ARTICLES

Youths help new refugees enter American culture

By Eileen Setien
Special to The Catholic Virginian

Working with Refugee and Immigration Services was an invaluable opportunity for us to step out of our comfort zones and encounter a new culture.

In school, we study places far away and learn of humanitarian struggles. These struggles do not seem real for they are not as Ronald Reagan said, “in our backyard.”However, the truth is we are not looking or rather choosing to ignore the needs of fellow human beings.

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond has made an effort to improve the quality of life for those entering this country and rectify the neglect of past experiences. This country offers an opportunity for a new life and a new beginning, but this journey contains both triumphs and tribulations.

As a group, we wanted to take action and, no matter how cliché it sounds, make a difference in the community. With the Refugee and Immigration Services we became guides for the American culture.

Christy, Matt, Freddy, Colleen, and I were lucky enough to work with a family originally from Afghanistan. The family invited us into their home and into their lives. The children range in age from twelve to nineteen years old. The oldest three, Ajmal, Wajma, and Mustafa, attend Huguenot High School. Axana, the youngest, attends Elkhardt Middle School.

Education is an important aspect of both American and Afghani cultures. Thus, on our visits, we focused on their studies. We started by playing multiplication games with flashcards and Scrabble for vocabulary. Scrabble provided an opportunity to be interactive and practice the English language. It was a learning experience for both the group and the family.

I found it surprising how difficult it is to define words that we just naturally mention in conversation. We actually had to stop and think of the meanings of our expressions. We also reviewed homework in subjects like American history and math.

We tried to assist in the family’s assimilation into the American culture. After the first visit, each of us went home to dig through our closets to find games from our childhood. We wanted to share the experiences with our new family.

On the next visit, Freddy brought the game Monopoly.Not only was the game entertaining, but it allowed us to see the kids’ true personalities. Axana and Mustafa were very competitive and became real estate moguls by the end of the game.

As banker, I had to be careful because they would double and triple check that my calculations were correct. We also played Janga. In the game, you build a tower out of wood blocks and then carefully slide out the blocks without knocking over the tower. Everyone loved the game, but I think Mustafa’s favorite part was knocking over the tower.

On weekends, I am usually busy with homework and friends.However, I knew that every Sunday my hectic schedule would stop for at least two hours for the J-Walking program. (The “J” is for Justice and J-Walking is the youth component of JustFaith.)

Visiting the family became something that I looked forward to from the time I left their house until I could return. As a group, we were able to give the family the gift of our time. In return, we experienced a different culture and customs. More importantly, each group member learned something about themselves.

This experience has transformed my perspective on the world and the need to open our hearts to our brothers and sisters in the world. There is a difference between human rights and privileges. I feel very fortunate to have family, friends, and a church community as a foundation of support. Through this experience, I now have new additions to my family, who have won a special place in my heart.

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