54 Comments
Erik Salazar
2/20/2014 08:55:53 am
I was suprised by how open and friendly these refugees were. More so on how they were able to still be happy and laugh after everything they have been through and are still going through. The girl I talked to, Esther, had her father taken from her for political reasons. He was sent to prison and when you go to a prison in Burma, you hardly ever leave. She told us her journey through India and into America and it really hit me how easy we have it here. I feel bad to know that here I complain over the smallest problems I have while they have went through the worst and continue to smile.
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Ysabella Dawson
2/20/2014 08:57:39 am
I thought that being able to interview these refugees from around the world was a very meaningful and powerful experience. Although my group ended up not being able to interview a refugee, the woman that we interviewed had a lot of insightful and interesting things to tell us about the program. She told us about how in many of the countries where the refugees came from, there was no running water or plumbing, and food was scarce. She said it shaped the way she viewed the things around her, like food and electricity and water, which are always around us and that many times we take for granted, but are really very precious resources. That was the most meaningful and perspective-changing moment of the interview.
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Lance Shuler
2/20/2014 09:23:46 am
It was definetly a very interesting time being able to interview a refugee. Although our refugee was a bit quite, he had a lot to tell us about his home country, and his life in america. He was happy to talk to us, and we had a lot of questions to ask him. Most of which he was able to answer, such as his favorite foods, what he wants to do when he grows up, what sports he plays, and what he plans to do with his life. We had fun, and we were able to learn about one of his best talents and that is drawing. In 5 minutes flat, he was able to draw out an artpiece, a tree. It was very well detailed and beautiful. At the end, we were happy to have been able to interview him, and get to know him. We definetly had a good time doing this.
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Tess Herzog
2/20/2014 09:25:30 am
My group did not talk to a refugee, but we did interview one of the workers. She typically tutors the kids. It was interesting to hear how she got involved with the program. She told us that she had her degree in international relations, and USD told her that she could volunteer there. When asked what she would want people to know about refugees, she said that people should know how hard they try to be where they are at. I think it is really important, and sometimes people forget how hard it is to go through what they’ve been through. These children leave their families and go somewhere they’ve never been to. In addition to that, they don’t know the language so they can’t even communicate when they get here.
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Sophia C.
2/20/2014 09:51:25 am
I came in a bit late to the conversation and since there was a lot of background noise and the refugee spoke rather quietly, I didn't get to hear a lot of the things he said. However, I did have the opportunity to observe how he acted and get an idea of his personality. He seemed to be quite a happy person and had a positive outlook on life. He was interested in some of the things I'm interested in, and some of us are interested in, such as music and the news. When we wrote our spoken word pieces, he was too shy to read his aloud but he got Nico to read it for him and he did a good job. I really enjoyed talking and interacting with him in that type of setting and it would be amazing to have an opportunity to do something like that with them again soon!
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Quentin Jackson
2/20/2014 09:52:47 am
I was really surprised by just how normal the refugees were. I was expecting to hear about different customs and beliefs from them, but my groups refugee, myo, was just a moderately awkward high schooler, who loved playing games. I expected something different honestly, but I like how it turned out.
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Paris Gramann
2/20/2014 11:16:51 pm
I felt the same way, Q. I probably didn't hide my shock enough when I asked if they had any favorite TV shows and some of them were the same as me! Haha
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Rachel Maristela
2/20/2014 09:55:19 am
The Peacemaker refugees were really friendly and open. It was really nice for each one of us to listen to the stories of these refugees, where they are from, and what they went through. When we did interviews, getting to know Myo personally was really a significant moment for me. He was able to be open about his past, where he came from, his family, his interests, and so much more. I really like how he also participates (as a panelist and during the spoken word workshop for example) though he was really nervous. The takeaway I got from the interviews and the refugees was that they probably came from a really tough past, but they are still the same people like us: growing up, enjoying life, and trying to make many accomplishments to be successful.
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Lisa Valtierra
2/20/2014 10:12:19 am
I think it was a wonderful experience to get to talk to the refugees. I wish that I could have listened to all of their stories, but I was really happy to who I got to talk to. Myo was super open about his life and he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do. I did imagine them to be a lot different than they were. Most of them seemed to adopt the American culture into their life. When I was giving the tour around the school, they saw the art work outside of the art classroom and they knew exactly who Drake and Kayne West were quickly and that really shocked me and surprised me at the same time. This was also a very eye opening experience because most of them have been in America for about 5+ years and they still appreciate the fact that they have water and food. It also really struck me when they talked about how Americans just throw their food away and how they felt bad that they didn't appreciate it when there are people in their country that are dying.
