Feeling lost, lonely, or disconnected after moving abroad?
Yolanda sits down with Samira Kawar—a trailblazing immigrant woman from Jordan who arrived in the U.S. in 1968 and built a life of legacy, leadership, and belonging.
If you’re an expat woman navigating homesickness, culture shock, or isolation, this episode offers more than validation—it offers a blueprint.
You’ll learn how to use education as a tool for empowerment, how to build meaningful community, and how to shift your mindset from survival to self-actualization.
Tune in to discover what it takes to feel rooted in a new culture
https://www.instagram.com/theplaces_wecallhome
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You are going to hear howmindset, education, and
community can turn your cultureshock into a legacy.
I welcome to starting over inthe USA, the Expat Woman's Guide
to overcoming homesickness,embracing cultural differences,
and creating a new home awayfrom home.
(00:22):
On this podcast, we talk aboutleaving behind the familiar, you
know, the pangs of homesicknessand culture shock to the
journeys of reinventingyourself.
I'm Yolanda Reshemah.
And after relocating six times,I know firsthand what it's like
to start from scratch, feelinglike both a foreign child and a
(00:43):
foreign adult in a new world.
I want you to meet my guest,Samira, a trailblazing immigrant
woman who arrived in the USA in1969 and build a life of legacy,
leadership and belonging.
Samir's story is a masterclass.
(01:04):
In mindset.
Pay close attention to everysingle word this woman is
sharing.
I my name is Samira Kawar, andoriginally I'm from the country
of Jordan.
Which is very close to Jerusalemin the Middle East.
(01:28):
How did you come to be in theus?
Our life was going well inJordan.
In 1968, my husband was invitedby the federal government to
come to the United States'causehe was a scientist.
They, wanted to bring scientistsfrom all over the world to
America because there wasshortage of them here.
(01:50):
So we came under that visa, andthe embassy called us and they
asked us if we want to, to comeaccept the invitation.
And we really gave it muchthought.
And then finally we decided tocome.
And if it doesn't work, wealways can go back.
And we are still here.
(02:11):
Since 1968.
What role does Jordan play inyour life these days?
I go back and forth a lot.
I used to go more often.
Now every few years I go.
I have a good family usually Ilike to be with my brother
there.
He was minister oftransportation in Jordan.
He just passed away last year.
(02:32):
I have sister and I havecousins, it's very close,
intimate family.
There is love there.
So it's very important to beclose to your family.
Hmm.
Um, I'm hearing a very tendermoment that many of us immigrant
women know so well.
That ache of leaving behind notjust a place, but a vital part
(02:55):
of who we are, something that wecannot pack or take with us, and
something that we can'treplicate.
It sounds, understandably.
Like you really miss life there.
Can you tell me some more aboutwhat life was like growing up?
It was simpler than these days.
(03:16):
We have lots of toys, aschildren playing together and
spend time.
We are the type of, my fatherhad a village or the family, the
whole family.
Had a village in Jordan wheresummertime we used to go and
attend the harvest time and seethe caterpillars are harvesting
the wheat and just having, greattime that really very few
(03:40):
children have that privilege.
I went to private schools.
It was a French school inJordan.
You have to learn English,French, and Arabic fluently.
They offer the science programsand it's just very good high
standard school.
I graduated from that highschool.
(04:00):
Generally speaking, it was agood life.
I went to a boarding school.
Near Jerusalem.
And that was excellentexperience.
It was American school, thefirst school in the Middle East,
co-education.
So that was my childhood.
When you think of home, doesJordan still come to mind?
Where do you feel most rooted?
(04:23):
It is home, but when I came tothis country, I also called this
home.
You can't live in a countrywhere you keep grieving about
going home because you can'testablish yourself in a foreign
country in a good way.
To look at the positive things,what American gave me, Jordan
(04:45):
can't give, like it was acontinuation of developing
myself.
And when I was there in Jordan,we didn't have any universities
yet.
When I came here to thiscountry, even though I finished
high school, I started to go tothe university immediately.
I didn't really waste timebecause I looked around here, I
(05:08):
said, Samira, without havinggood education here, I will be
kind of feeling a foreigner allthe time.
