KIN - CONNECT
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer >
      • LaMP
      • Embrace Initiative
      • Adult English Programs
      • 2nd Home
      • Occasional Opportunities
      • Translate/Interpret
    • Training >
      • Adult English Teacher Certification
      • ELL Teacher Continuing Education
      • Cross-Cultural Seminar
      • Knoxville International Experience
      • Culture Orientation
    • Growth Resources
    • Events & Festivals
    • Other Language Classes
    • Finances & Donations
  • The Network
    • Partner Portal
    • Volunteer Portal
  • Resources for Local Internationals
    • Adult English Classes
    • Immigration & Naturalization
    • International businesses >
      • Restaurants
      • Food Trucks
    • Multilingual Churches >
      • Arabic
      • Burmese
      • Chinese
      • English
      • Kirundi
      • Korean
      • Romanian
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Swahili
    • Employment Assistance
    • Healthcare Resources
    • Driving Resources
    • Home Ownership & Money Management
  • Impact Stories
  • DONATE

Watching From Afar

2/2/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
2022 n01
With over 1 million people of Ukrainian descent (reference) and an estimated 344,000 current Ukrainian immigrants (reference) in the United States, it’s not surprising that we have Ukrainian friends and neighbors here in metro Knoxville. KIN reached out to two Ukrainian-American women to see how things were going for them. Both have been in the United States for close to a decade, and both are married to men of Ukrainian descent as well. We withheld their identity for privacy and security reasons. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Read More
0 Comments

Giving Good Words

10/11/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
2021 n07
Nate* could have chosen any city when he immigrated to the USA, but he chose Knoxville. He had friends, he says, who were “giving me good words about Knoxville.” They said his children would have a good future if he moved here, and the cost of living was reasonable.

Three years later, Nate is “giving good words” about Knoxville himself! He wants to buy a house and see his children grow into adulthood here. 

But getting to Knoxville wasn’t easy.


Read More
0 Comments

The Encourager Professor

4/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
2020 n07
With over 300 active volunteers, KIN representatives serve the international population of metro Knoxville in many ways. Only a few of those have changed since we began facing COVID-19. For example, while it may look a little different, 
one-on-one conversation and pronunciation practice continues. For example, Diane* began volunteering with KIN last fall.

Read More
0 Comments

One Chinese Story

3/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
2020 n06
Mei* walked onto American soil two and a half years ago, the bride of a life-long Knoxville resident. She came from China. Here’s an interview with her, edited for length.


1. Briefly explain why you immigrated.
I met my now-husband on the internet. After a few months, we fell in love. He quit his job and moved to China to be with me. Occasionally, we had a hard time understanding each other due to the language barrier, but our relationship grew fast as we shared everyday life together. 

Read More
0 Comments

Hats, Scarves, and Gloves…oh, my!

12/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
cold weather sets wrapped and ready to go
2019 n25
The calls went out within an hour of hearing the plan. Here at KIN, we love ELL (English Language Learner) teachers, and ELL teachers love their students. 

At one local high school, the ELL teachers wanted to make sure every student had a Christmas gift. For some students, it’s their first Christmas in the US…and their first Christmas in the cold.

Read More
0 Comments

Of Holidays, Gravy, and Refugee Camps

11/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n23
If you grew up in the United States, the story isn’t new for you. You know about the Pilgrims’ struggle to survive when they first arrived in the new land, about the Native Americans’ generosity and patience, and about that first Thanksgiving feast to celebrate a plentiful harvest.


But Thanksgiving is an exclusively American holiday, so for ten African adult English students meeting at a nearby middle school, everything about it is new—even the mashed potatoes.

Read More
0 Comments

What'cha Gonna Do?

10/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n22
There’s English, and then there’s southern American. The ESL workbooks don’t teach southern American, which means the books don’t provide a few of the words our internationals need to understand their Knoxville neighbors.

​One recent ESL class talked about contractions. The instructor handed out a list of common contractions, and the class reverse-engineered them to discover the full phrases behind each one. 

Read More
0 Comments

He Left with a Smile

10/14/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n21
He walked into the large room with no expression on his face. After a full day of kindergarten in a new classroom, in a new school, in a new country, he had nothing left to give. If anything, there was a bit of fear in his eyes. Three other children—two first graders and a second grader—entered with him.

An American lady approached him. Was she another teacher? She told him something in English, but he didn’t understand even the first word.


Read More
0 Comments

Our Fifth and Our Five Hundred

9/30/2019

0 Comments

 
2019 n19   
Last week, Knoxville Internationals Network (a.k.a. KIN) did something we’ve never done before. We had a volunteer appreciation dinner. Why do such a thing now? Because we’re celebrating five years as a nonprofit, and it was only natural to celebrate our birthday by celebrating those at the heart of our organization: our volunteers!