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Jackson Walker
2/20/2014 10:32:26 am
While talking to our refugee, Asnina, I felt like I sort of went through a couple phases of understanding. At first, I was completely unaware of anything she had went through, or done, or was like, etc. As we started talking and she was explaining her experience, I felt totally intrigued by the fact that she was from Kenya, what it was like their, what it was like coming to the US, etc. After talking even more, I began to realize through the dates and years she was telling us that she had been in the US for the majority of her life, and the second and more memorable part of her life at that. Once I started to realize that, my perspective on her changed. Really, she was just as "Americanized" as I was. She came to the US when she was 7 years old, and to be honest, I don't think I even really remember much when I was 7 years old or younger. My experiences and history are really based on my time as a teenager, because thats when I can remember most of my life. It kind of hit me that it seemed odd to tell her "your english is very good" (I didn't say that, others did), because, yes, obviously her english is good. It felt as though we went into the activity expecting her to be much more foreign than she was. I don't mean that we were talking insultingly slow to her or anything, just that the fact we talked to her even the slightest bit different than someone who we weren't told was a refugee bothered me. I felt kind of embarrassed or ashamed for those who hadn't seem to caught on and were obviously artificially diplomatic. Overall, Asnina was very nice and had an interesting story to tell.
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Parmida Z
2/20/2014 10:35:06 am
Having the chance to meet young refugees, speak and connect with them was definitely a great experience. My group's refugee, Sarah, she was really down to earth and easy to talk to, or in her own words she was very "chill". When I listened to her story and her experiences I realized that aside from being a refugee, she is a simple teenager just like us. I couldn't spot much of a difference, she was just a regular teenager, talking about her boyfriend, school, sports and etc. I don't understand why would anyone bully or discriminate against them... However I thought about the advantages we've been given and how I shouldn't take it all for granted when there are people just like myself living somewhere else suffering from terrible living conditions. I felt like that I should be more involved and giving, we only live one life, why not make it worth something?
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Sarah Hardin
2/20/2014 10:36:58 am
I think this was an amazing experience! It was so inspiring to hear all of the things that they had been through, and the hardships that they've endured and to know that they're stronger from it and they are still able to live a normal teenage life. I actually had a lot of common interests with Nei, like art and drawing!
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2/20/2014 10:38:34 am
I thought this was was a wonderful experience interviewing the refugees. What I took away from the interview was that it was surprising how much my refugee felt comfortable being herself. She was being funny, smiling and honest. I wasn't expecting her to be so comfortable with us. I like how she wasn't afraid to be herself. Another that I thought was interesting was she was starting to ask our group questions. So she could get to know us more. I really found the interviewing really interesting.
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Crystal Delgado
2/20/2014 10:42:14 am
Having the privilige to interview a refugee was truely a wonderful experience. When asked what she wanted people to know about refugees, she said that she wanted to say that they aren't any different from other people. I was touched in a way because sometimes people think things about refugees that they aren't able to take care of themselves, they come from poor backgrounds, they cant speak english, etc. Maybe a few fall into these catergories, but that doesn't make them any different than another person. She likes R&B, Pop, Katy Perry, her favorite videogame is FIFA 2014 on Ps3, and her favorite TV show is Adventure Time. Sure she has had hardships and was displaced for a while, but she knows herself and wants others to know she is no different from them. It was a true privilige to meet her and have her share her story with us. She is grateful for the things we take for granted, we could learn from her as well.
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Gage Gamboa
2/20/2014 10:56:29 am
A major takeaway for me, and one of the main points I heard many refugees trying to make, was that the refugees are just normal kids like us. While preparing to meet the refugees, the refugees persisted as a foreign thought in my head. At our school, and the surrounding area, not many of us are exposed to refugees or people with similar backgrounds. Consequently, the idea itself seems so foreign and you begin to fabricate personas in your head of what the refugees might be like. Once you finally meet them, you realize they are teenagers that are similar to us (albeit with drastically different upbringings).
