The Night of the Storm

My first storm in Rhode Island was quite impressive. I felt surprised. lt was my first storm and I didn't know what to expect. I felt doubt but with expectation. I thought of the possibilities, but without experience of my own. I was scared, surprised, doubtful, anticipating with imagination, and maybe anxiety. Then, like so many people before it all happened, I went to the supermarket to buy groceries and provisions. My husband had to travel the next day after the storm, so I also needed to buy all the necessities for the weekend because I can’t get around easily when he’s away. When he travels, my best friends are Uber, the bus and the train. But with a storm coming everything gets really complicated.

When I got to the supermarket there was only a little bit of everything left. Fortunately, my nutrition is based on eating fresh foods that I cook for myself so a positive factor was that fresh foods and perishables, such as vegetables, were affordable, because basically nobody would buy for a few days ahead when they spoil quickly. But it was also a factor playing against me because, I thought, if this were a real emergency and the electricity went out or anything else happened, my food would spoil fast and I wouldn’t be able to cook. That sounds like it would be less than intelligent to be fit jajajaja!

But that's ok. To continue my story, After going to the market, we made hot chocolate during the storm and watched a marathon of series and films. When I saw the snow start falling, I said in my mind, it is impossible that this snow will get to the level they’re predicting. It was very fluffy, beautiful and with flakes so small I didn't believe they would add up to so many feet. that i didn't believe it. But after i listened to the wind blowing it really scared me more. From the window of my apartment I could see everything being covered. At night the wind was stronger and everything was in darkness. It was certainly a little terrifying.

Soon the snow came halfway up my window. I live on the first floor, so I thought: Woow! This is a really big snow storm! I worried for the homeless and people who don’t have cars, because the last storm was smaller and people needed more time to clean the sidewalks in front of their houses to be able to walk on the sidewalk. It is really dangerous to get around without a car, even in an emergency. For those who have the privilege of owning a car or getting around by Uber, this is not a big problem. Also, Uber can't get to you. But there are other people who need to walk until the buses or trains can move. That changes the situation because walking halfway in the street with black ice only causes more accidents no one would be responsible for.

Finally, we went to sleep after a couple of TV shows and woke up the next morning.". Omg! Our door wouldn’t open. The snow came up a little bit more than halfway up the door. Open a little bit and record all. It was amazing.

My father-in-law came to help clean the door and my husband cleaned the rest and helped us a little.

I recognize that although it was a little complex to clear the snow and I could see in the news the mayor of Providence and governor of Rhode Island had a strategy for clearing the snow as soon as possible. But when they announced an emergency alert, I really got scared. I imagined an emergency alert in Latin America, maybe because all the emergency alerts that I have seen in Mexico were natural disasters of a big scale. I think I felt calmer in the blizzard, but also that people left everything in the hands of the government and activated less community help. Because I saw people worried about going back to work and in Mexico the people would have and organized immediately. Maybe comfort makes us less empathetic.

Also there’s a funny part; more people took advantage of making activities with snow: snowmen, warriors of snow and sliding or skiing.

The truth is the weather helped a lot because the days after were sunny and that helped the snow melt more quickly. And obviously, the comprehensive effort of the city workers to clean frequently used routes also helped.

Overall, I loved the arrival of snowfall with winter in New England. It is a privilege to live in a place where you really see each season of the year.

When I was a young girl and I called my dad who lives in Ohio, and he told me it was snowing, I was very excited. I dreamed of a day I could experience it. Also, near my home in the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, there is snow and I can visit, but really it's not comparable. I never planned to live in a place where the snowfall is a consideration when it’s time to buy clothes, a car and choose a house. But I actually like that it’s part of my life. For soon, and give us sunny days and good winds.

~~

Angie Nuñez - Mexico

The Blizzard of ‘26- Janyce’s story

It’s my first winter in Rhode Island. I lived in France, near a ski station. I know the snow. I grew up with snow and that doesn’t scare me. On the contrary, I have always loved winter. When I came here, near the ocean, I couldn’t imagine so much snow! I knew the temperature here was cooler compared to my country but the sensation isn’t the same (wet and dry don’t give the same sensation). Even if temperatures drop lower here, it doesn't feel as uncomfortable.

