“Serbia was getting bombed. I was too young to remember and we weren’t directly affected, but obviously that’s not a place you want to be with that going on.” My friend Pavle was born in Serbia in 1997 during the later years of the Yugoslav Wars. Yugoslavia had dissolved in 1990 and conflict had arisen between the new countries and ethnic groups within the region. His parents would have to leave behind their home in order to give their children a better, safer life.

His parents knew that they would eventually have to leave the area. His family was in Belgrade, Serbia. This area was much safer than others within the region, but it was certainly not the ideal place to be at that time. Immigration can be a tough process. I find that a recurring theme in immigration is that families leave behind their homes, culture, and people in order to secure a better future for their children. It’s an inspiring act of selflessness. To take a risk and do something that is bigger than just yourself. That is what Pavle’s parents did.

Pavle was very young when these events were going on in Serbia. He doesn’t remember specifics of exactly what was happening, but from talking with his father, he does know that the economy was a mess and the government was extremely corrupt. Times were tough for his family back then during the wars as they did not have a lot of money thanks to the socialist government that imposed heavy taxes on it’s people.

Pavle’s parents had enough eventually. Some of his mom’s family had been in the U.S. for a few years already. They lived in Richmond, Virginia which is where Pavle ended up. “They wanted a better life for their kids” said Pavle. Like many others that immigrate to the U.S. from places in turmoil, they saw America as the land of opportunity.

Pavle arrived in the U.S. at the age of 5 in 2002. He didn’t speak much English and he described that as being quite the initial hurdle for him. Adjusting to life among American kids was hard for him at that age. His lack of experience with English made him an easy target for kids to make fun of him. He said that some kids would make fun of his accent and broken English. He said that once he was able to speak English better, things at school got much easier for him and he was able to make more friends. He said it didn’t take him as long as he had expected to feel like he fit in.

He had cousins who had already been living in Virginia for a few years and spoke better English than him which helped him a lot. Before he had a lot of friends, he spent most of his time with his cousins. “Serbian families really tend to stick together, I guess it’s just part of the culture” he said.

Pavle now feels that America is his home. He said coming here at a young age made the adjustment much easier. He feels that if he was older when he had first arrived in the states, things might have been more difficult. He has been back to Serbia multiple times, as he still has some family over there. “It’s different now and things are a lot better. Pretty much a different country now. I like going back but this is my home now and I wouldn’t want to live in Serbia again even though it’s a much better place these days,” he said.

Pavle says that coming to America was the right choice. He appreciates the sacrifice his parents made coming here and starting anew. He knew they wanted more opportunities for their children and he’s grateful for that. He is a college graduate, has a good job, his own place, and plenty of friends. He enjoys his life here and says that he’s not sure if things would have been as good for him had his family stayed in Serbia. Although he considers himself to be very Americanized, he still feels connected to his Serbian roots especially when in the company of family.

Immigration is not always easy, often times it can be difficult for families to uproot themselves and start a new life somewhere else. I think the take away from this story is that people who immigrate are always seeking to make things better for themselves and their families. We should also be mindful of the sacrifice these people make to come here. Starting a new life across the world is difficult, especially when coming from a fractured home country.