A Christian bookstore on the outside, but inside Serenity House in El Cajon offers more than a wide range of Christian books and CDs, it provides Iraqi immigrants the tools to transition to Americans.
“We offer classes in English to our Iraqi Chaldean customers” says Jalal Sadi, manager of the store for two years located on East Main Street, “We also offer computer and naturalization classes.”
Employee, Hana Istafan, not only assists Sadi but takes the classes as well.
A Christian bookstore on the outside, but inside Serenity House in El Cajon offers more than a wide range of Christian books and CDs, it provides Iraqi immigrants the tools to transition to Americans.
“We offer classes in English to our Iraqi Chaldean customers” says Jalal Sadi, manager of the store for two years located on East Main Street, “We also offer computer and naturalization classes.”
Employee, Hana Istafan, not only assists Sadi but takes the classes as well.
Istafan’s teacher, Salem Sallow, said, “My students range from the highly educated to ones that have no education at all. Adjustments in teaching styles for this range are the order for the day.”
Sallow, who learned English in Iraq at the age of seven in school, said that there you only learn to read and write because there is no one to practice speaking English.
“There was no TV in English before ten years ago or so,” he said. “Even on the internet; it was filtered.”
Sallow, 60, said his uncle motivated him to continue learning and practicing English. Sallow who lives in El Cajon with his wife and three kids said they fled from the Saddam Hussein regime to come to America.
“My 18-year old daughter cannot speak Arabic,” said Sallow.
Sallow said “word of mouth” is most responsible in providing the store with his students.
Public Consulting Group, a government owned agency with an office in El Cajon, is responsible for the refugee employment service among other programs and also refers students to the center as part of their preparation to land jobs and transition to their new lives in what is a foreign country to them.
“I expose the students to English, American customs, developing computer skills, history, and citizenship,” said Sallow.
Tools used in the language transition is a computer keyboard that contains both English and Arabic letters. Weekly lectures consist of English classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Computer and Internet classes on Wednesdays and preparation for the naturalization test on Thursdays.
“I try to do something different for each one,” said Sallow. “Adjusting to each student’s needs.”
Sallow only has a dry-erasable board and handouts at his fingertips to spread the word.
