Lebanese immigrant succeeds through life’s privations

by Celine Chahine

The snowstorm was harsh and brutal, determined to go to work and make the needed money, he keeps walking, from Quincy to Boston.
Joseph Chahine, a 20 year old immigrant from Lebanon, came to America alone, without any money or knowledge of the English language. At first Chahine lived with his older sister, he also got a job at the Howard Johnson hotel in Boston as a janitor. Since he had no car and lived in poverty, he had to walk to work everyday from Quincy to Boston, risking his life from shootings, muggings and brutal weather conditions. Everyday he would work late shifts and he was always tired. Without any breaks, he barely got by and was lucky to have a house.
“For someone who didn’t know how to speak English, cook, wash his clothes, and didn’t know American culture, life in America was very hard. I lived clueless and poor for many years.” Said Joseph Chahine, now 52 years old.
Joseph lived like this for over five years until his life finally started to brighten. He became the manager of the Sheraton and the Colonnade hotels in Boston. Eventually he bought his own house and a few other houses to sell for rent and make a little extra cash while working full time as a hotel manager.
Finally, when Chahine felt like he could support a family, he went back to Lebanon to find a wife. He found a young woman named Rita Auon and married her and brought her to America to raise a family.
“I was very happy and excited to go to America. Things in Lebanon weren’t too great and it definitely wasn’t safe enough to raise a family there. Although I couldn’t speak English at first, I eventually learned; even though I left all of my family in Lebanon, I wasn’t lonely for long because we made a new one with five children.” said Rita Chahine.
Joseph Chahine started making huge progress after that. He ended up owning a dozen houses that are either up for sale or rent. He is currently living happily in Pembroke with his big family of 7. He quit his manager jobs in Boston because it was inconvenient, so he now owns Phoenician Liquors in Plymouth.