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Sarah Olson
2/20/2014 10:57:38 am
The refugee I interviewed was a senior named Myo (Mee-yo). He was really enthusiastic about sharing his story and I could tell he was used to being interviewed because it came very naturally to him. He was born in Burma and moved to India, where he faced a lot of racial prejudice at school. When it became violent and unsafe, he was relocated to America. What struck me is that he's just your average high school guy - he plays video games, hangs out with friends, dreams of going to a great college, and wants to make his way in the world. But he came from such turmoil in his home country. Instead of fearing his background, the same past that took his family from him, his dream is to one day return to his country. That was very inspiring! I think it was an honor to meet these refugees.
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Abby Thompson
2/20/2014 11:03:54 am
I think this was an awesome experience! Not only were they all super friendly, but it was incredibly interesting to learn stories of their life from other countries and how life was being a refugee. It was interesting to hear not only what they thought America would be like, but hearing how the countries they were from as well. I wish I had been able to talk to more of them and learned more stories and I hope they can come back sometime in the future :)
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Meilani
2/20/2014 11:04:34 am
I thought that Sarah was very friendly and open, which I thought would be extremely difficult after having to go through what she did. She answered all of our questions easily and from her answers it was surprising to hear that most things about her life in America was relatively normal, as normal as can get under circumstances; she had sisters who was always on instagram, a brother that was still in the house, a brother in collage, and a strict dad. I guess some things are universal but with the word 'refuge' I expected them to be different on some level, which is why it surprised me. Sarah and the rest of the refugees are really similar to us because they try to enjoy life while working for success. Also, when the pannel had started talking about how grateful they were of small things, it struck me how easily it is to unacknowledged things that you've always had, from food to a house and material items.
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Katie
2/20/2014 11:07:56 am
What surprised me the most about meeting the refugees was how positive they were. They understood that what they been through was horrible but they were hopeful for the future. They joked and expressed interest in activities that were shared by others at the tables. My refugee Esther was really kind and her perspective of America was really interesting. She made the best of a bad situation and seemed very positive.
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Brianna Barboza
2/20/2014 11:23:58 am
The first thought that came to my head when I heard "refugee", was a quiet, shy person who would only want to answer a mere handful of questions. However, the refugees I met were nothing like I thought! The one we interviewed was named Asnina, and she was extremely cool - kinda reminded me of me in a lot of ways too. Not to mention that she and other refugees I met had great English!
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Ryan Martinez
2/20/2014 11:24:52 am
What really surprised me is that how quick they were to open up and share their stories. At first they seemed to be anxious and nervous about the whole idea of us interviewing them, but as time progressed they were very friendly.It was interesting to see how optimistic they were while they were talking about their stories, and how some of them even wanted to go back to their country to hopefully make a positive impact on society. The person that I interviewed was named Htoo, he was 18 years old and a senior at the high school he attended. He said that some of his hobbies were to play soccer, and to draw. As the interview was coming to an end we asked him to draw something, and within a matter of minutes he was able to create a masterpiece.
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Carly
2/20/2014 11:29:57 am
I really enjoyed talking to my refugee, Htoo. I was amazed how kind he was, and willing to share his story. He was really open about his experiece, and patient in explaining the problems that caused his to leave Burma, and a little bit about how they were treated while he lived in Thailand. He was really happy to share about his memories from home, and told us stories about hunting and a waterfall that was near his village. I think it is so amazing how after being forced to leave his home, and having to settle somewhere where he really knew nothing of the culture or the people, that he is still so happy. I think it struck me more than it should've that he was a normal teenager, aside from where he comes from. I think that is the most important thing to remember, that they are just people.
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Trevin Kraus
2/20/2014 11:33:19 am
At first my group did not have a refugee as a result of a miscommunication between Mrs.Clark and the lady with the IRC so my group had to split up and join onto other tables. Once I found a table with a refugee I quickly began asking questions. Not because it was on the list or because I had to but simply because I wanted to, I was truly fascinated to learn more. Toward the beginning thinks were rather awkward between my table and the refugee Sarah. However, after maybe 15 minutes we had completely forgotten about the questions provided and instead were just having a conversation back and fourth with Sarah. Going into this I was afraid that there might be many cultural and personality difference because of were they had escaped from. This was not true at all and I learned that we are all similar in many ways. Toward the end of our conversation we began talking about her school and we quickly found out that her Biomedical Engineering teacher was a former teacher at HTH, Dr.Praug and her soon to be Physics teacher was also a former teacher at HTH, Mr.Acker. This whole experience was truly life changing not only learning about Sarah's story coming to America but also learning that despite our cultural and personal differences we are all very similar.
