Letters to the Editor: Who are the people in our neighborhood, part 11

In this 11th article it is my hope that by sharing these stories, we can all get to know our community a little better. I feel thankful to have met so many amazing people in the Storm Lake area who are working hard to build better lives. They are truly remarkable, and I believe their stories deserve to be shared. So, here is the tenth:

We often think we know our neighbors. But how well do we really understand the journeys that brought them here? Some stories are full of joy. Others are marked by loss and challenge. All of them can help us see each other with more understanding. It’s easy to believe the struggles we see on TV, or hear about in the news, only happen far away. But many of those same struggles affect people right here in our community.

The details in this story are changed to protect privacy, but the person is real. They might be standing next to you at the store or waiting in line for coffee. My purpose in sharing these stories is to help us connect with, and feel connected to, the people around us. After all, I believe that when we know each other’s stories, it is harder to hate or harm one another.

The 11th community member’s story began in another country, where she was born and raised. She met her husband in her home country, and although they were from the same town, she grew up speaking a different language than her husband. She understands her husband’s family’s language but is not able to speak it properly. He, however, can speak her family’s language, as well as his own. Still, they were in love. 

The community member comes from a country that has a strategic relationship with the United States, which was established after World War II. The location of her home country allows the United States to monitor and protect its national security in an important part of the world. In return, the United States also provides security to her home country. This relationship also allows members of both countries to travel back and forth without needing visas.

A year before the community member moved with her daughter to Storm Lake, her husband moved here. At the time, they did not know that she was pregnant, and when her husband found out that she was, his family came and asked for her hand from her family. In her culture, men don’t get a ring and get down on one knee; instead, they gather their family and go to the women’s family to ask for the daughter’s hand. A ring only gets involved when the marriage happens.

She and her family have now lived here for nine years. During those nine years, her family has continued to grow, and she now has four children—two boys and two girls. Their ages range from 5 to 10 years old.

This past spring, this community member received her high school equivalency diploma, which was a goal she had set for herself when she first arrived. In her home country, she had learned English, but she wanted to improve her skills. So, in 2022, she started taking classes but had to stop for a while because she had no one to watch her children.

Her goal now is to work in a school. Doing so will allow her to work hours that align with her children’s schedules, which is important to her. Furthermore, a doctor told her that one of her sons is showing symptoms of autism, but that he is likely to not have it. She grew up with the belief that if she doesn’t believe something it won’t likely happen, which is why she has not had her son engage further in autism testing. Still, she worries greatly that her son will be bullied or isolated by other kids, and she knows that working in a school will give her the opportunity to look after him to some extent.

At this time, she is deciding how she will move forward with her education. She met with an advisor at Iowa Central and is completing the FAFSA form. She looks forward to continuing her education and putting to use the $500 scholarship that graduates receive when they complete their High School Equivalency Diploma through Iowa Central Community College.

She is our neighbor.

Sarah E. Schoper, Storm Lake

MAGA’s propaganda advisor

The President’s political advisor Stephen Miller has exposed the deep hypocrisy of the MAGA movement. At a recent conference on left-wing terrorism in America, he said it is the job of patriots to protect “our republican system of government.”

Does Mr. Miller understand that his boss’ MAGA movement is not only not protecting that system, but in 18 months of concerted effort has virtually destroyed it?

Do folks know that a republican system is one where the legislature makes the laws, initiates wars, raises tax revenue, makes budgets, and appropriates money, not the executive branch?

All of these key indicators of a “republican system” of government have been usurped, or subverted, or taken over by the one-man legislature known as Donald Trump.

Stephen Miller is either as dumb as a rock, or as smart as a fox. But who really cares. The important thing is that he is just dead wrong pinning the assault against republican government on the left.

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah