‘It’s the land of opportunity’: Iranian immigrant shares her journey achieving the ‘American dream’

Layla Farange, a local Seattle business owner originally from Iran, spoke on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio to summarize her tumultuous journey to America and why she believes the country is the “land of opportunity” in her eyes.

Farange’s story began in a war-torn Iran, where bombings and destruction were an everyday occurrence.

“I was six years old when the revolution happened. I have vivid memories, I remember the streets were very chaotic and all that,” Farange said. “When the regime changed, three years after the war between Iran and Iraq, it was very hard. It was bombings nonstop, missiles were coming. We were living in Tehran, and it got so bad we had to leave because it was not livable.

“After eight years of killing and all that bad stuff, they got a peace agreement,” Farange continued. “After that, they had to build. The country was in shambles, but Iran’s people are resilient. That country was under sanctions for 47 years. They find a way to live.”

Farange built a new life in the U.S. from the ground up

Farange then explained how she met her husband, an Iranian-American who has worked at Boeing for the past 31 years. The two were forced to tie the knot in Turkey due to the lack of a U.S. embassy in Tehran, but soon made their voyage toward the States for the first time.

Since her introduction to the U.S., Farange has earned her citizenship and opened a small business on Coal Creek Parkway, all at roughly 22 years old.

“This is what America is about,” Jake said. “It’s the American dream where you can come here, and you can make a life that you want, which is not a reality in other countries.”

“But it was hard,” Farange responded. “I couldn’t read anything, and I didn’t speak English. I was listening to Dori [Monson] for so long. I was learning English by listening to Dori. I couldn’t drive. I was going to community college in Everett and had to take the bus from Kirkland to Everett. I was going there at night, and then we decided to open a sandwich shop on Coal Creek Parkway, but that was a disaster.

“It was a franchise, it doesn’t exist anymore, but we were open nine to nine every day,” Farange continued. “I was not speaking English very well. I was running it, and my husband was working at Boeing at the time. You know, working nonstop burns you down. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Her early struggles with English led to one unforgettable encounter

Farange recalled a story from her time working at the shop that underscored the importance of refining her English skills, even though, in this instance, her limited English actually worked in her favor.

“Funny story, somebody was trying to rob us at 3 p.m., I was working and had two people in the store eating sandwiches,” she said. “Somebody slipped a note to me, and I couldn’t read English. I looked at it and I thought maybe he wants a free sandwich. I keep asking him, ‘Do you want a free sandwich?’ He just kept passing the note, and as I looked at it, I couldn’t read it.

“So I just ignored it completely,” Farange continued. “Later on, the other shop’s owner was telling us that they got robbed by a man passing the note. I said, ‘No way, he was robbing us,’ but I kept telling him I didn’t speak English. I couldn’t read the note, but he grabbed his note and left. He robbed two more shops in that center, but not me.”

Jake then asked what her initial assessment of America at that time was, and if she was welcomed with open arms.

“It was not scary, the people were so nice,” Farange said. “I was struck by it. We were walking, and everybody was saying hi. That’s not common [in Iran]. I couldn’t speak English, but they were making sure everywhere we were going that I was OK, I had everything. It was just so nice to see people caring about you like that.”

Farange says her journey reflects a uniquely American story

In summary, Farange noted that coming to the United States is the greatest thing imaginable, specifically for her, but also for thousands of others who share a story similar to hers.

“As we go, it’s the greatest thing to happen for anybody, to become a U.S. citizen,” Farange said. “It is uniquely an American story. It’s just an amazing country, land of opportunity. You have to grab and run with that opportunity. It’s just an amazing country.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3