Editor:

   Have you ever shared anything that you value with others? Maybe you have shared something like your bicycle or your laptop. Maybe you have shared something more valuable, like your room or your home.

   I am from a land where we never had any freedom, not even the right to free speech. In my land bullets are the ruling force. Don’t search for my land on a map, you won’t find it. Kurdistan is my land and it is placed in a part of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. It is an extensive land area with more than 35 million people but no country to call its own.

   When I first arrived in Portland I knew nothing about my new home, my new country or its residents. Many people helped my wife and me to learn English and try to have a better life. They shared their land with us. They let us live in this country and now we have the same right as they do.

I want to express my gratitude to all of them and tell them thanks for all of their kindness and cordiality. God bless you and bless the United States of America.

Azad Salvati

Portland