In the past five years, more than 500 volunteers have passed through KIN. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Giant Strides in English

9/16/2019

0 Comments

 
PicturePhoto by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash.
2019 n18
Sherry moved to Knoxville in time to attend two sessions of an English class before Christmas a couple of years ago. She spoke English at what our lead ESL teacher calls “the blink-blink stage,” meaning she could say little beyond “hello.” But she persevered.



Read More
0 Comments

Safaa Can Always Smile

9/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n17
Afternoons in southern Iraq are hot. Working in his university’s research gardens, Safaa Alshuwaili was sweating when he noticed an interesting ant and followed it back to its hive. That ant belonged to the first of five ant species he found, classified, and named while studying there. In 2010, Safaa graduated with his master’s degree in environmental science.

He took a position at another university, where he taught insect taxonomy and classification for seven years. Then he received a scholarship to continue his studies in the United States. Safaa left his parents and five siblings in Iraq, landing in Cincinnati, Ohio, at Christmas time in 2013. He spoke almost no English. 


Read More
0 Comments

Because Teeth Are Important

8/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n14
Going to the dentist is nothing new for Omar. He used to go every year in his home country, but after his father was kidnapped and the family fled, it wasn’t so easy to get proper dental care. Since he and his family arrived in Knoxville a few years ago, they haven’t had insurance or reliable transportation for dental appointments, so he didn't go.

That fact changed in the summer of 2019.

Read More
0 Comments

2018 & 2019

7/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2018 n04
Sundays are different at Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church these days. Swahili songs bounce off the beautiful stained-glass windows, and people greet a few church members as “Teacha” when they pass.

Just one year before this was written, Pastor McLain and others looked across the chain-link fence separating their church property from an apartment complex full of African refugees. How could they reach these new neighbors? How could they tangibly love them? How could they break through the figurative fence separating the two cultures?
Picture
2019 n03
She came to Knoxville alone: a widow with three small children, fleeing an ongoing conflict in her African home country. She found an English class and attended faithfully all summer. With a small child on each hand and her baby strapped to her back, she wrote down every word and asked many questions, but she needed to learn more quickly, so she added another day of classes.

Soon she found a job, but she had to take the bus to get there. That's where things got confusing.
2019 n23
If you grew up in the United States, the story isn’t new for you. You know about the Pilgrims’ struggle to survive when they first arrived in the new land, about the Native Americans’ generosity and patience, and about that first Thanksgiving feast to celebrate a plentiful harvest.

​But Thanksgiving is an exclusively American holiday, so for 
ten African adult English students meeting at a nearby middle school, everything about it is new—even the mashed potatoes.
Picture
2019 n16
It was August, but a cool breeze kept everyone comfortable beneath the dark wooden arches of the pavilion. Covered dishes crowded onto two long tables. I had peeked beneath every foil covering and inside every cling-wrapped container, and, like I do every Thanksgiving, I wondered when someone would finally decide it was time to eat. There were familiar dishes like mac-and-cheese and unfamiliar offerings, like chat masala. (photo credit: Yahya Sami Alseiha)
One recent Monday morning, their instructor shared the history behind Thanksgiving, but even after defining many vocabulary words, the questions piled up. Among the most difficult were those about Native Americans: Why were they called “Indians”? Where did they come from? Where are they now?
READY TO GET INVOLVED?
This church in East Knoxville realized the nations were--literally--next door. By partnering with KIN, they found a way to welcome and help their international neighbors. When you're ready to engage the nations already around you, let us know. We'd love to walk that journey with you or your church! Contact us anytime.
Picture
0 Comments

One Day to Celebrate

7/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n13
​Orange shirts were everywhere, and we weren’t at a UT football game! The shirts welcomed everyone who entered in their own language. Drums echoed beyond the doors, beckoning us all into the space. Smiles played across every face—volunteers and visitors.

Where was I? At this year’s World Refugee Day celebration: one day marked to celebrate people from many nations who have immigrated to the United States, escaping violence and oppression while bringing beauty and creativity to metro Knoxville. 


Read More
0 Comments

Starting Over AGAIN

6/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Vincent with his family, at the mall shortly after they arrived
2019 n12
In primary school, Vincent Ndahayo had to draw the African continent, placing all the countries with their capitals and naming the president of each. This knowledge served him well in 1994 when, at the age of 24, Vincent faced the difficult decision to leave his home and country or be killed because of his ethnicity.

