After checking with the US embassy in Beirut; I realized that I needed to have a
the following:
1. A guarantor in the US.
2. An amount of money equal to two semesters’ tuition in a US bank.
3. An I-20 which is an acceptance letter from a university in the US.
To make a long story short, H.E.’s office took care of everything in no time. I got a
letter of guarantee from Mr. Jack Brown (Wedge), Mr. Nijad Fares sent me an
acceptance letter (I-20) from Rockmount College in Denver and I went to the US
embassy in Beirut and got a visa to the US. I remember I was one out of four-hundred
people to get a visa that day.
I arrived in Denver august 1983. Michael & Nijad Fares were still out of town, so
they arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport, help me get an apartment,
get some furniture, get me a driver’s license and register me in school, and be
available for me if I needed anything.
When Nijad arrives in Denver, the first thing he tells me that he is happy to see me
and that I am his brother. And that he is there for me in anything I needed, no
questions asked. Not only he said that but he more than lived up to it as well at all
times and he still does. I also remember that Michael and Nijad were always by my
side and in support of me at all times in everything I wanted to achieve.
I ended up spending one year in Denver and then I had to move to Boston to
pursue my engineering degree. I requested more money from the Wedge office for
school expenses since it was more expensive in Boston than what H.E. was paying
for me in Denver. As always, there was no problem with my request.
I arrive in Boston and H.E. covered me for all my school expenses and an
additional monthly allowance to cover my personal expenses until I graduated in
1987 with a Bachelors in Civil & Environmental Engineering.
Meanwhile, my sister and mother were still in Lebanon and at one point in 1986
my sister was kidnaped by a local militia so my mother would be forced to leave
the house in west Beirut. My
mother immediately contacted H.E.’s office in Beirut and immediately my sister
was released through his efforts.
Shortly after this incident (within a month), the door bell rang at our house in Ras
Beirut. The war situation was at its worst. No power, no running water, no
amenities...nothing. My mother and sister would not dare open the door but the
man kept on ringing the door bell until they opened. The man says: “Are you Mrs.
Barbar?” my mother, very scared, said; “Yes.” The Man Said: “My name is Samir
Shihwan. I am from the office of Mr. Issam Fares. Mr. Fares was under the
impression that you were in Cyprus but he found out that you are still in Beirut
and is now worried sick about you and your safety. I am here to insure that you are
safe and that I take you to the other side of Beirut and buy you a house over there
and get you situated. I can not leave you until this is done. These are my orders.”
these were the exact words that this gentleman told my mother. In a couple of
weeks, my mother and sister owned a brand new house in Dbaye thanks to H.E..
Also, H.E.’s office in Beirut hired a moving company to take care of all the
furniture.
In 1989, I had to leave Boston to go to Lebanon because my mother was really ill.
After I arrived to Lebanon, Mr. Nijad Fares calls me and asks me if I needed
anything and for me to call him when I am back in the US.
My mother passed away in December 1989. I called Nijad and he told me that he
is now in living in Houston and he wants me to come live there with him. His
words were: “What’s in Boston? Come to Houston and lets live like family.” I
move to Houston the beginning of 1990 and I stay at his house. I tried to find a job
for a long time but to no avail. The economy was bad and the job market was very
slow. Until finally one day, I landed a job offer with an engineering firm through a
broker requesting a fee for his efforts. Not having what the broker was asking for,
Nijad jumped to my rescue and offered to cover the broker’s expenses. He was in
full support of me and my plans to succeed. I remember that with the first check I
received, I bought a watermelon for the house (that is all I could afford back then
and I knew that he likes watermelon); and Nijad was proudly bragging in front of
everyone one and saying: “Look everyone, this is the best watermelon I have ever
tasted; this is from Oussama’s first paycheck. Come and try it out.” and he meant
every word he said. This by itself gave the biggest boost and determination of my
life towards being successful. |
