Meet the Global Families of Puget Sound
Photo:
The Musawi and Al Helli family | Photo by Jiaying Grygiel
The Musawi and Al Helli family from Iraq
Who lives here? Basim Musawi, 43; his wife, Hawraa Al Helli, 36; and their children: Jannat Musawi, 13; Noor Musawi, 10; and Murtaja Musawi, 7. In Iraq, Basim worked in construction as a contractor for the U.S. military. Now, he works in the vendor return department at Amazon’s Kent warehouse. Hawraa graduated with an associate’s degree from a medical institute in Iraq. Now, she works as an Arabic-English interpreter and child care provider. Murtaja, a rising second-grader, didn’t speak a word of English when the family arrived, not even “yes” and “no.” Now, he and all of his sisters are fluent.
Where? Kent
When did you move here? October 2015
Hawraa: Because my husband worked with the U.S. military, it is really risky. If people know, they will kill him.
What, if anything, did you know about Seattle before you moved here?
Basim and Hawraa learned about Seattle from Hawraa’s brother, who came to the U.S. nine years ago and lived in Tacoma while working for the U.S. military.
Basim: It is rainy, all the days, all the seasons. The traffic, I-5. The people here, they love the Seahawks. And the opportunity for jobs here: Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon.
Do you plan to stay?
Hawraa: I really like it, even if it’s expensive.
What has been the biggest challenge in moving to Seattle?
The family currently lives in a two-bedroom apartment. Their rent started at $980 and jumped to $1,300 in May.
Basim: The biggest challenge is I need to balance my income with what I spend. There is no change in my situation. That makes me afraid for my future. When they increased the minimum wage, it goes directly to the rent.
Hawraa: I need something extra to rent a bigger place. I need the children to stay safe and comfortable.
Have you noticed any differences between parenting in Iraq and in the U.S.?
Hawraa: Before I came, I thought American culture was just open. But they are the same. They treat their children like what I do. Exactly. They don’t like children to just go around. They want them to stay supervised.
