Homeland Security

(by Victoria Bubel)

Airport. As I stood in the waiting room with my husband and baby daughter, I was completely confused. In 18 hours, a new life would await us. But we could not imagine what it would be, whom we would meet, or where it would lead.

During the flight from Kyrgyzstan to Turkey and then on to New York, a terrible yearning filled my heart. My daughter Eleanor was just one year old. In our homeland, she was surrounded by the love and attention of grandparents, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, who all love her so much. We left in search of new opportunities and a better life. But how would she stay connected to family and our Russian heritage when there were thousands of miles between us?

We arrived in Staten Island, and it became our home; its quiet and cozy streets, its calm and measured rhythm of life are quite suitabl