Although Awes Mukoma Sokondo wants his five daughters to meld with American culture, the Somalian refugee isn't exactly bursting with joy over what it could mean.
He's not a big fan of shorts or, for that matter, any other article that he sees as revealing clothing.
"We in Somalia are Muslim," Sokondo said through a translator. "We dress in long dress and scarves. Then we come here and saw people in shorts.
"Sometimes, we shame ourselves and turn our heads."
Though Sokondo is wary of some culture changes after fleeing his home country, he said he is ecstatic to be finally out of Somalia, which has been ravaged by an ongoing civil war.
The U.S. government recently relaxed regulations relating to immigration and refugees after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, allowing more immigrants into the country including Sokondo, who has been in Lansing for about three months.
Since October of last year, about 150 Somalians have relocated to Lansing, a jump of about two-thirds compared to the two years following the attacks, according to Peggy Roberts, vice president for operations for Catholic Social Services of Lansing/St. Vincent Home. The nonprofit organization has a Refugee Services department.
For Sokondo and his family, like others from the Bantu tribe, ongoing persecution has allowed them to receive refugee status.
"When I saw the situation that gunmen were always coming to loot, we were powerless," he said. "They tied me (to) a big tree and asked me for money. They beat me and my wife."
Now, however, the refugee has high hopes for himself and family as he works to fit in with a culture that is a world different from Somalia where most people farm, only the men work, few people have any formal education and there's nothing close to a grocery store.
"I know that welfare is only for a period of time," he said. "I came here to work and support my family."
Besides he appreciates our way of greeting each other, nice and short, he said.
"In Somalia, when they come to greet you, they talk to you and waste your time," Sokondo said. "American greeting is very good."
