In 2010, I passed a background test and went through a Volunteer Orientation and became involved with the IRC, you can read about the organization HERE.
I bring this up because there is so much talk/debate/fear in the news right now about the subject of refugees.
Prior to my involvement with this organization, I doubt I could rattle off an exact definition.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
As a volunteer, I spend time in a classroom with adults that are learning English and I teach them how to cook healthy dishes, how to spell and pronounce all the words/food items associated with the recipe and then we share a meal.
Every year, we celebrate an American tradition, the Thanksgiving Feast ---- with turkey, gravy, cranberries, beans, stuffing, potatoes and pumpkin pie.
So that is where I was this afternoon.
Sharing and eating and bonding with a group of people that are learning our language, our customs and our traditions.
As I was conversing with a lovely woman from Somalia, I kept thinking that it would be nice if all the folks that are so terrified of refugees could sit down and have some pie in the classroom with us.
It might change a few minds.
Because most of the time fear is just ignorance.
Truth!
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