So, Sunday arrived, and I'm celebrating my birthday with some friends. And then ... our phones suddenly start making some noises, an alert loud enough to wake up every squirrel in the neighborhood! "Warning: Blizzard Approaching." What to do? I've never experienced anything like this! I need to quickly run to get some food at the grocery store. After, I relax on my couch and wait for the snow.

I was so surprised in the morning when so much snow arrived but the landscape was so amazing! I wanted to jump into the snow but, unfortunately, I’m not a kid and I don’t have good clothes for that! But, it was my birthday! I have always had snow for my birthday, like a tradition. And the tradition continued even here (I think the snow followed me!). I’m glad to have seen a beautiful blizzard like that, especially for my first winter. I’m lucky because my neighbor and my husband helped me clear the snow in our way, and we didn’t have any power outages. I only experienced the good sides of the storm. I just watched my husband clean snow from my window, nice and warm.

I was also surprised by the huge quantity of salt which was used on the road. In my region, the source of water, mountains and nature are so important, so we take care of the planet and the water that we drink (also to take care of the wild animals, who can poison themselves with salt). For that, we don’t use a lot of salt on the road. French people have almost no 4x4s but but buy good tires (snow tires) and if you don’t have good tires, the policeman gives you a fine. I knew how to drive in the snow (Okay, though not with as much snow as the size of the car!) I remember, once, one friend lived on the top of the mountains, and we couldn't go there by car because the road was too slippery. Without hesitation, we climbed the mountain in reverse and had no problems.

And to finish with a little joke my husband often tells me, I think the ocean is salty because it’s all the salt on the road in the USA.

In summary, the blizzard 2026 was very fun and beautiful. I’m ready for the next one 🙂.

