While I have only had one volunteer day so far at the ACC, I learned
and incredible amount in the 5 hours that I was there volunteering. I
volunteered this past Friday from 10-2 with Roderick, and while this is not
normally a very large number of refugees to work with on Fridays, I still did
get to interact with a few of them. My main work for the day was transferring
data files for refugees in the ACC system who have had their status changed
from “employable” to “unemployable” for a variety of different reasons. While this was not my number
one idea of what it would be like to volunteer at the center, I was happy that
I could help out in any way possible. However, my time at the center was not
all sitting in front of a computer, I did have a chance to meet and talk with
several refugees in my off time between computer jobs. I think this connection
was what really brought together all that we have read and researched so far in
class. Yes, we can read hundreds and thousands of pages and watch hours of raw
documentary footage, but I really don’t think the idea of a refugee can really
hit you until you meet them in the flesh. I met a Middle Eastern family who had
only been in America for a few weeks, and although I had read all the stories
from Mawi and the Lost Boys and Deng about their first weeks in America, the
reality of this situation really became real when I listened to the ACC
representative talk with the family, through a translator, about what they can
expect for their first few weeks, months, and first year in America. All of the
things that I take for granted in life, knowing common laws and rules, my
ability to access medical help and attention, and simply just my understanding
of American society and culture, these people are learning for the first time
in their 30’s. I cannot fathom the courage and hard will it takes for these
families and individuals to come to a completely alien place to start a new
life. It is also these stories that I look forward to learning and hearing
directly from the refugees as I volunteer longer at the ACC.
It's really something else to listen to the translator kinda give the refugees a crash course in America 101 isn't it? Nice anecdote here.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Meeting refugees puts so many things into perspective. Not only does it help you truly understand the refugee, but it also reveals something about our own life in America, in your case, how much we take for granted the simple things.
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