'In America, I can be who I am'
Growing up in the sandy desert town of Ghayathi in the United Arab Emirates, Adbul Samad never thought he would someday be living under the trees and scenic beauty of North Idaho. Here he feels free to be himself, something that was not possible for him where he grew up. (Photos by Andreas Braunlich)
Abdul Samad, 30, just passed his citizenship exam and will be sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America sometime in the next few months. Eager to get out of the house and get a job, he started working at the Café Rio Mexican Grill the day after he got his green card. Currently, Samad works as a caregiver for the disabled.
Abdul Samad and Vern Harvey were married Jan. 16, 2016 at the Kootenai County courthouse. The two met while Harvey was teaching in the United Arab Emirates.
As a boy growing up in the small United Arab Emirates town of Ghayathi, Abdul Samad often dreamed of exploring faraway places where he could live more freely and experience new horizons a world away from the hot desert climate he called home.
“I always wanted to go abroad and see more people, encounter new cultures and (fulfill) my curiosity to learn new things,” Samad said. “I just wanted to travel.”
His first giant leap toward his global adventure occurred during a beach barbecue in October 2014 on the shores of the Arabian Sea not far from his hometown, located about 167 miles from the UAE city of Abu Dhabi.
It was there that Samad met Vern Harvey, a globe-trotting schoolteacher from the Coeur d’Alene area who was in the Middle East teaching foreign fourth-graders math, English and science.
“It was a teacher get-together,” Harvey recalls, “and Abdul being the social creature he is introduced himself—and things evolved.”
Things happened fast from there as their relationship blossomed. Before long, the couple decided to make America their home together.
But while their partnership moved forward quickly, their desire to live together in America as a married couple was a painstakingly slow process.
Before they could travel to the states Samad had to apply for a fiancé visa, which required the couple to provide evidence of their committed relationship including pictures, text messages and lodging reservations.
The process took five months and in December 2015, Samad received his fiancé visa allowing him to travel to the states.
Samad arrived in the U.S. on Dec. 31, 2015 and by law was required to marry within three months to be eligible to apply for a green card.
With the deadline looming, the couple went to the Kootenai County courthouse on Jan. 12, 2016, to research details on getting married. They ended up tying the knot on the spot.
“It all happened so fast!” Samad said. “We were not actually planning on getting married that day.”
Married and holding a fiancé visa, Samad then applied for his first green card, requiring more supporting evidence, including an extensive background check. That process took another six months and he received the green card as a conditional resident for a two-year period. A green card is an identification card issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to permanent residents who are legally allowed to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely.
The couple says had it not been for a federal landmark case in 2015 in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples, Samad’s road to citizenship likely would not have been possible.
“I think we were probably the first gay couple from the United Arab Emirates that was allowed to get married under that Supreme Court ruling,” Harvey said.
Although Samad had received his first green card, he was not allowed to hold a paying job until he obtained his 10-year green card.
“I was bored out of my flippin’ mind,” he said. Eager to be productive, Samad volunteered at Hayden Elementary School where Harvey teaches, reading to students and helping to maintain the school’s greenhouse.
But his unemployment status didn’t last long. One day after receiving his two-year green card, Samad landed a job as a dishwasher at Café Rio Mexican Grill in Coeur d’Alene.
“It was such a great experience—great people,” said the 30-year-old Samad.
He now works as a caregiver at SL Start, a firm that provides support to the mentally and physically disabled, a position he has held for nearly three years.
Time elapsed and Samad applied for his second green card (a process that took one year), which is valid for 10 years and removes the conditions from the first green card.
“So after three years, having used up my first green card, having received my second, I could now apply for citizenship,” Samad said.
“Again, I submitted all kinds of evidence and assurances that Vern and I are in a genuine relationship, such joint tax returns, life insurance, joint accounts,” Samad said. “I got fingerprinted and later I got interviewed and the decision was made to grant me permanent U.S. citizenship.”
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“One of the most exciting things I’m looking forward to is having the right to vote. I love America and I love Idaho because everything is so open-minded, comparing where I come from.”
--Abdul Samad
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Adjustments to his new home are not just cultural in nature. Growing up in the desert, Samad had never seen snow prior to arriving at the Spokane International Airport on New Year’s Eve 2015. He was in for an eye-popping dose of reality.
“I got off the plane and there was three feet of snow on the ground,” he said. “I was wearing sandals, but I actually loved it.”
It was an icy introduction—and not the only American “first” for the Middle Easterner.
“The first thing we did was head to Black Sheep to get snow boots,” said Harvey, 59.
While waiting in line at the sporting goods store, the couple encountered a man wearing a holstered gun. Samad said it was the first firearm he’d ever seen.
Despite the much higher prevalence of guns in America, Samad said he feels safe. And not just from weapons, but regarding his marital status, which is strictly banned in his home country.
“In the UAE human rights are very oppressed,” Samad said. “Here, I feel protected under the law. And we have been treated so nice by so many people.”
Samad’s respect for the law led to an interest in becoming a police officer. He is currently pursuing a degree at North Idaho College. He has passed his public safety test and is considering entering the college’s law enforcement program.
The freedom to pursue a career in whatever field he chooses is overwhelming and exciting for the new American.
As he sat with his husband during a recent interview at their rural home surrounded by lush gardens and a bird’s-eye view of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Samad said he has so much to be thankful for.
“One of the most exciting things I’m looking forward to is having the right to vote,” Samad said. “I love America and I love Idaho because everything is so open-minded comparing where I come from. It’s such a beautiful country.”
With all his citizenship paperwork in order, tests taken, background checked and lifelong relationship with Harvey firmly established, the only thing standing between Samad becoming an official American is the formal citizenship oath, expected to happen any day in Spokane.
It’s been a long journey and Samad is excited for the road ahead.
“My experience going through all of this wasn’t easy and it required a lot of patience,” Samad said. “But it’s been worth all that effort and work.”