~~

Janyce - France

Marling's Speech

This essay was written and delivered as a speech by Marling to around a hundred-plus people for the RIFLI End of the Year Celebration at the Providence Public Library on June 1, 2024. Congratulations to Marling for a great writing job as well as a great job of public speaking in her second language.

~~~

As an immigrant, moving to another country is always a challenge, because of the weather, traditions, laws, behavior and especially the language. Everything is new for us, and that’s why we are all here. Through the adult learning RIFLI program we have the opportunity to learn and make our adaptation and living in this country easier and independent.

During the time I have been in this program I have been feeling more confident in myself to talk, understanding(listening), reading, writing, pronunciation and fluency. Of course mistakes always will happen even to native speakers, so don’t worry about that and keep going and learning from it.

In my class, we learned a little bit of everything: phrasal verbs, new vocabulary, about my classmates’ opinions on any topic, for example “if they believe in aliens.” We also talked about our different cultures and traditions, even about koalas and raccoons. All this mix of topics made our class dynamic, diverse and funny and if someone forgot any word, we all together tried to find it to complete the idea.

I am so glad to have found this family, and I say family because that’s the way I feel about them. With classmates and teacher Jon we help, support and even enjoy each other as a family. And also with Sabine, Cruz and all the staff. I remember when I got enrolled, they received me very kindly and warmly.

And to be honest I wasn’t expecting too much, because usually we have the perception that when something is cheap or free, it is bad quality, but this is not the case. They really care about our learning and progress and are always available to help even with stuff not related with the class, like advice for a resume or a job interview. Also, we had the opportunity with Siyamala to get more knowledge and be certified for NorthStar on computer skills and best of all it is for free. I just can say thank you to all of you for this.

Finally, I just want all of you to keep going, never give up, take advantage of this huge opportunity and also invite and motivate any friend, coworker or relative to be part of this family. Maybe some of them need to know about this program and are missing this big deal because they don’t know about it. Good things need to be shared and learning always opens doors.

Thank you!

~

Marling - Dominican Republic

My Lost Experience

Well, I think being lost sometimes can be good but sometimes not at

all. Throughout my life I have been lost a lot of times, but at this

moment I want to talk about one day when I recently moved to Rhode

Island.

One day I tried to bring my mother-in-law and her niece to Burlington,

located in Bald Hill, Warwick. I had an idea of how to get there and I

tried to go without using GPS. So, here began the adventure. We got in

the car, I turned it on and took the route that I “knew”, but I made a

little mistake, I passed the exit that I was supposed to take and I

decided to take the next one…BIG MISTAKE!. This exit brought me to

the Walmart Supercenter on Plainfield, Cranston. Totally the opposite

way!

When we arrived there, I was happy because at least I knew where I

was (I recognized the place just because I had been there before), but

that was also the moment when I found out we were lost and I still was

denied to use the GPS because I wanted to challenge myself. So, I

started driving through street after street and places that still I have no

idea where it was. I just said, “Let’s see if I can get there or find another

known place while we are learning new places,” but after

approximately 15 minutes I gave up and I had to use the GPS. That was

when I noticed I was very far away from Burlington.

I think this was a funny experience, because we saw new beautiful

places while listening to music and laughing about our situation. The

bad side is that I used all my gas and we arrived late to our destination.


Fortunately it was still early and they had time to do their shopping in

Burlington.

~

by Marling F. - Dominican Republic

Story of My Life

I was three years old when my father passed away and we were four school-age children. When I finished my fourth year at school, at the time obligatory and free, my mother chose to send the two boys to study, while my sister and I stayed at home. She did not have the resources to send everyone to school and we lived far from the city ​​of Nova Sintra, but I never let go of the desire to learn and go back to school.

When I was little, I was always a good student and when I saw my classmates who continued to study in the preparatory circle because at the time there was no high school on my island, I often cried in secret.

In 1998, at the age of 18, I left my island, Brava, to look for work on the island of Santiago. I always wanted to be independent, but on my island, there were no job opportunities because it is a small island.

While in the City of Praia, I heard that the third phase of literacy class started on Brava, in teaching for adults. I returned as soon as possible, but I couldn't get in because they were already advanced, and I missed the first year. However, the following year, another class opened and I decided to go. I did the fifth and sixth years in an integrated way.

At the time, many people considered me crazy for going to study at night as an adult, but I didn’t give up and always had the support of my ex-boyfriend, the father of my daughter, with whom I was living at the time.

I was lucky because as soon as I finished literacy in 1999, two seventh-year post-work classes opened at the high school and there were many applicants, because, normally in Brava, the seventh-year classes will start with adults, but many didn't make it to the end because they gave up.

I received the prize for best student and the Literacy Program supported me with 50% of the tuition and the city council provided the remaining 50%.

At the same time, they happened to open a competition for a kindergarten teacher, so I went to take the test, passed, and started working in 2001 while still studying at night. In that same year my daughter was born. I was 21 years old.

The decision that impacted my life forever:

When I finished the 12th year with good grades, having even gone to the honor roll, I enrolled at the Instituto Superior de Education in the city of Praia to train in the area of childhood education or in the Portuguese language, however, the opportunity arose to go to Portugal.

The director of the high school contacted me, saying that there were some vacancies for courses in Portugal because he knew that I had dreams of continuing my studies. Having finished high school with the best grade for both day and night students, they soon gave me the priority in choosing the course I wanted to take.

After talking to all my family members and my boyfriend at the time about the opportunity to go to Portugal, they all supported me, but the hardest part was having to leave my daughter behind. They all encouraged me to take the opportunity and promised to take care of my little girl who was 4 years old at the time. So, I made a big decision that would impact my life forever.

In 2005, at the age of 25, I and 3 people much younger than me left for the City of Leiria, in Portugal. With the support of the City Council, I was going to take the business management course.