Read More
0 Comments

When We Work Together

6/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n11
Clapping and cheers erupted from the middle of the gym. Another assembly line had completed another box of mac-n-cheese packs. Another table wasn’t far behind. Their assembly line of ten people completed a box—192 individual packets—with high-fives and cheers. Then they immediately started another box. The boxes were stacking up against the opposite wall, coming from ten assembly lines, and it was only 10:30am. By the end of the day, there were 45,000 meals in more than 220 boxes.


Read More
0 Comments

English Beyond Expectation

5/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n10
When Chester Pun-Chuen immigrated to Knoxville in 1983, he didn’t expect to be an English teacher. He grew up speaking Filipino and English, with a bit of Cantonese from his father. In high school and college, he studied Spanish.

A couple of years ago, while leading his church’s Unity in Diversity ministry, Chester’s pastor asked him and his wife to assist a refugee family from Burundi. He didn’t expect to build such strong relationships with this mother and her four kids. The mom depended on the children to translate for her. Chester knew that was no way to build a life here in Knoxville, but what could he do?


Read More
0 Comments

Neighborhood Walk

5/6/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n09
Esther’s kids walked six blocks to and from school every day. It was less than a mile each way. As a child back in Africa, Esther and her siblings had walked much further without giving it a second thought. There were homes along the way, so Esther never imagined her kids were unsafe.


Read More
0 Comments

A New Way to Welcome

3/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n06
Last week, a refugee family of nine arrived in Knoxville. It’s hard to find rental property to fit nine, so they had to wait in a hotel for a few days. 

Cindy Hood doesn’t want that to happen again.


Read More
0 Comments

The Cleaning Expert

3/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 n05
Yasmin was upset. She handed her quarterly inspection report to our culture coach, wondering why she was on the verge of being evicted. It said “uncleanliness,” but she kept her house clean and tidy. Our culture coach went to her apartment and found everything else clean, but the two bathrooms covered with mold and mildew.

Mold and mildew don’t grow in the dessert. It’s too dry. But here in East Tennessee, they can grow in a couple of days--just one of the thousands of things to which many immigrants and refugees must adjust!


Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    IMPACT

    Read the stories of Knoxville's local internationals and the volunteers who have impacted their lives. Get a first-hand view of what it's like to move here and/or to serve those who've moved here from other countries. Discover how KIN has impacted life and culture in metro Knoxville.

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018

    Categories

    All
    Accent
    Adult English Class
    Afghanistan
    Africa
    Asia
    Asylees
    Behind The Scenes
    Birthday
    Children
    China
    Christmas
    Citizenship
    Covid
    Culture Class
    Donations
    Driving
    ELL
    Embrace
    Families
    Field Trip
    Food
    Healthcare
    History
    Home Ownership
    Hospitality
    Immigrant
    Immigrant Heritage Month
    Intern
    Internationals
    INVEST
    Iraq
    KIN
    LaMP
    Library
    Mental Health
    Mentoring
    Middle East
    Multi-cultural Celebration
    Nations Next Door
    Partner Organization
    Reading
    Refugees
    Restaurant
    School
    Special Immigrant Visa
    Students
    Teachers
    Thailand
    Thanksgiving
    Transportation
    Tutoring
    Ukraine
    Venezuela
    Volunteer
    Volunteers
    World Refugee Day

    RSS Feed

About

Why KIN?
​
Our Team
​KIN's History
Statement of Faith
Numbers & Need
KIN in the News

Contact KIN

865.235.1476​
admin@kin-connect.org

Mailing
PO Box 31052
Knoxville, TN 37930
​
Office
6300 Deane Hill Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919
Picture
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from shixart1985, jonkriz, shixart1985
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer >
      • LaMP
      • Embrace Initiative
      • Adult English Programs
      • 2nd Home
      • Occasional Opportunities
      • Translate/Interpret
    • Training >
      • Adult English Teacher Certification
      • ELL Teacher Continuing Education
      • Cross-Cultural Seminar
      • Knoxville International Experience
      • Culture Orientation
    • Growth Resources
    • Events & Festivals
    • Other Language Classes
    • Finances & Donations
  • The Network
    • Partner Portal
    • Volunteer Portal
  • Resources for Local Internationals
    • Adult English Classes
    • Immigration & Naturalization
    • International businesses >
      • Restaurants
      • Food Trucks
    • Multilingual Churches >
      • Arabic
      • Burmese
      • Chinese
      • English
      • Kirundi
      • Korean
      • Romanian
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Swahili
    • Employment Assistance
    • Healthcare Resources
    • Driving Resources
    • Home Ownership & Money Management
  • Impact Stories
  • DONATE