(Jan 02, 2015, (North Seattle))--Tsedeke Ketema’s family thinks of him as wealthy.“They think I’m the richest man on earth because I live in the United States,” Ketema said.
But Ketema is living a modest life. He sublets a room in a Northgate apartment while he finishes his education at North Seattle Community College. He said it’s challenging sharing an apartment with a family of three while trying to study and rest between classes and his work study at the college’s classroom labs. He’s looking for another place or a roommate elsewhere, but the rental market is tough.
“I don’t have my own apartment; I really don’t have any money for a deposit,” he said. “I have not found someone to be a roommate with me. I don’t really have privacy. There’s a lot of noise going on. Sometimes I come to school with a sleep hangover.”
He considers himself fortunate though. Ketema is a recent immigrant to the United States, working toward citizenship. The oldest of 12 children, he left his family in Ethiopia to pursue education in America. He’s taking science classes preparing for a career in pharmacy.
He’s one of the 9,000 people outside of the SHA looking in and hoping to get into a unit. He’s been on an SHA waiting list since 2012. People like Ketema often spend three years waiting. Read more from Real Change News »
But Ketema is living a modest life. He sublets a room in a Northgate apartment while he finishes his education at North Seattle Community College. He said it’s challenging sharing an apartment with a family of three while trying to study and rest between classes and his work study at the college’s classroom labs. He’s looking for another place or a roommate elsewhere, but the rental market is tough.
“I don’t have my own apartment; I really don’t have any money for a deposit,” he said. “I have not found someone to be a roommate with me. I don’t really have privacy. There’s a lot of noise going on. Sometimes I come to school with a sleep hangover.”
He considers himself fortunate though. Ketema is a recent immigrant to the United States, working toward citizenship. The oldest of 12 children, he left his family in Ethiopia to pursue education in America. He’s taking science classes preparing for a career in pharmacy.
He’s one of the 9,000 people outside of the SHA looking in and hoping to get into a unit. He’s been on an SHA waiting list since 2012. People like Ketema often spend three years waiting. Read more from Real Change News »
1 comment:
Ethiopian people or your relative and friends do not think all the people who live in US is wealthy. They may think you have a better opportunity to a good education, to have jobs and a better life because you are in the US. Many Ethiopian people living standard may be below middle but we are not ignorant about USA.
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