You know, I'm wondering if thisis where things started shifting
for you shaping your life to sothat you can feel more at home.
(05:28):
And you did this througheducation, and you did it
intentionally as well.
I, I, I have I found that beingat the university is the best
place to be.
They have great opportunities inthis country.
You can't get along with thesociety here.
And I should speak theirlanguage.
(05:48):
I should melt into theirsociety.
Other than that, I will be kindof feeling a foreigner all the
time.
When I went to college, I wasstunned.
How come many students, reallydon't appreciate what they have
here?
They don't know what they areoffered here.
They didn't have that experiencebeing in a country where there
(06:10):
is no college I was just jumpingfrom happiness and I just want
to get everything I can fromeducation.
And I did.
I did very well does that notstill feel quite incredible to
you?
Because for any woman listeningwondering how to find her
footing, this sounds like awonderful blueprint.
(06:32):
It says education isn't just acredential, it's, it's a bridge
to belonging.
And the proof of it is sittingin front of me.
That feels incredible to me.
Very kind of you for any womanwho immigrates to another
country, especially coming tothe United States where the
(06:53):
doors are open for them foreducation.
Women should look into beingeducated here in this country,
even if they had degree in theirown land, they can have more
education here to blend with theuniversity education to blend
with the society here too.
(07:13):
It's just a very strong feelingthat you belong to university,
educated people.
They are counseling you andbeing with you in the classroom.
And it just an amazing goodfeeling of your accomplishing
something.
I, I, I have to pinpoint this,which was very important during
(07:35):
my education, the encouragementthat I got from the professors.
They're always encouraging,always with you.
Lifting you up.
And that was a point where, Ijust looked and this is amazing
where you have that big support.
Do you think your path would'velooked different if you'd stayed
(07:57):
in Jordan, or do you feel yourdrive would've found a way.
Regardless?
I know myself since high schoolthat I was able to accomplish
things I graduated with honorfrom my high school so I know I
have that potential, I went to acollege in Jerusalem but there
was political, rising up all thetime, demonstrations, and so I
(08:19):
couldn't really continue.
I have to go back to Jordan,during those years, I got
married.
Through my husband, I was ableto come to America.
I have the potential, I have theability, but I don't think I
will have the opportunity inJordan to accomplish what I
accomplished in America.
Everyone in the world is lookingfor being in a college in
(08:41):
America, especially in Jordan.
The door is open for me and Ientered the door immediately.
I really didn't waste time.
Hmm.
Many people come, they may nothave the resources to go into
education, so they prioritizefinding a job, earning money,
settling down, become secure.
(09:03):
You recommend, pursue andprioritize education.
Yeah, because this is where theyput you on an executive, level
of any job.
If you don't have the degree andthe education, you go, you work
as, as union worker.
Mm-hmm.
Which I will not accept that atthat time, knowing what are my
(09:26):
desires and abilities.
So I pursued education and I didvery well.
I had no difficulty in anysubject.
I'd rather, have, specialized inphysics, but I couldn't because
I needed the job.
So this is what I did, I enjoyedmy job, I really loved it.
I can say I was the first womanto be hired in financial
(09:49):
planning at Kaiser.
There was no woman before.
uhhuh.
You are a trailblazer.
I was just happy I totallybelong here.
Now I am accomplishing somethingvery important in my life.
You don't look back at thethings there in Jordan'cause
there is something importantthat you're doing for yourself
(10:12):
and establishing a new life.
Was the US ever part of yourvision for the future before
that invitation came?
No.
But we moved to Europe.
We were going to Europe often.
Germany, England, Austria,Holland, from Jordan, we used to
travel.
But not America.
No, I've never been to Americaand when I came here I don't
(10:34):
think I like it very muchcompared to Europe.
It was like a huge country thatI can get lost very easily.
It's lots of freeways.
It's just too big for me.
No intimacy, just being like alost person.
I didn't know anyone.
When I came here to Oakland itwas tough at the beginning.
(10:57):
It wasn't easy.
What emotions did starting overthrow at you that you just
didn't expect?
