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Lincoln resident Elma Vlasak. left, sits with Samka Deumic end her daughter Alma, while Samka’s husband stands nearby. The Duemic family including their son (not
** piotufd) fled to the United States six moots ago from war tom Bosnia.
New life is bittersweet
Refugee family finds fresh start in America
By Jeffrey Robb
Senior Editor
It would have been different had the
family not been forced out.
That is the reaction of 36-year-old
Samka Deumic to her family’s move to
the United States from its home in war
torn Bosnia.
After six months, family members —
Samka, her husband Emsud, son Salko
and daughter Alma — say they like the
United States.
Things are good here, 35-year-old
Emsud says using his son to interpret,
but not everything. The family has had
to sacrifice independence and accept
help in its effort to start over, he says.
The love and care of family members is
now far away as well. They scattered
throughout Europe to escape the war in
Bosnia.
Freedom is the best part, Emsud
says, though that wasn’t the case about
seven months ago. Emsud was a pris
oner in a concentration camp in Central
Bosnia.
The family was mired in a horrible
situation with an even worse one firing
up around them. Nobody had food, cloth
ing or medical care, Emsud says. The
basic needs of life were stripped by the
war.
Political factions and army officials
fueled the war. Emsud says the people
of the former Yugoslavia got along fine;
it was the leaders who were causing the
problem.
Then, the family of four was sent to
Croatia. There, the U.N. officials were
making arrangements for people to leave
the country as refugees.
About that time in Lincoln, the First
Plymouth Congregational Church de
cided to sponsor a Bosnian family’s re
location. Church World Ministries ac
cepted the church’s offer, but the Deumic
family was never specially selected to go
anywhere in particular.
“They had no idea where they would
come to," says Elma Vlasak, a member
of the church and now close family friend.
Vlasak said the family was given the
decision and told to go to Nebraska. The
process was impersonal, Vlasak says.
There was just as good a chance that
they could have gone anywhere else.
“It turned out to be a very good
match," Vlasak said.
Life nearly is back to normal, Emsud
says. At least the family can walk the
streets safely, he says.
It was a good match for a tough situ
ation. The family has its life and freedom.
They recently moved into their own apart
ment. And Emsud has a job sewing tents
with Awning Classics of Lincoln.
But rebuilding still is tough. For one,
everyday deeds, which the family previ
ously handled on its own, now are unfa
miliar and require outside help.
Finding health care has changed.
The family qualifies for Medicaid be
cause of its refugee status, and doctors
from the church have provided some
services.
Even with such things as cleaning
supplies, problems arise. Upon moving
into their new home, Samka noticed ar
eas that needed cleaning. She knew
what she needed to do, but didn't know
the products that would do it.
So Samka made a list of what she
needed to clean, Vlasak says. Samka
and Vlasak then went to the store,
searched the aisles and grabbed what
ever was needed. Communicating
and getting around in their new country
has been difficult, but both are becom
ing easier. Emsud's English is develop
ing, Samka is being tutored in it, and the
children both are fairly fluent.
Emsud says he can write and under
stand the language well, but reading and
speaking English still requires some con
sulting from a dictionary. That dictionary
goes to work with him every day, Emsud
says.
Church members are helping Emsud
with his driving, and he says he’s almost
ready for the rpad. The family also is try
ing to save for its own car.
“I like the people from the church,
the people from Lincoln — from the
United States," Emsud says in broken
English.
Accepting all this help from others
has been hard on the family, Emsud
says, and he doesn’t always feel good
about accepting it.
Fifteen-year-old Salko says it’s nice
when people want to help, but before it
was their family who was doing the help
ing.
Other members of the family aren’t
there for the Deumics anymore. Their
entire family used to live within blocks of
each other in a city roughly the size of
Lincoln, Emsud says, but no longer.
Emsud’s mother and twin sister are
now in Sweden, some of Samka’s family
is in France, and others are in Germany.
That separation weighs on Emsud, and
his head sinks in sorrow with thoughts of
his sister who is so far away.
Salko says he misses the friends he
used to see everyday and he feels alone
at times. Salko says he stays in the house
more now. It’s hard to be so bored.
A new extended family is beginning
to come together, though. Members of
the church have gone from being spon
sors to friends, and Vlasak says she con
siders the Deumics family now.
Though the family may adjust, they
acknowledge things will never be the
same.
“We’ll never forget what we had, a
nice life and friends, we’ll never forget
them," Emsud says in English.
And someday, Emsud says he hopes
that life will return. “We’ll go back
for sure. ... We are in America now, but
our heart is there," Emsud continues with
his still limited vocabulary. “I like how I
am, but leave in three, four years?”
He shrugs his shoulders as if to say,
“who knows?"
Photo by Travis Haying