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Karen Barragan
2/20/2014 11:41:18 am
One of the most impacting things that will remain with me, is that through hardships one must prevail and remain strong because the phase will pass. I saw this with Nai, because I have never met anybody that has gone through so much, and still has so much faith and hope in their life. It inspires me to do the same when things get tough, as well as be more empathetic with people. Although not everyone has gone through the same thing, there are many people who go through similar situations but are unrecognized as humans. Most of the struggles Nai went through is because people treated him terribly. I know I have treated people horribly, and if we recognized that, we can begin to change our attitudes towards others. In order to do so, we need to begin with ourselves, fix our flaws, then we can move on to helping others.
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Meranda
2/20/2014 11:51:20 am
I interviewed Esther, she laughed and smiled a lot, and was curious about our lives. I remember at one point she went around the table and asked us all about our religions, after telling us about hers. She said she was christian, but an interesting fact came up that in India there was no catholics. If you were catholic, they called you christian. She actually asked us what the difference was between the two because she was still a little confused by it. She has only been in America about 8 months but she said that almost nothing had disappointed her. I actually asked the question "Has America disappointed you in any way?" and she went to talk about how much better the United States is than where she came from. It made me think about how often I complain about my life, but really the life I am living is so better than many out there. When I visit a foreign country sometimes I am ashamed to be an American, just because so many country dislike Americans, but this talk made me extremely grateful and proud that I was an American.
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Vivian Mason
2/20/2014 12:01:36 pm
I got the chance to meet a nice young man name Htoo (pronounced "to"). He is 18 and lived in Berma then became a refugee of Thailand. He was extremely shy at first and answered our questions simply with out many details. However after a little while he started to warm up to us and talk in greater detail. I think the most powerful part was near the end when after telling us about how much he loves to draw he actually drew us a picture! It was beautiful and took him barley anytime at all. He seemed really surprised when we all began to praise him on his master piece. It made me relies that no matter where you come from or what your past is that art is always there for you in every culture and every country.
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Andrew Ledezma
2/20/2014 12:16:34 pm
One major thing that I took away is a deep, harsh understanding of what these refugees go through in America and their home countries. Our refugee, Zebib, went through persecution in Ethiopia, and then experienced bullying in the United States. Zebib was a girl in Ethiopia, and she was persecuted for being a girl. She still has a scar from when a boy threw a knife at her, and the boy didn't get in trouble.When Zebib moved to the United States, the most popular girl in school would throw away her lunch purposefully. She has gone through so much and I gained a valuable insight about people I had never previously heard of
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Adrian Schnepp
2/20/2014 12:31:26 pm
I thought it was actually how astounding that these seemingly normal kids, barring racial and linguistic differences of course, these kids, that are our age, have already seen horrors many of us will never experience. I got a sense of…wisdom, beyond their years, of a sense of understanding of the world that comes only with experience. It was a shock, a sudden awakening, from the desensitized numbers and graphic images, to see real people, to have them relate real experiences, and to have them be the same age as me. A surreal, slightly depressing, but overall hopeful experience.
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Rachel Deaton
2/20/2014 12:31:34 pm
Something that I took away, was how far all of the refugees have come. I mean, these people have all been in communities that are starving and harshly treated. My refugee had a knife thrown at her! These people have been through hell. Yet, they kept going and are so thankful for what they have now. I really do believe that people should be more grateful for what we have. We get fed three meals a day, have beds and homes! We all should be thankful for everything we have.
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John E.
2/20/2014 12:38:56 pm
I thought interviewing the refugees was meaningful and eye opening. Listening to the stories of the panel when the peacemakers first walked in was powerful. It was interesting to hear all the different perspectives at one time when the panel was getting interviewed. Rather than interviewing a refugee, my group got to interview a volunteer for the IRC and as well as the workers for the IRC. They all said that the stories that they hear from the refugees are all powerful in there own way. One thing I will take away from this interview was when we were talking to the IRC worker, Nicole she was expressing to us how one story she was told made her change the way she looked at life. A refugee expressed to her that she used to only take one minute freezing cold showers and how she thinks some people in the Untied Sates take for granted what they have. Nicole said she has become more conservative and be more appreciative of what we have. This really struck me that a refugee coming to the US could make that connection while she is growing up in the US; this is what I take away from the experience.
