Robert Segama was born in 1982 in a small town about two hours away from the capital of Peru, Lima.

Robert Segama was born in 1982 in a small town about two hours away from the capital of Peru, Lima. The town he grew up in was in a remote area where low-income families built their own houses. “There was no water or sewers. We had to bring water from a mile away from where we lived.” In Peru Robert lived with his mother and grandfather until he graduated high school. At the age of seventeen Robert arrived in the United States on a cold February evening to live with his father, stepmother and brothers.  At first he had a hard time adjusting, and struggled with the language barrier. “When I moved here I didn’t know the language, I had been going to some institutes in Peru for it but it’s not the same. You hear people speaking fast and it’s very difficult to understand. When I first got here I started going to Dorcas International Institute in Providence, where I spent a few months there to understand English better.” Robert did not let the language barrier hinder him from succeeding, and one of the things he did when he first arrived was go to Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island where he enrolled in English classes. After graduating from the program, he attended Rhode Island College and enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program so that he could pursue an Associate’s degree in business.  A year and a half later he opened a dry cleaning business. He kept the business for 3 years however later decided to continue with school and focus on completing his Bachelor’s degree. The language barrier, though one of the most difficult was not the only obstacle Robert faced.   Robert struggled to find that sense of belonging especially in a culture that is so individualistic. “When I came here I think what was most difficult was to feel like you belong here. It is a different culture, different way of living and very independent.  For example, who’s going to give me a ride? You can’t just walk around here, everything is very far away.” Despite the rocky start, Robert feels at home here in the United States.  “Little by little this place became my home.”  Further, while Robert still identifies with his Peruvian culture and goes back every so often, in a way the United States is more of a home to him than Peru. “Little by little the place where I came from it wasn’t really my home anymore. Everyone was leaving and people were getting busy with families and work. Every time I kept coming back I was more there as a visitor than as a citizen. Little by little I started making friends here” Robert also states that coming from Peru to the United States after having lived the way that he did was really an improvement. “It was a real improvement for me to come here from Peru. You know, the showers, hot water and where we lived there were really no roads, just dirt.” Today Robert lives with his family; his wife, also from Peru and two lovely young children, a nine year old girl and five year old boy in Johnston Rhode Island.  He also works in management as a training manager at a Fortune 100 company. While Robert has come to accept American culture as part of his new identity he still holds true to many aspects of his Peruvian culture. For example both his children speak Spanish in addition to English and he still enjoys Peruvian food every day. Robert and his family also go back to Peru every so often to visit their relatives who live there. Written and complied by Liv Halvorson and Esther Ssozi -- source link

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