A combination of the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest in South America are forcing some hard choices for a former Princeton resident trying to get his family back to the U.S.
Princeton native Justin Parke’s story of trying to get his family to the U.S. from Cambodia is a complex one.
It’s taken a year. The stops in between include Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Ecuador and now Suriname in Northeastern South America where they have been since last June.
Parke is a U.S. citizen, but his fiancee’ and her two daughters are Cambodian. This week, with coronavirus fears and civil unrest in Suriname mounting, Parke chose to stay with his family rather than taking an offer to get back to the U.S. himself. I talked with Justin via What’s App Friday morning.
“The most dire thing is we don’t have access to funds right now. The ATM’s are dry, all the stores are closed except for a few places a few hours a day and we’re down to our last $150.”
Parke says they’re awaiting word from the U.S. State Department on their case. There may be some help coming from Indiana as well. We’ll continue to follow this story and let you know how it turns out.