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Anthony Williams
2/20/2014 12:58:12 pm
We interviewed a girl named Day, who is 16. We got to hear her story about how she moved out from Burma at a young age and was only able to remember what her parents had told her, which was probably for the best. Something that really struck me about the interview was the fact that she had claimed that she expected to see nothing but white people in the United States, and when she got here, that was in fact the opposite of what she had seen. She saw a large mixture of ethnic groups. It really struck me when she said that that was the first time she wrote poetry, as well.
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Sophia Kormanik
2/20/2014 01:04:15 pm
What I took away from this experience with the refugees was that you should be grateful for the little things in life and just be grateful for everything in life. Meeting these kids that are from other countries and talking to them about their life and the struggles they had in their home country was fascinating. Now they have the same struggles we have SAT tests and trying to do well in school so they can get a good education but their situation is twice as hard, because english isn't their first language. I learned that you have to enjoy the little things and work hard for the things you truly want in life.
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Nico Melchior
2/20/2014 01:09:27 pm
Yesterday's interview was an eye-opening experience for me. It was crazy to meet someone my age who has gone through such difficult times. It made me feel very grateful for my life, and I realized I take so many things for granted. I was inspired by his attitude. Even though his life was hard, he was so positive about everything. I thought it was really cool how I was able to connect with him through music and art. Meeting him totally changed my perspective on refugees. He was just like another teenager, except with different experiences.
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Julz Valencia
2/20/2014 01:23:36 pm
Something that I find to be a major takeaway from this experience, is to be grateful for what I have. At first when the refugees were discussing their lives before coming to America nearly very single one had said that did not have sufficient amounts of food where they were before they had come to the United States. Now I know that there are starving people around the world, because tis what my parents would tell me as a child when they wanted me to finish my food. I would always hear "There are starving kids in other places who would greatly appreciate that food Julianna" as my mother attempted to guilt me into eating what I was served. But now after meeting all these kids who are my age and realizing the reality of it. That they didn't always have access to food or other necessities like fresh water. The major take away is that I need to be thankful for everything I have even if its small things like food or running water.
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Jordan Garcia
2/20/2014 01:24:48 pm
I took away a lot from this experience. I also really had a good time talking with Sarah as well. After speaking with her, you can really tell how grateful she is of everything she has. It is interesting to here about her experience coming to America as well. I asked her if she came here with her entire family and she said yes. The only difference between her and her family is that her parents want to go back but she likes it here. She told me about how she has adapted to the American Culture because of all the people she goes to school with. She tries to follow her culture/traditions but she says that it is very difficult. It also surprised me that she is starting to go back to her roots and listens to music from her culture rather than American music. You can tell that she misses her home country. Overall, this was a great experience for me and Iv'e learned to be grateful for all the things in my life.
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Grady Gumner
2/20/2014 01:34:10 pm
Speaking with Myo, a refugee from Burma, was honestly like talking to a friend. I expected the interaction to be very formal however it ended up turning into a normal conversation. After asking a few of the awkward questions on the sheet we were given, I started to ask Myo questions that were more relevant to his situation. Things like which video games he plays and if he has a favorite restaurant. I really liked when Myo and I talked about gaming and he said that someday he would like to get an Xbox to play Call of Duty. The entire conversation was nothing super in-depth, as we had less than an hour, but I really felt like I connected to Myo's life in the short time. I would like to know how Myo's future plays out. He is college-bound and likely has a bright future ahead of him.
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John Laine
2/20/2014 01:47:45 pm
It was really a moving experience to talk to the refugees and to learn their stories. My refugees name escapes me but she had a very interesting story of her and how she was in the refugee camp. Then flown out to the United States after a year there. Also how she was only about 7 years old when she was moved. It was also very interesting that there were still bullies that would pick on her at school just because she was different and from the sound of it the bullying was fairly tough to deal with. Over all it was a very touching experience.
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Xochitl Aguinaga
2/20/2014 01:48:17 pm
When I first met the refugee I would be interviewing, I expected she would be more closed off to the idea of talking about her experience as a refugee, that idea quickly vanished as she spoke freely--and yes even with a smile. What I admired most about this young woman, was her positive spirit and the joy she expressed about her life. She acted like most teenagers did, she joked, and I found that very refreshing.
