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Literature of War Students Meet with Refugees
On Thursday, Dec. 1, my Literature of War class took a field trip to the Burroughs Community Center in Bridgeport, where we met with three representatives from the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI).
One of the CIRI representatives shared his experience fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and living in a Ugandan refugee camp for 11 years, before finally being resettled with his family in Connecticut. Another shared her story of winning the green card "lottery" system and leaving Ukraine 20 years ago, never imagining that she would now be volunteering with CIRI to support refugees from her home country during a time of war. The third person shared his experiences working for the United States military as a translator in Afghanistan, where, after the Taliban took over and his life was threatened, he applied to come to the U.S. as a refugee.
After hearing the story of the refugee who lived in the Ugandan camp, Dean Ambrose ‘23 shared, “I found it somewhat concerning how unorganized the refugee process is. When Mr. Byakisaka arrived in Uganda, he partook in an interview where he was asked about his reason for leaving the Congo and his intentions for the future. Two years later, he had to do the same interview because either his information was lost or another error occurred.”
Hannah Gunn ‘23, another student who attended the field trip, shared, “One interesting thing was how some refugees don't know how to use the appliances we are so used to in America. For example, one family put their shoes in the fridge because they thought it was a clean place to store things. It was also interesting to learn that people's credentials don't carry over when they immigrate to the United States. One of the people we talked to was a radiologist in Afghanistan but had to start from scratch in the U.S.”
The refugees’ stories were a powerful reminder of one of the themes students have studied this semester — that war has devastating effects on civilians. Often the emotionally difficult part of the refugee experience begins when a person is finally relocated and has to come to terms with all they have left behind.
Thank you to St. Luke’s Center for Leadership Director Kate Parker-Burgard for arranging this trip through her connection at CIRI.
On Dec. 8, five veterans from the New Canaan VFW shared their stories of serving in WWII, Vietnam, and Afghanistan with students in the Literature of War class. Click here for photos.
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One of the CIRI representatives shared his experience fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and living in a Ugandan refugee camp for 11 years, before finally being resettled with his family in Connecticut. Another shared her story of winning the green card "lottery" system and leaving Ukraine 20 years ago, never imagining that she would now be volunteering with CIRI to support refugees from her home country during a time of war. The third person shared his experiences working for the United States military as a translator in Afghanistan, where, after the Taliban took over and his life was threatened, he applied to come to the U.S. as a refugee.
After hearing the story of the refugee who lived in the Ugandan camp, Dean Ambrose ‘23 shared, “I found it somewhat concerning how unorganized the refugee process is. When Mr. Byakisaka arrived in Uganda, he partook in an interview where he was asked about his reason for leaving the Congo and his intentions for the future. Two years later, he had to do the same interview because either his information was lost or another error occurred.”
Hannah Gunn ‘23, another student who attended the field trip, shared, “One interesting thing was how some refugees don't know how to use the appliances we are so used to in America. For example, one family put their shoes in the fridge because they thought it was a clean place to store things. It was also interesting to learn that people's credentials don't carry over when they immigrate to the United States. One of the people we talked to was a radiologist in Afghanistan but had to start from scratch in the U.S.”
The refugees’ stories were a powerful reminder of one of the themes students have studied this semester — that war has devastating effects on civilians. Often the emotionally difficult part of the refugee experience begins when a person is finally relocated and has to come to terms with all they have left behind.
Thank you to St. Luke’s Center for Leadership Director Kate Parker-Burgard for arranging this trip through her connection at CIRI.
On Dec. 8, five veterans from the New Canaan VFW shared their stories of serving in WWII, Vietnam, and Afghanistan with students in the Literature of War class. Click here for photos.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
