Imagine being a refugee

During the Vietnamese refugee crisis in the late 1970s, my sisters and I created a simulation game (which were big at that time and should be revived) about being a refugee entering the U.S.  We had everyone at an all-church weekend retreat play the part of a refugee, with a few people acting as officials at various stations.  All of the forms were printed in Greek, which no one but my oldest sister, a Greek scholar, knew well enough to read.

Each refugee entered a large room with different stations.  They had to proceed through each station, completing forms in order to move on to the next station.  Some officials were helpful, others not.  By the end, the refugees were all exhausted and frustrated, many of them wanting to simply give up.

Today I read an article describing the challenges immigrants face when they first arrive, and it took me right back to that simulation.  Imaging trying to fill out medical forms that are complicated even for us when you don't know the language and are coming from a country with completely different procedures!  How about dealing with an emergency situation—an accident, a fire, a heart attack?  And the school system if you have children?

This article describes many of these situations and provides resources for teachers to help new immigrants traverse this incomprehensible terrain.  But it's not just for teachers—everyone can learn something about how to help newcomers navigate our social systems and cultural expectations.  Filing taxes, making appointments, getting through layers of options on an answering service, dealing with the police (don't run, keep your hands visible, know your address and phone number).  Simply getting through a day here is overwhelming when you're a newcomer.  Be ready to help every step of the way.  Every one of us can welcome the stranger in concrete ways, however seemingly small.  It's not small to them.

A Voice for Refugees: Developing Essential Language Skills, by Sarah C. Kassas