The Journey in Understanding Service and Social Justice for Refugees
At the beginning of the semester, I chose to take this class because it fit well with my schedule and learning about refugees seemed like something interesting. As the semester went by, I learned more than I had expected through my interaction with my refugee family and co-curricular and extracurricular events. In order to understand service and social justice for refugees it was necessary to learn who refugees are and listen to their stories.
My experience in the class began this January. The first event was going to the Ukrainian Museum and learning about events that lead to many refugees being forced out of their home. For class we read What is the What and Middle of Everywhere, learning the experience of a refugee on his journey leading up to his stay in America and the encounters of the author with refugees and their families. When visiting our refugee family, the first thing I would see was the building they lived in. My partner, Jung, and our mentor, Patricia, and I would wait in the foyer for one of the kids to open the door to go upstairs. We would make our way up the narrow stairs to the third floor. Often the smallest child would greet us, three years old (now four), who always had a big smile on his face. After the first meeting hugs were always a common greeting. Seeing them made me feel happy because they have such upbeat attitudes. The oldest daughters were calmer but still were very friendly with the three of us. I would always hear Karen, the language of the Burmese family when we were in their home. Sometimes I would also hear Thai exchanged between Jung and the mother. She had an easier time communicating with us through Thai than in English but the three of us tried our best to practice English by teaching her how to read and write grammatically. Every visit we would get coffee, not just ordinary coffee, but something from their home. They were so hospitable in welcoming us to their home. We did not have a set child we were paired up with to help with homework so we helped whoever was near us. I was glad to help and it was a good time to talk one-on-one with one of the family members. On our last visit with the family it was only Jung and I and we spent the first hour and a half just hanging out with the little boy, the youngest daughter, and the eldest daughter. There was some sadness in the air since we knew we were not seeing each other until the next school year. We still managed to have fun by dancing to music playing on our phones. The little boy’s laugh is contagious and makes everyone happy with him. Later we went to the park by their home and played at the beach. The oldest boy joined us after school and he taught me how to skip rocks. As much as we help them with homework and teach them new things, they are always teaching us learn new things. It was such an enjoyable time because it seemed like we could play by the water all day
Family visits with my partner and mentor were very enjoyable; I came to realize what the meaning of the experience was for me. At first I was nervous because three people entering someone’s home made me feel like we were taking their space, but I came to realize how necessary it was with five children, where four of them usually needed tutoring and the youngest wanted to play with us. Also, it was important to set aside time for the mother to practice her English or ask us any questions about class work or school work. Every refugee deserves attention and time to grow as individuals. They need encouragement and positive reinforcement that “yes you can achieve this.” It is understandable when they feel down on themselves because everyone gets frustrated, but having a befriender with you along the way makes it much easier to handle. My experience illuminates the issue that fewer refugees are being let into the United States, or people who are unable to present a “well-founded fear” are being deported but still need care and attention. Why does this matter to me? Every refugee deserves respect and care. It takes a small portion of your time to help a family out. However, even if one is recognized as a refugee and the living conditions are better than in his or her home country, the living conditions are sometimes not up to par with what we are used to. For a family of five children and two parents I would wish for them to have an individual room for each child or at least people per room since the children are still growing. Through my experience I am more patient and understanding and I feel more inclined to help. I learned how encouragement is really helpful in tutoring someone. I wish to give them assistance every step of the way whenever they need help but I need to know when to step back and remind myself to help only with what is necessary because you cannot give everything. My family has motivated me to keep pursuing my dreams and continue to work hard through any adversity I might face.
As busy as I may be, I can allocate time for service. The people I met are so appreciative and I am very appreciative of their acceptance and welcoming. Service has taught me the importance of establishing relationships with people who were unjustly treated before. They need guidance to simply understand the basics of living in a new city in a vast country. It highlights the need for education. Education is a great and essential foundation for future endeavors. Without education one cannot get the job or communicate well with other people. People need to be educated on the situation of refugees and refugees need education when they arrive in a new setting; starting from a young age is important. If that is not possible, we must try our best to help personally. I am now challenged to speak up when talking to my friends and family and share my knowledge. I am challenged to stay involved in the refugee community to make an impact.