WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — It was a familiar New England scene Thursday as adults worked to bundle 5-year-old Isaac Ngoy up for the wintry weather that awaited. But the scene was far from familiar for Isaac. This would be his first chance to see snow.
Minutes earlier, the boy and four of his eight family members walked through Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and into their new life in the United States.
It’s a walk the three eldest Ngoy brothers know well, as they made similar treks last year. On Thursday, two of those brothers, Olivier and Edouard Ngoy, were there to welcome Isaac, two other siblings and their parents.
They were joined by members of their own Circle of Care, as well as members of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Circle of Care. The SEAS circle will help the new Ngoy arrivals as they adjust to life in Northampton.
As more people started filing out of the arrivals gate, David Entin, the leader of the three eldest Ngoys’ Circle of Care, stopped a few passengers to ask what flight they were on. When he got the response he was looking for, he passed the information to the rest of the group.
Rising from his seat, Olivier kept glancing through windows into the terminal to catch the first glimpse of his family. Seeing them, he grabbed his sign and moved closer to the gate. Finally, the family was together after 10 months apart.
The family of eight were separated in April when the two eldest sons, Olivier and Guylain, left the Bwisa neighborhood in Burundi for Northampton.
In November, their brother Edouard arrived. On Thursday, their parents and three younger siblings finally joined them. The Ngoys, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, came to the U.S. after fleeing their home country in 2002.
For the Ngoys, the wait for their new life was long. For the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Circle of Care set to receive them, the wait was much shorter. Formed a little more than a year ago, the group found out about a month ago the five family members would be arriving. After months of waiting for the news, the group was ready, circle leader Betsy Yount said. Clothing, furniture and kitchen items were collected and stored at College Church.
“People were very generous and excited,” Yount said. “We’re just excited to have the family here. We want them to feel warm and safe and welcome and we’re glad they’re here.”
The Ngoy family left Burundi Wednesday afternoon. From there, they flew east to Ethiopia and then to the Netherlands before landing in Washington, D.C. Once stateside, the family boarded a plane to the Bradley airport. Throughout their journey, they crossed eight times zones, flew over an ocean and lost about 60 degrees of warmth.
Before the family could claim their bags and leave the airport, they first had to be outfitted to face the cold weather waiting from them outside. Yount and other members of the Circle of Care pulled coats, hats, gloves and mittens out of bags and began helping everyone into their winter gear. Kneeling down, Olivier put gloves on his youngest brother’s hands before zipping up his coat.
One person was missing, though. Guylain wasn’t at the airport to watch the group arrive — he had to work. Instead, he met up with his parents and younger siblings an hour later once they arrived in Northampton.
Standing near the airport arrival gate, surrounded by almost all his family, father Jean-Claude said he was happy.
“Very, very happy,” he said. “God blessed us.”
Sitting in a Northampton living room still wearing his coat and hat, Jean-Claude reflected on the weather. As a young boy in school, Jean-Claude said his teachers told him about the amount of snow in Europe. Seeing all the snow in Northampton, Jean-Claude remembered what they said.
Nafisa Tambwe, the family’s matriarch, told the Catholic Charities worker that she has been grateful for the pictures she received over the last nine months from the Circle of Care.
The next few weeks will be filled with official appointments and meetings. On Saturday, the family and the two Circles of Care will gather for a meal featuring some of their favorite dishes.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.