeing a country just over two years after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the family have assimilated to the United States and are rebuilding their lives. Through the challenges of navigating a new culture, they’ve made connections along the way and built a lifelong friendship with John Siegfried, their landlord. “If I can get them help, get them pointed in the right direction of succeeding in life in America, financially, culturally, every way to give them that chance .
.. that’s what we’re trying to do,” Siegfried said.
Kate Woodward, community engagement coordinator for Bethany Christian Services in the Lehigh Valley, helped finalize the approval process for the family to enter the United States. “Work is very scarce [in Afghanistan.