I stayed in Portugal for almost 5 years and there were several difficulties, including adaptation, financial hardship, some health problems, and the hardest of all, having to stay away from my little princess. If I didn't have the willpower, I would have given up right away. During the course, I worked at night in one of the school canteens, and I managed to go on vacation twice to visit my daughter.

As I am an Aries I didn't give up and in 2010, of the 4 students who left together, I was the only one to return to my home island with my CV already sent to several companies, but from the City Council I got a second three-month internship in the areas of accounting and human resources.

Afterward, I was hired to be in charge of human resources, and soon after, I accepted the invitation to work as Municipal Secretary.

From that date on, I joined a political party and started an active political life, with the idea of ​​being able to make a difference and help people. In the meantime, I participated in the electoral campaigns on the list for the National Assembly of the Republic, so with the city council change, I lost my job. Then I ran for the position of Manager of the National Program to Combat Poverty, a government program that operated in 7 of the 10 islands that make up the Cape Verde Archipelago. I was hired to manage the Technical Unit on my island, and I stayed there from 2014 to 2019. During the period I worked as a Program Manager, we helped many families create a source of income.

I had the opportunity to do several technical and professional training actions, and I had the opportunity to work with many young people and women on the islands of Brava, Fogo and Santiago, providing training and consultancy to those who wanted to create and implement a business idea and to those who wanted to develop a business.

I had the opportunity to replace my colleague in the National Assembly of the Republic and in 2020 I ran for President of the Municipal Assembly of my beloved island, but I lost the election, thus getting the position of vice president.

After that, with my daughter and my current husband living in the United States, I decided it was time to gather and build my family and I decided to come and live here at the age of 41. I arrived at the decision that I would build a new story here.

On my island, I am a reference for many people, including young people and women

because I always tell my story to young people and other women to never deprive themselves of their dreams. Education, studies, and knowledge are goods that no one can take away from us and that make us feel good in society.

Making the decision back then was the beginning of becoming the WOMAN I AM TODAY. An Empowering Woman, with her own will, fearless, who never gets tired of looking for new knowledge and learning.

~

Margarida Rodrigues - Cape Verde

An American Driver

2 months after arriving in Cranston from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, my family seemed to be settled. My elder son joined 4th grade in elementary with the school bus pick-up and drop off. I got a job and started to get acquainted with the native English speakers' accents in daily communication. I had not driven a car before, therefore, my aunt had to take me to work every day. Getting a driver’s license inevitably became the next task in my plan.

I passed the written DMV test the first time I took it just by studying a little DMV handbook that my mother somehow had and gave to me. Then I searched for a driving school on the internet and had some sessions with Rose, a very knowledgeable senior instructor. However, I was extremely anxious on the day I took the road test. I did everything perfectly except for driving over the curb when I arrived at DMV. The front wheel climbed the curb. I was so nervous that I didn’t even recognize the issue. When the DMV examiner told me, I was too confused to fix it. He said sorry and marked me failed. I burst into tears right in front of him because it meant that I would bother my aunt for a longer time.

Now I think this issue was just “the final straw” for me after a long time being so full of stress and concentrated on getting things done perfectly since the day I decided to move to the U.S., i.e. so much complicated paperwork, preparing and packing luggage, a new environment, the language barrier, new job, kids school, medical registration, etc.

I had to call my uncle to pick me up. I hadn’t told anybody in my family when I left the house so my uncle didn’t know that I had taken the road test that day. I was really disappointed and feeling guilty. Even so, I texted my instructor immediately to schedule more driving lessons and patiently waited for the next road test.

Finally I made it. This time the DMV examiner said I did a great job and he couldn’t find any mistakes. I successfully got my driver’s license. Now I am able to drive to work every day, go shopping for groceries, and drive my children to the park, beach and libraries. Having a driving license not only makes many of my life tasks easier but also gives me freedom and independence. For the time being, I drive on local streets only because I am scared of highway traffic. Undoubtedly, that will be the next plan.

~

Xuan - Vietnam

Heading to Adulthood

Since I was a child I have thought that many people rush through life and always get to the next stage. When they are children they want to be teenagers, when they are teenagers they want to be young adults. When they are young adults they want to be adults and when they are adults they want to be retired.

I enjoy each stage and I was not interested in getting ahead of myself in my childhood, adolescence or young adult stage. Now I am an adult (it is so weird hahaha).

Hi, I am Ania Irina from the capital of Colombia, Bogotá. I am 33 years old, some people say that I look younger and others say that I am an old soul in a young body.

In the last ten years I have done things that I had planned and others that I had not.

At first I was not sure what to study but to sum it up I have a Nursing Assistant diploma, certificates from make-up art classes and a degree in Business Administration.

I worked in a company in the arts sector, where I could pursue my career as a business administrator and be in contact with the arts and where, as time went on, I started as an administrative assistant and ended up as a professional specialized in supervision support. I had been working in the District Institute of the Artes (Idartes) for around 9 years and I resigned in September of this year.

My family and I opened an academy of arts for children and teenagers and I had been the teacher of dance and drama. We love this project but when the pandemic appeared we decided to close it. At the same time in the same location we have a customs store that is still open.

I am trying to have the best practices now that I am next to the most special person in the world apart from my family, my husband. This year on July 29 I got married and with him I am having a completely new adventure in my life with a change of country, language and customs .

My family members and currents of thought based on well-being as a result of respect, common sense and empathy with us and everything that is part of our environment are the biggest influences in my life.

My father died last year due to covid and that made me think on a deeper level about the way I was leading my life.

We will see what happens…

~

Ania Irina - Colombia