DEPARTED FROM
Nizwa, Oman
ARRIVED IN
Seattle, Washington
YEAR
2017
AGE
19
NOW LIVES IN
Seattle, Washington
From Nizwa, Oman, Younis came to the United States in 2017 with the hope of going to college and obtaining an engineering degree. His goal is to use his education, observations, and experiences to eventually return to Oman and better his country.
Younis is one of 15 children, loves cars and playing soccer.
TRANSCRIPT
My name is Younis Al Riyami and I’m from Oman. My first day was not so good. When I landed in the airport I already knew a guy from Seattle, so if it wasn’t for him, I would have been like lost somewhere. So, he helped me get into my hotel. He also helped me, like, getting to know the place. He also showed me different places, we even played soccer the first day. The thing that was different was the city, I think. ‘Cause even in Victoria [Canada] I didn’t, we didn’t have very high skyscrapers. So, the city was different. It was not like Oman for sure. In Oman, you don’t have any skyscrapers, there’s just small buildings. I think it was the second or third day, I didn’t have any pillows or blankets or anything and it was so cold. So, I texted my friend I was like, “Can you bring me some pillows?” And actually, he and his mom they both came here and like they came all the way to my room. They were so nice, they fixed my bed and everything and his mom gave me a hug and she was like, “I feel bad you’re away from home and you’re alone.” So she just gave me a hug and that was so nice. Yeah, I think, that was it.