Loneliness.
Difficulty to go around.
There was lots of challengeshere, mainly loneliness and not
know my way around.
I don't know what to expect inthe future.
(11:20):
Living in an apartment here atthe beginning, that was big
challenge for me.
like a big step down compared tothe charm of the physical
environment where you used tolive?
Yeah, because I lived in anenvironment there, my husband's
family and my family, he was aphysician.
(11:40):
He had lots of respect andstatus there we had, lots of,
advantages his father was aphysician.
My father was deputy mayor.
That was a big challenge for me,that I don't have all this now,
now I'm here.
Nobody knows you.
You are one of anyone, and thatdoesn't really matter much, but
deep inside, I'm lost.
(12:02):
But the university professors,were so nice that they took all
that feeling away from mebecause they treated me as a
guest.
They invited me to their homes.
Thanksgiving always.
They invite me to their homes.
(12:22):
Christmas.
I never had Thanksgiving orChristmas party for many years
because I'm always with them.
.They always tell me, we look atyou.
We want to know your family.
Sometimes it's the unexpectedpeople who show up for us and
surround us, but they became thecommunity of people who
supported you.
(12:43):
It was, It was nice.
Were there spaces orrelationships that helped you
feel more at home?
Um.
Yeah, of course.
The best place really to be herein a, in a church.
Church, church, the people areso friendly, they can really
(13:03):
adopt you.
They gave me so much love andattention and care up till now.
I have good friends.
this is what I'm taking awayfrom part one of our discussion.
I see this woman as a fantasticrole model.
(13:26):
I value her experience in thefact that she is sharing
everything from her heart sofreely.
She didn't just wait forbelonging to find her.
She built it through educationand community and a mindset that
(13:46):
said, everything is on theplate.
I have prepared myself.
I have come with gifts andskills and abilities, but I'm
not going to assume that I haveall that I need.
I'm going to pursue everyopportunity that comes my way.
I'm going to grab it, aim ashigh as I possibly can.
(14:09):
She reminds us that grief andgrowth can coexist, and that's
starting over it doesn't meanstarting small, it's starting
strategically.
So if you are listening from aplace of loneliness or cultural
disorientation, you are notbehind.
Like Samira, you have everyright to walk through the door.
(14:31):
That's it from me today, Samira,and I will be back for part two
next week.
Bye-bye.
You are going to hear howmindset, education, and
community can turn your cultureshock into a legacy.
I welcome to starting over inthe USA, the Expat Woman's Guide
to overcoming homesickness,embracing cultural differences,
and creating a new home awayfrom home.
(00:22):
On this podcast, we talk aboutleaving behind the familiar, you
know, the pangs of homesicknessand culture shock to the
journeys of reinventingyourself.
I'm Yolanda Reshemah.
And after relocating six times,I know firsthand what it's like
to start from scratch, feelinglike both a foreign child and a
(00:43):
foreign adult in a new world.
I want you to meet my guest,Samira, a trailblazing immigrant
woman who arrived in the USA in1969 and build a life of legacy,
leadership and belonging.
Samir's story is a masterclass.
(01:04):
In mindset.
Pay close attention to everysingle word this woman is
sharing.
I my name is Samira Kawar, andoriginally I'm from the country
of Jordan.
Which is very close to Jerusalemin the Middle East.
(01:28):
How did you come to be in theus?
Our life was going well inJordan.
In 1968, my husband was invitedby the federal government to
come to the United States'causehe was a scientist.
They, wanted to bring scientistsfrom all over the world to
America because there wasshortage of them here.
(01:50):
So we came under that visa, andthe embassy called us and they
asked us if we want to, to comeaccept the invitation.
And we really gave it muchthought.
And then finally we decided tocome.
And if it doesn't work, wealways can go back.
And we are still here.
(02:11):
Since 1968.
What role does Jordan play inyour life these days?
I go back and forth a lot.
I used to go more often.
Now every few years I go.
I have a good family usually Ilike to be with my brother
there.
He was minister oftransportation in Jordan.
He just passed away last year.
(02:32):
I have sister and I havecousins, it's very close,
intimate family.
