The resilience of Kenyan immigrants in the US

Josephine Kamau* (not her real name) is one of those who were lucky to obtain a visa. She came to America hoping to earn some money and go back home to her family. Twenty years later, she has not gone back. I met Josephine through a friend, and she shared her story.

Josephine remembers vividly the day she was scheduled for the visa interview. She says it was a dream come true. “I arrived at the embassy at 6am. The queue was long. As I waited for my turn, I saw many people leave the counter with tears strolling down their faces. I knew their applications were denied and I was fearful.”

Josephine says she said a quick prayer before proceeding to the counter. “The immigration officer did not ask much. He asked if I had a family and if I intended to come back home after my visit. I answered with a ‘yes’ to his questions and he approved my visa. It was my lucky day.”

Josephine’s husband helped her pack a small suitcase with a few clothes. At the airport, she promised her husband and her three children aged 10, 15 and 18, she would be back in a few months.

In the case of Josephine, life was difficult at home. Her husband was not working and her salary as a social worker was not enough to support their family. “My firstborn son Kevin had just completed high school and I could not afford his university tuition,” she said.

“I had friends who were educating their children in the US. They suggested to me that the easiest way to get a visa was to attend a conference.”

Josephine took the chance and applied to attend a women’s conference that was to take place that year in Washington DC.

It was her first time on a plane. “I had never flown before and no one told me the food was part of the airline ticket payment. So, I did not eat anything along the way. Every time the food was served, I declined with a ‘no, thank you’. I had only $50 in my pocket, which I did not want to spend on food,” she laughs. When she landed at the JFK airport in New York, she was hungry and tired.

She stayed with a pastor for a month, who later connected her to a Kenyan family who lived in another town in Virginia. Josephine is forever grateful to the pastor. “I lived every day in fear. They were white, I was black. I thought they would report me to deportation authorities, but they did not.”

Richmond Virginia was to become her home for the next 20 years. The Kenyan family was kind enough to provide a room and advise her on survival means. She began with two jobs. She cleaned houses during the day and worked in nursing homes at night. Occasionally, she would dog-sit for an elderly family when they were out.

She later settled down to fulltime housekeeping after developing trust with a few families. She says the initial challenge was to get enough money to send back home and sustain herself. “When I first arrived, I did not choose jobs. I later specialised with housekeeping with a few rich families and had a stable income.”

Today, Josephine has educated all her three children through university and built a better house. I ask Josephine if she plans to go back home, to which she responds, “I have fulfilled my dream. I have done odd jobs so that none of my children will do the same. Now that they are all working, I can go back home to retire.”

Originally published at https://www.the-star.co.ke on October 5, 2019.