Third in a series.
Re: “My Sad Surprise En Route to the Beach”
As my friend and I were walking on the warm sands at Santa Monica beach, my friendwas telling me about her recent trip to Iran.
I listened patiently. I wanted to learn. This is what sociologist researchers do.
Finally, though, my patience ended. I couldn’t take more. I told her it was the time for me to turn back.
You may wonder the reason? This person was a respected teacher in Iran. She had accumulated enough years to ask for early retirement. The next step was to find a good attorney and claim “political asylum.”
Said my friend:
“If you pay a good attorney, he/she teaches you what to answer when meeting the American representative, in Turkey, Pakistan, India or Europe (depends on where you travel) so that you will be accepted rapidly. If you do not pay the attorney thpugh, it may take years.”
Once you are accepted, and your papers are in order, then the American dollars start pourng in:
- The American government buys the airline ticket, a minimum of $1,000 to much more.
- $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the state, is called welcome money to buy blankets, tables and dishes.
- $200 or more for food stamps.
- $300 cash for other expenses from eight months to 1½ years.
- Free medicals, dentist, and all tests: MRIs, X-rays and other considerations.
- Free medication.
- College courses are free, as long as you register! In addition refugees receive from $2,000 and up.
(I know some who have gone for years to learn English, photo shop, and so many other diverse courses. Many of them have not followed the prior courses.)
My friend, who has been in America for over three years, is still taking advantage of all these programs.
Some financial aid can go very long — especially if you don’t show any or just a small income).
When I saw her for the first time, her opinion about America was:
“America is such a great country.”
I was surprised. Normally, a new immigrant suffers for three to five years (my own experience) until finding a job, adapting to the new country and its ways, learning the language and so on.
I asked my friend why she was so sunny
“Everything is free,” she said.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
“What is free?” I asked.
“I had a mammogram last week,” she said, “and it was free. I am doing another one in two months.”
I felt sad for her. “Is there a problem? Did they find something?”
“No,” she said. “But it is good to do. I can check. It is free. I don’t pay anything. Why not?”
(To be continued)
Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and four children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published five books in America. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com.