There is love there.
So it's very important to beclose to your family.
Hmm.
Um, I'm hearing a very tendermoment that many of us immigrant
women know so well.
That ache of leaving behind notjust a place, but a vital part
(02:55):
of who we are, something that wecannot pack or take with us, and
something that we can'treplicate.
It sounds, understandably.
Like you really miss life there.
Can you tell me some more aboutwhat life was like growing up?
It was simpler than these days.
(03:16):
We have lots of toys, aschildren playing together and
spend time.
We are the type of, my fatherhad a village or the family, the
whole family.
Had a village in Jordan wheresummertime we used to go and
attend the harvest time and seethe caterpillars are harvesting
the wheat and just having, greattime that really very few
(03:40):
children have that privilege.
I went to private schools.
It was a French school inJordan.
You have to learn English,French, and Arabic fluently.
They offer the science programsand it's just very good high
standard school.
I graduated from that highschool.
(04:00):
Generally speaking, it was agood life.
I went to a boarding school.
Near Jerusalem.
And that was excellentexperience.
It was American school, thefirst school in the Middle East,
co-education.
So that was my childhood.
When you think of home, doesJordan still come to mind?
Where do you feel most rooted?
(04:23):
It is home, but when I came tothis country, I also called this
home.
You can't live in a countrywhere you keep grieving about
going home because you can'testablish yourself in a foreign
country in a good way.
To look at the positive things,what American gave me, Jordan
(04:45):
can't give, like it was acontinuation of developing
myself.
And when I was there in Jordan,we didn't have any universities
yet.
When I came here to thiscountry, even though I finished
high school, I started to go tothe university immediately.
I didn't really waste timebecause I looked around here, I
(05:08):
said, Samira, without havinggood education here, I will be
kind of feeling a foreigner allthe time.
You know, I'm wondering if thisis where things started shifting
for you shaping your life to sothat you can feel more at home.
(05:28):
And you did this througheducation, and you did it
intentionally as well.
I, I, I have I found that beingat the university is the best
place to be.
They have great opportunities inthis country.
You can't get along with thesociety here.
And I should speak theirlanguage.
(05:48):
I should melt into theirsociety.
Other than that, I will be kindof feeling a foreigner all the
time.
When I went to college, I wasstunned.
How come many students, reallydon't appreciate what they have
here?
They don't know what they areoffered here.
They didn't have that experiencebeing in a country where there
(06:10):
is no college I was just jumpingfrom happiness and I just want
to get everything I can fromeducation.
And I did.
I did very well does that notstill feel quite incredible to
you?
Because for any woman listeningwondering how to find her
footing, this sounds like awonderful blueprint.
(06:32):
It says education isn't just acredential, it's, it's a bridge
to belonging.
And the proof of it is sittingin front of me.
That feels incredible to me.
Very kind of you for any womanwho immigrates to another
country, especially coming tothe United States where the
(06:53):
doors are open for them foreducation.
Women should look into beingeducated here in this country,
even if they had degree in theirown land, they can have more
education here to blend with theuniversity education to blend
with the society here too.
(07:13):
It's just a very strong feelingthat you belong to university,
educated people.
They are counseling you andbeing with you in the classroom.
And it just an amazing goodfeeling of your accomplishing
something.
I, I, I have to pinpoint this,which was very important during
(07:35):
my education, the encouragementthat I got from the professors.
They're always encouraging,always with you.
Lifting you up.
And that was a point where, Ijust looked and this is amazing
where you have that big support.
Do you think your path would'velooked different if you'd stayed
(07:57):
in Jordan, or do you feel yourdrive would've found a way.
Regardless?
I know myself since high schoolthat I was able to accomplish
things I graduated with honorfrom my high school so I know I
have that potential, I went to acollege in Jerusalem but there
was political, rising up all thetime, demonstrations, and so I
(08:19):
couldn't really continue.
I have to go back to Jordan,during those years, I got
married.
Through my husband, I was ableto come to America.
I have the potential, I have theability, but I don't think I
will have the opportunity inJordan to accomplish what I
accomplished in America.
