Unification | Bilal Messaoudi

Bilal Messaoudi on his parents' journey to the United States.

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It was very dangerous for my dad in Algeria because of the civil war that was occurring. He wanted an opportunity to live a happy and safe life and knew the US was the land of opportunity for immigrants. But he was afraid. He did not speak English fluently, did not have a stable income, and was uncomfortable leaving his family.

It was at a youth conference where he met my mom who worked at a bookstore in Zürich, Switzerland. He was instantly drawn to her. One day, he finally built up the courage and made the decision to ask if she would want to emigrate to the US with him to live a safer life.

For a long time it was very difficult for them to adjust - at one point, they were even homeless for a period of time. As if it he could not stop taking risks for the benefit of our family, my dad risked his savings to start his own restaurant business in San Francisco, California. This became their main source of income. Once everything was settled, he proposed to my mom. And she accepted.

My father made the decision to immigrate to California, and as a consequence, had to leave his family in Algeria. Even today, my parents are the only ones of their families to have left their homeland. 

- Bilal Messaoudi, Instagram: @_bilalmesssaoudi

📸: @jimmyz_z