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Cole Sargent
2/20/2014 02:00:14 pm
Burma. Night had fallen and the village was already shrieking with the rattling calls of the diseased and ill-fated. The government jeep rolled down the street, men with automatic weapons perched atop the vehicle, glaring down at the populace with disgust, eyes burning with malice--what would they wrought upon the people today?
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Hayes Sherr
2/20/2014 02:41:38 pm
Something I really took away from this experience was being able to get to know our refugee and learning what his experience was like moving to the U.S. It was really interesting hearing his story about why he moved here and also why he wants to move back to Burma when it gets better. He also had some things that I connected with, like playing video games. It was fun getting to know him and what he likes to do. I hope one day we can do something like this again because it was an awesome experience.
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Hank Sherr
2/20/2014 02:47:53 pm
Some things I took away from our refugee was that he made it sound like we have everything here. Well I guess we do compared to the way they had to live. He told us that he thought it would be different here in America expecting different things. A lot of things we have here in America that we don't even realize that are important, they might need in Burma. He said that he wish he went to a school like ours. That got me thinking of how lucky every one of us are to be in this school. We have all the learning we need, including art! I hope everybody can feel as positive as these refugees are even when going through hard times.
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Trey Lewis
2/20/2014 03:27:47 pm
I was surprised at the fact that throughout all the refugees, they still knew how to live on. One of the things I took away was that life is a precious thing, everyone has a different one, and it is very much worth living. I thought of a comparison of the lives we live as Americans and the lives of others living in other countries. This got me thinking how life can be so different when we're so used to everything being okay or halfway decent. Americans don't go through nearly as much as other countries do. We're very fortunate and should be thankful for what we have.
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Malia Mendiola
2/20/2014 03:34:21 pm
The refugee I got to talk to was a really wonderful person. He described himself as thoughtful and caring. I could tell that was very accurate because he just radiated it. He was a bit shy but I was able to hear at least some of his story. I realized he was just a normal kid, like me, and living a positive life. The only difference is his incredible strength despite such a difficult life. The biggest takeaway from the experience for me was that hope is always possible and that I should always be grateful for everything I have. That was one of the main points they hoped we would take away and it is true, we really do have a lot to learn from their example.
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Paris Gramann
2/20/2014 11:15:41 pm
So true, Malia! I felt a lot of genuine happiness and thankfulness from my refugee. It is important for us to take a few moments here and there to actually stop and realize how great we have it.
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Ryan Novak
2/20/2014 03:59:53 pm
My major take away from the amazing experinece with the refugees was that everything in life is precious, and that appreciating the small things as much as the large ones is the single most humble, mature, and overall important ways to live ones life. Through my group and I's conversations with our refugee we found just how much she valued things as simple as water, food, and a nice place to live. Her parents are super strict and her religion rules her life, and is even taking away the opportunity to go overseas to London to study medicine, yet she perseveres through everything full of joy and happiness. I surely could never be content knowing an opportunity like that was passing me by and I was hopeless to watch due to my religon. But our refugee was completely content because she already had more than she had ever dreamed of in food and clean drinking water and this really opened my eyes up to the "problems" that I believe I have in my life. While they may seem of utmost importance, in reality they hold little to no real value, especially so when compared to what the refugees had to go through at some point in their lives or maybe even still are going through. This was a great experience overall and I see this project runing out awesome!
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Scott Buckley
2/20/2014 04:00:05 pm
During the interview, the most fascinating thing that occurred to me was how much our refugee had adapted to the "American" culture. Back in the Thailand displacement camps, there were no facilities, and the ones that had were severely limited, such as electric lights only working at certain hours. Another thing that struck me was his original image of America, which was that it was entirely white, but after taking three different airplanes, he was greeted with the literal "melting pot" of America. Overall, I thought it was a very amazing experience, one which I do not think I will forget.
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Justin Walker
2/20/2014 04:01:41 pm
A take-away for me in regard to my refugee was his optimism in regard to the future. While it's undoubted that his past was rife with peril and terror, be it from racial prejudice suffered in India to trying to learn a new language in America, he still looked toward the future with a sense of optimism. Even though his country was undergoing hard times, he did not simply wish to abandon ship and stay in America, but return to his home country and help those in need. From a personal standpoint, I'd just never return. While that may be more of a character assessment, I think that my refugee is a humble, wholesome person who wasn't put down simply due to difficult times.