Everyone in the world is lookingfor being in a college in
(08:41):
America, especially in Jordan.
The door is open for me and Ientered the door immediately.
I really didn't waste time.
Hmm.
Many people come, they may nothave the resources to go into
education, so they prioritizefinding a job, earning money,
settling down, become secure.
(09:03):
You recommend, pursue andprioritize education.
Yeah, because this is where theyput you on an executive, level
of any job.
If you don't have the degree andthe education, you go, you work
as, as union worker.
Mm-hmm.
Which I will not accept that atthat time, knowing what are my
(09:26):
desires and abilities.
So I pursued education and I didvery well.
I had no difficulty in anysubject.
I'd rather, have, specialized inphysics, but I couldn't because
I needed the job.
So this is what I did, I enjoyedmy job, I really loved it.
I can say I was the first womanto be hired in financial
(09:49):
planning at Kaiser.
There was no woman before.
uhhuh.
You are a trailblazer.
I was just happy I totallybelong here.
Now I am accomplishing somethingvery important in my life.
You don't look back at thethings there in Jordan'cause
there is something importantthat you're doing for yourself
(10:12):
and establishing a new life.
Was the US ever part of yourvision for the future before
that invitation came?
No.
But we moved to Europe.
We were going to Europe often.
Germany, England, Austria,Holland, from Jordan, we used to
travel.
But not America.
No, I've never been to Americaand when I came here I don't
(10:34):
think I like it very muchcompared to Europe.
It was like a huge country thatI can get lost very easily.
It's lots of freeways.
It's just too big for me.
No intimacy, just being like alost person.
I didn't know anyone.
When I came here to Oakland itwas tough at the beginning.
(10:57):
It wasn't easy.
What emotions did starting overthrow at you that you just
didn't expect?
Loneliness.
Difficulty to go around.
There was lots of challengeshere, mainly loneliness and not
know my way around.
I don't know what to expect inthe future.
(11:20):
Living in an apartment here atthe beginning, that was big
challenge for me.
like a big step down compared tothe charm of the physical
environment where you used tolive?
Yeah, because I lived in anenvironment there, my husband's
family and my family, he was aphysician.
(11:40):
He had lots of respect andstatus there we had, lots of,
advantages his father was aphysician.
My father was deputy mayor.
That was a big challenge for me,that I don't have all this now,
now I'm here.
Nobody knows you.
You are one of anyone, and thatdoesn't really matter much, but
deep inside, I'm lost.
(12:02):
But the university professors,were so nice that they took all
that feeling away from mebecause they treated me as a
guest.
They invited me to their homes.
Thanksgiving always.
They invite me to their homes.
(12:22):
Christmas.
I never had Thanksgiving orChristmas party for many years
because I'm always with them.
.They always tell me, we look atyou.
We want to know your family.
Sometimes it's the unexpectedpeople who show up for us and
surround us, but they became thecommunity of people who
supported you.
(12:43):
It was, It was nice.
Were there spaces orrelationships that helped you
feel more at home?
Um.
Yeah, of course.
The best place really to be herein a, in a church.
Church, church, the people areso friendly, they can really
(13:03):
adopt you.
They gave me so much love andattention and care up till now.
I have good friends.
this is what I'm taking awayfrom part one of our discussion.
I see this woman as a fantasticrole model.
(13:26):
I value her experience in thefact that she is sharing
everything from her heart sofreely.
She didn't just wait forbelonging to find her.
She built it through educationand community and a mindset that
(13:46):
said, everything is on theplate.
I have prepared myself.
I have come with gifts andskills and abilities, but I'm
not going to assume that I haveall that I need.
I'm going to pursue everyopportunity that comes my way.
I'm going to grab it, aim ashigh as I possibly can.
(14:09):
She reminds us that grief andgrowth can coexist, and that's
starting over it doesn't meanstarting small, it's starting
strategically.
So if you are listening from aplace of loneliness or cultural
disorientation, you are notbehind.
Like Samira, you have everyright to walk through the door.
(14:31):
That's it from me today, Samira,and I will be back for part two
next week.
Bye-bye.
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