DC to Frankfurt

Dear Pat, Dave, Cody, Shane & Nathan,

On the flight from Washington DC to Frankfurt, I sat next to a young man who lives in Charlotte, NC. When I asked him where he was from he told me,  he was Persian.  Now you may remember from the movie "300" that the Persians were led by Darius, and came from somewhere east of Greece.  That somewhere is basically present day Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. But many Westernized Iranians identify themselves as Persian. I told the young man, whose name was Milad, that he was the second Persian I'd ever met, the first being a second grade boy I tutored in an after-school program in San Francisco.  
Milad has been in the US for two years, before that he lived in Vienna, Austria, and before that, Iran. He came to the US with a competency in English from the schools he attended in Iran, and from watching American TV.  Before he would even tell me what country he came from, he described America as a hospitable place, and he mentioned several times how free the country is.  Free.  Not something I consciously think about when I think about living in Montana, or any other state I've lived in. But for this young man, freedom was the singular feature of American life that stood out to him.  Back in Iran his family is not allowed to openly practice their religion, Bahai, a rather new movement, 160 years old, that advocates world peace and tolerance of all faiths. Instead the government orders all people to attend mosque at least once a week.  If he or any of the other followers of Bahai were to speak out about their faith or the government, they would risk being put in jail, people must meet in secret.
Milan told me now that he has acquired adequate English skills for school he is going to get a nursing degree at the local community college in Charlotte and hopes he can convince his parents and younger sister to immigrate to the US. He loves the freedom so much in the US he doesn't want to leave, and he spoke several times of the kindness of people in the US. He has a job at a grocery store and has managed to find an affordable place to rent while he goes to class.  He was worried about asking for time off from work to go see his family, afraid he would lose his job, he planned to negotiate time with his boss. Instead, he told me his boss said not to worry, his job would be waiting for him when he came back. He tells me he had very little when he first came to the US and now he feels like he has accomplished a lot, and can see his goal.
I read about the glum jobs report, only 80,000 jobs added in June, far less than what is needed to continue economic recovery.  I read that most jobs are going to people 55 and older, that there are 2 million young people age 20 to 24 in this country who cannot find work and possibly have student loans to cover. I read also that younger college graduates with little work history have to settle for jobs outside their field of training, jobs most likely with lower pay than they were expecting.  It seems like it would be very frustrating to be young right now, just starting out, having to postpone your dreams or abandon them altogether; but meeting someone like Milad reminds me that for those who want to work hard and sacrifice, America is still the land of opportunity.  Perhaps success comes at a cost, a minimum wage job, long hours, an extra year of school, student loan debt. Perhaps like Milad and others you need to move away, forgo seeing your family for a long period of time, but after a few years the hard work pays off. You have a good job, a career, you are able to do more of what you want to do.
Milad told me of his cousin living in Manhattan, he is a year younger than him, but because he was born in the US has the advantage of knowing English. Milad confessed he was envious of his cousin's success in banking, his ability to live in Manhattan and pay exorbitant rent, "but that is the advantage of being born in the US, and knowing English", he told me.
Be patient as you work the next few years to establish yourselves as adults. Think of the advantages you have: freedom, a good education, family living close by.  Think how much harder your life would be if you had to start with less than nothing.