"At such a young age, Khalilieh left home alone for the United States, carrying little more than determination and a limited grasp of English. The very little English I knew I learned from watching old Clint Eastwood cowboy movies, he said. Those films shaped his expectations of America, which were quickly challenged upon arrival. To my surprise, when I got to California, no one was wearing cowboy hats, he added."
"He says while walking to school one day, he crossed paths with three soldiers who beat him because he carried a school project written in Arabic. They had thought it was anti-Israel propaganda, he said. His mother decided then that he would need to leave when he was old enough, hoping he could help the family start a safer life abroad."
Johny Khalilieh was born and raised in Beit Jala, a Palestinian Christian town, and attended the Greek Orthodox Saint Nicholas Church. He left home at 18 for the United States with limited English and learned much of it from watching old Clint Eastwood movies. He experienced violence in childhood, including being beaten by soldiers over an Arabic school project, prompting his family to plan for his emigration. After saving for a one-way ticket, he settled in the Bay Area and pursued education and work. He taught math at Diablo Valley College's Pleasant Hill campus while helping establish and operate Clayton's La Veranda Cafe and running an Italian restaurant in Pittsburg, balancing classrooms and kitchens and exemplifying a hard-earned American dream.
Read at www.eastbaytimes.com
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