“America is a country of immigrants. Sometimes, we don’t even realize that most of us have good or bad stories that were the reason why we left our homeland. At Christian Health Care Center, we have many people who share their memories and talk about their longing for their homeland or family. I understand them perfectly because I wear the proverbial shoes myself.”
That’s Małgorzata, CHCC’s lead receptionist, talking about the empathy she brings to the role as an immigrant herself. Now a U.S. citizen, she is part of a team of people from diverse backgrounds and with varied experiences who have worked to better themselves so that they, together, can provide a rich blanket of care for all who are served by our skilled nursing facility.
The backstory
Małgorzata, or Gosia, as she is often called, was born in Siedlce, Poland, about an hour east of Warsaw. At the age of 19, she moved to Germany for work. There, she met her eventual husband, who was in the U.S. military and stationed at Ramstein Air Base.
After the two were married, they lived another six years in Germany and had the opportunity to visit many European countries, including France (“I love the architecture of Paris,” Gosia says), Italy, Luxembourg and Belgium.
In January 2010, Gosia’s husband was sent to Afghanistan.
“This period was one of the worst periods of my life,” Gosia says. “Every day, I feared for my husband, and there was a lack of daily communication. Separation from a loved one is not easy.”
The couple persevered through 10 long months of separation. Then, a month after they were reunited, Gosia’s husband was transferred to the U.S. and the two were separated again while Gosia progressed through the necessary steps to get her visa paperwork in order.
That process took two long years. As soon as the paperwork was complete, however, the whirlwind began.
“Two days after obtaining permission to enter the USA, my husband was already in Poland,” Gosia says. “Two days after that, I was sitting in a C-17 U.S. military plane, flying over the Atlantic Ocean.”
What was it like getting to the States?
“My expectations were different than what I saw after my arrival to the U.S.,” she says with a laugh. “America on TV did not look the same. There were no skyscrapers, but there were endless fields, farms and wastelands. There was a huge culture shock; everything looked different — even the streets.”
Gosia had arrived in Kansas, where she would spend the next couple of years at a base two hours from Kansas City. Gosia was excited to begin a new life in the States but anxious about leaving her friends and family behind. Many days, she wanted to return to her native Europe.
Eventually, after 14 years in the U.S. Air Force, Gosia’s husband left the military so the couple could be closer to family. They moved to the Lynden area, where he grew up.
Making a home in Whatcom County
At first, the move was supposed to be temporary.
“The plan was that we would stay eight months and then return to Europe,” Gosia says. “Today, after almost eight years, I am still here, and I am in love with this place. We spend our free days hiking, exploring the area, traveling, gardening and hunting squirrels and rabbits (my dog loves these creatures). We spend long winter evenings reading books.”
After settling into Whatcom County and working for a time as a caregiver, Gosia went to a job placement service looking for work. She was connected with Evergreen Goodwill, where employees guided her through the job hunting and application process and, about a year ago now, helped her land a job she loves — as head receptionist here at CHCC.
Becoming a U.S. citizen
While working here at CHCC and being the first smile many people see upon arriving here, Gosia also has been toiling hard at something else — studying for the U.S. citizenship test.
In the eight months since she first submitted her request for citizenship, Gosia had been studying hard — reading about U.S. history and trying to remember as many facts as possible. In the leadup to her final interview and test, she learned answers to 100 specific questions that she might be grilled on.
On Aug. 18, 2022, she passed, and Gosia is now officially a U.S. citizen.
“For me, having U.S. citizenship means equality and freedom, but also full participation as a citizen,” she says. “Now, I have the same rights and obligations as any U.S. citizen. The green card had limitations, but with citizenship, I can vote for the leaders that I think will best represent our communities and also do any job, even federal work.”
Working with the elderly at CHCC
The degree Gosia earned in Europe is in economics and business organization, but it was taking care of her grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, that helped her realize her true calling in life: helping and caring for the elderly.
Leaving corporate work behind, she devoted 18 years of her life — both in Europe and here in the States — to people who need help in everyday life.
“The job offer at CHCC was the combination I was looking for,” she says, “working in an office but still having contact with the elderly. Working at CHCC puts a smile on my face. I love being around the elderly, talking to them and listening to their stories. Spending time with the residents talking about everything and anything gives me great joy. Sometimes what they need is just a short conversation, the presence of another person. Many of our residents do not have a loved one, or their family lives far away, so for me every smile I evoke on their faces is priceless.”