I am a young Bhutanese male who has felt very lost not only in my own country, but especially once I entered into America. This is mainly because I did know and understand the culture here in America. I am a torture survivor who has felt very depressed, overwhelmed and happy at the same time once I arrived in America. I joined the Bhutanese Group in November. During my first few sessions I did not speak. One day I am not sure why, but I started talking about myself saying that I received some benefits from the group and wanted to stay. I learned that it is ok to ask for help from others especially the police which is not common in Bhutan. I learned how to make appointments and look for jobs and learned a bit about the culture here as well. Now I have made some friends within the community. I am also very slowly involving myself into the community.
I am a single mother age 39. I came to America feeling ashamed to talk about some of the things that has happened to me. My home was burned down. My husband was killed in front of me, and I was taken away and tortured for many months. Once I arrived here, I was afraid to approach anyone thinking that some of the same things would happen to me here as well. I joined the Bashal Group and for the first time saw people that looked like me in the sense that they had went through the same things I went through and in some cases had experienced worse than I. I learned how to adjust to a new system in America, advocate for myself and my kids, learned how to raise my kids in a new society and deal with the new laws that govern Americans. In the beginning, all I wanted was revenge, now I believe that love can overcome anything, thanks to those that have facilitated this group and those in the group that have helped me. I am thankful because I am happy for the first time in a long time. More importantly, I am happy to be myself. I can also speak conversational English and use computers.