8 Nikayla Dowd
Narrative Summary
The Journey, Growth, and Personal Development of Sarrive Rukakiza
One of the most mesmerizing things about the world is the infinite amount of variables that contribute uniqueness to our life stories, many variables which we have no control over. Each journey is unique and although similar stories are possible no two people will live the same life. The same goes for the stories of millions of refugees across the globe. Despite sharing the commonality of fleeing their homeland, each story differs from the next and the story of Sarrive Rukakiza— a young man originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is no exception.
To most, the thought of being uprooted from established friends, family, homes, and the communities where you have built your life may be unsettling— but to Sarrive, leaving his life in Africa behind was favorable. Sarrive Rukakiza, originally from Congo, is a now Senior at Mount Mercy University studying criminal justice. His story of resettlement starts at the young age of 5 years old when his family moved from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Tanzania before ultimately relocating to the United States. The Rukakiza family was pleased to leave Africa, however, the excitement was expectedly accompanied by the sadness of leaving some of their closest friends and belongings behind. Even though the family had left Africa, Sarrive remains in contact with some of his childhood friends, some who have found their way to the United States as well. Although they live in other states or go to different schools, they remain close. Despite being able to stay in contact with childhood friends, one thing that Sarrive essentially lost when relocating to the United States were his belongings. The family found out they were moving to the United States via forum posted in the center of their village. After receiving the news, they were given adequate time to pack but each family member was only given a two suitcases allowance. With limited space, Sarrive was faced with choosing which belongings would accompany him on his journey to the United States. One item he made sure to bring: traditional African clothing, also known as shakti. Sarrive described this incredible down-sizing experience as essentially, “starting all over.”
Sarrive’s father was passionate about the United States as a place for resettlement. He believed that the states offered job and education opportunities that Africa did not. Meanwhile, Sarrive’s mother wanted to return to Africa to reunite with her parents. Although permanent resettlement in the United States was against her wishes, at the end of 2011 Sarrive and his family officially relocated to the United States. Sarrive was only 12 when his family traveled by plane to start this new chapter in their lives.
Sarrive described being excited when first stepping foot in America. He was ecstatic to be in a new country. He expressed having high expectations for the states, but he later learned that the United States was similar to other countries and had issues of its own. Nonetheless, he was thankful for a change in scenery. The Rukakiza family’s resettlement agency prepared them for resettlement by moving them into a furnished apartment in Boise, Idaho. The resettlement agency would later aid the family in preparation for winters in the United States by providing them with coats and winter gear to properly combat the cold weather.
After settling into their new home, it was then time for jobs and education, which, for Sarrive, meant entering the United States educational system. When asked about his integration into a new country’s educational system, Sarrive described how the language barrier and his inability to fluently speak English was challenging. Not knowing English made is hard for Sarrive to communicate, but also diminished is the ability to make friends and easily fit into school. Sarrive noted that the language barrier made most courses especially difficult, but despite challenges, he was able to perform well in mathematics. The lack of language preparation is one of the only critiques that Sarrive had on the resettlement process. He wished there would have been tutors to help him learn English to mitigate these challenges during resettlement.
After some time in Idaho, the family experienced another geographical shift by moving to Iowa. The reason for the move was due to job opportunities that Sarrive’s father’s friend had informed him of. The move to Iowa not only lead Sarrive’s father to job opportunities, but it also leads Sarrive to find his passion for soccer and gave him opportunities to make new friends. Back in Africa, Sarrive would often find himself playing soccer for leisure, but with his move to the United States, soccer became more than just a leisure-time activity for him. Because Sarrive came to the United States not knowing much English, soccer became a common denominator for him and his peers and ultimately lead to an effective way for Sarrive to make friends in a brand new country. Soccer proved to be beneficial to Sarrive’s resettlement in the United States. His passion and skill for the sport grew, eventually leading him to play soccer at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, IA. Sarrive is now part of a diverse soccer team with many teammates who are from also different parts of the world.
Due to his resettlement, Sarrive found his passion for soccer and has expressed interest in becoming a police officer. The Rukakiza family’s story is one of the successful resettlement despite the hardships the family had previously experienced. Sarrive’s newfound passion for soccer introduced him to new friends and ultimately helped him settle into a new country despite the language barrier. The ability for sports to be a powerful tool for refugee integration into society is one that the public may not expect, however, after interviewing Sarrive and learning of his experiences— it is now clear how powerful truly sports are.
Personal Reflection
My Interview With Sarrive Rukakiza
When preparing for my interview with Sarrive Rukakiza, I knew I wanted to focus a large portion of my interview questions on the personal development that Sarrive underwent after his move from Africa. Diving deeper into his personal development after resettlement in the United States and gathering an understanding of how these circumstances impacted him seemed more enriching than learning the facts of what happened in Africa. Refugees often experience unfavorable and sometimes life-threatening conditions, so I wanted to avoid making Sarrive uncomfortable and I did not want to push him to talk about anything he wished to not cover.
This is the route I chose because, If I wanted to, I could easily conduct a few online searches to find information and statistic about what happened in Africa, but it is harder to get personal stories directly from individuals who have experienced the hardships. It would be even more difficult to get answers to specific questions I had about their experiences. By using the questions I did, I was able to learn about Sarrive’s opinions, goals, values, and gather information on his experiences before, during, and after resettlement. This assignment was enlightening for me because I was able to see the world through the lens of someone who has completely different life experiences than me.
The three most interesting facts that I learned about Sarrive include that he was a criminal justice major, he was only allowed two suitcases when moving, and that soccer was his primary means to network and make friends. Before the interview, Sarrive informed me that he played on Mount Mercy’s soccer team. I knew that he was a college student, but I did not know what he was studying. When I learned the Sarrive was a criminal justice major, it allowed me to relate to him more as we had a similar interests in career paths. Learning that we had the same major eased my nerves and made me feel more open with him. I thought it was interesting that he was pursuing a college career, not because he is incapable, but because it goes against all of these negative stereotypes perpetuated by media about refugees. Refugees have goals, ambitions, and work to contribute to society and inSarrive’s case— he wants to contribute to society by protecting it.
The second fact that Sarrive shared with me that resonated with me is that he was given a maximum of two suitcases to make the move to the United States. Itis unrealistic to assume that those who are relocating can bring everything they have with them, but hearing about the two suite case limit put the move into perspective for me. How much could I fit in two suitcases? Would I be able to distinguish what was worth taking out of all my belongings?
Finally, the fact that soccer was essentially Sarrive’s way of making friends in the United States stuck out to me the most. Even though Sarrive came to the United States not knowing much English, he was able to meet people and make a friends through the common interest. This opened my eyes to the powerful bonding capabilities that sports have. Sports are powerful enough to create a bond in people who are similar or bond people from different regions of the world. You don’t necessarily need to know the language of the people you are playing with as long as you guys are following the same common rules.
Overall, my interview with Sarrive was informative and refreshing. As someone who wants to learn more about the world outside of the United States, it is good to hear about the experiences of others who have lived in different parts of the world. I am thankful to hear about Sarrive’s journey to the United States as this assignment was helpful in building my understanding of different life experiences people may have. Sarrive’s story is one that proves that even though life may be challenging, there are still opportunities for you to thrive and succeed in life.