Asuka Thompson moved to the United States when her husband, Joseph, a technical sergeant in the Air Force, was transferred to Pease Air Force Base from Okinawa, Japan.
She was pregnant with their first child when Joseph received orders for a six-month deployment. Asuka found herself virtually alone in a new country — no friends, no family, nothing familiar.
She started attending English classes at the Dover Adult Learning Center.
The school became her center of community. She made friends from New Hampshire — and also from China and Korea and Iran and Congo and Russia. Her English improved, and communicating with her New Hampshire neighbors became easier.
“I couldn’t survive here if I didn’t find this school,” Asuka said.
The Adult Learning Center serves about 1,000 students a year in its core classes — from high school diploma and equivalency classes to English for speakers of other languages, adult literacy, computer skills and career pathways.
One day, late in Asuka’s pregnancy, she arrived for class to find the room full of baby gifts and decorations and a dozen smiling friends. She burst into tears.
Thanksgiving and Christmas came while Joseph was still deployed. Lien Harris, Asuka’s English teacher, invited Asuka to share the holidays with her family.
At Asuka’s first American Thanksgiving, with the table laden with turkey and stuffing and potatoes and gravy, everyone took turns sharing something they were grateful for.
Asuka’s turn came. She was grateful, she said, for meeting such good friends.
Related Stories
Report: Registration is key to encouraging young people to vote
A new report published by The Civics Center in partnership with the Coalition for Open Democracy shows that local voter registration drives can kickstart a commitment to voting – and that when our youngest eligible voters are registered, they do show up to cast their ballots. But New Hampshire has plenty of room to improve when it comes to encouraging young voters to register.
Boosting community vitality
Since 1993, the nonprofit Vital Communities has been bringing people together across sectors to tackle among the most complex challenges facing the region.
Children’s Resiliency Retreat helps young people tap into strength, community, joy
Program at the Boys and Girls Club of the Souhegan Valley helps young people whose lives have been affected by a family member's substance use disorder.
