Euphemiah Sijabala
Euphemiah Sijabala is a deaf international student from Zambia, Africa that's attending school at National Institute for the Deaf in her first year in America during Fall of 2018. As the culture in Zambia differs from America, she tries to adjust to American culture while preparing for her first experiences of New York's winter.
Euphemiah walks with Dawn Watson who works at RIT as a researcher on deaf education. Watson is known in the African community through her reputation of helping African adjust to the American culture and taking them shopping.
At the Burlington store in Rochester, NY.
Euphemiah tries on a winter coat. She has yet to experience snow.
Euphemiah relaxes in her room at RIT Inn. “This room is so big, I even have an extra bed that I don’t use.”
Every day, Euphemiah rides the bus to school from her place.
Euphemiah jokes around with her tutor, Joseph Djei, a fellow African friend from Ghana.
Euphemiah receives help from her math professor on her practice quiz. The whole class signs in American Sign Language as the majority of the students are deaf and hard of hearing.
Euphemiah cuts open a sub bread alongside with her coworkers at the Dining Commons at R.I.T, in Rochester, NY. Over the course of a year, she was promoted to student manager.
Winter arrives and after a short period of bliss, Euphemiah is ready for warmer weather. “I like the snow, but it’s too cold,” she said.
One phone to use in America and the other to call her friends in Africa.
Once in a while, Euphemiah would cut her hair short for a change. She did not like the first haircut she received in America and decided to do it herself.
Euphemiah reacts as her new boyfriend, Isaac Coleman, jokes around with her. Isaac Coleman is from Ghana, Africa, and had been attending Rochester Institute of Technology a couple of years before her.
Euphemiah makes dinner for Isaac Coleman and herself in her RIT Inn room. Isaac had been spending most of his time in her room rather than his dorm room on campus.
Isaac Coleman shows old pictures of himself to Euphemiah.
Hotel guests occupy the jacuzzi as Euphemiah leaves at the RIT Inn.
Seven in the morning, Euphemiah works on her homework assignment in her bathroom to avoid waking her boyfriend up.
Euphemiah serves her homemade African food dish to the photographer in her temporary summer house that she shares with her boyfriend and several other African friends. She finds it lonely as she is the only girl in the household.
Euphemiah heads out toward the bus stop after cleaning up at her job at Dining Commons at one in the morning at Rochester Institute of Technology.