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Chelsea Flores
2/20/2014 04:30:55 pm
This experience was was truly amazing. I got the chance to meet Asnina, who was such a lovely girl. She was so positive despite the struggles that she had to overcome, which I found really amazing. A reason why she came to the U.S was due to the fact that there wasn’t much food over there. She shared her stories on how she would walk several miles just to get some water. It made me realize how grateful some of us are to have these little things, although we may not see it. Something I really enjoyed about her was how she set goals for herself, that she one day hopes to achieve, becoming a doctor, and later go back to Kenya to help the people in need. Asnina is currently living a well life but she doesn’t forget where she came from, a reason is why she wants to go back and help the people, which is very inspiring. She also mentioned how she wants people to know that refugees are just regular people, and I could see it in her. They are just normal people, within our group there was a couple of people who had a few things in common with her. Also, she brought joy to me, we mentioned the project to and she became jubilant that this project will be involving her, and that made me feel great, in seeing her smile.
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Preston Royal
2/20/2014 10:32:46 pm
I think that yesterday was a really cool experience to learn about and that it is something to remember for the rest of out lives. I am a little disappointed that my group didn't get a refugee, but instead we got their tutor. It was great to hear her perspective on the refugees, and hear all about how she came to work with them, but I was really excited to talk to a refugee and hear their story, and that didn't happen. Now I am also confused because I don't really know what my final product will look like. So overall, I think that it was an interesting experience, and that they main take away was to be grateful for what you have, and never judge a book by its cover.
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Paris Gramann
2/20/2014 11:13:46 pm
My refugee was Day. She is so happy and bright and she really connects with Christianity in an inspiring way. What struck me about her story was how much she didn't recall from her own memories of bad things in Burma. To me, this meant that her parents did a wonderful job at sheltering her from the hardships of a refugee in Burma. They made her grow up in the way that all young kids should grow up: with no worries in the world, oblivious to the dangers surrounding them. She said that she got most of the information she knew from her mother's testimony and from what she has heard. The biggest take away was that though so many bad things happened to so many good people, not everyone comes away from it being scarred.
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Jessica Boensch
2/21/2014 12:07:26 am
One thing that really struck me with my refugee was her story. There were so many parts of her story that made me feel strongly; even sick to my stomach. The first thing was interesting for me was when she told me that since boys could do whatever they wanted so they used to throw things at the girls as they were walking to get water. One day a boy threw a knife at her and she still has the scars from that experience. The other is when she was very young and she walked in on her sister being raped. In a moment of extreme bravery, she hit the man over the head with a log which knocked him out and her sister got mad at her for disrespecting a man, even though she was being raped. Her sister believed in their traditions where a man can do whatever they want to a girl, whereas Zebib, the refugee I interviewed, believed the opposite.
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Edwin Flores
2/21/2014 03:21:35 am
I was surprised when i heard from the refugees, it was my first time knowing what they go through in life and the difficult obstacles they had to face. Sarah was the girl i interview and after hearing her purpose here in America and what she wants to do after collage, she inspired me and made me feel that i shouldn't take school for granted that i should take advantage of the opportunities we have because we are very blessed with the amount if food we have all the water we have accesses to and the technology and education we get.Because of Sarahs i will work hard in school and become very successful. I'm sure other refugees have been through worse but also I'm thankful for all the freedom i have at home and the restrictions i have with my parents i have the freedom to date have a girlfriend have a dog as a pet and have a home over my head with enough room to sleep in. I really took out a lot of what Sarah said and now i appreciate life better.
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Salina Brice
2/23/2014 11:27:16 am
Talking with the refugees on Wednesday was an incredible experience. From this I took away just how lucky we are to live here with plenty of food and water. By talking with them it made me realize how I should appreciate the small things more, because not everyone has these simple things. It was really inspiring to me that the refugees were able to overcome their struggles and move on with their lives. One girl I spoke with is currently getting accepted into different colleges, it was great to see that even with a hard past your future can still be bright.
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Shannon Carlson
2/23/2014 12:39:09 pm
Being able to talk to a refugee was such an incredible opportunity. Some things that I took away from this experience was the amazing opportunities and things that we do everyday that we take for granted, such as food, water, and education. The one thing that shocked me was that one of my refugee's dream was to become a lawyer because he wanted justice and equality for everyone. I also loved the word choice he made to describe himself, intelligent, work hard and never give up.
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