Press release, September 12, 2012:
Due to the recent devastation of our nation, all residents of the United
States of America will be evacuated immediately.
Many
countries around the globe will grant refugee status; individuals will not, however, be permitted input into their final destination.
Residents are requested to pack lightly due to limited space
on military aircraft – you may take one change of clothes and 3 small personal items.
We recommend that you consider these items carefully as they may be the only
surviving artifacts from your family. Subsequently, hosting countries may, upon
arrival, further limit possessions if necessary.
Packing List:
My first impulse is to take my laptop or at least my tablet,
since I could store photos, letters, books, etc. in a relatively small space and have the means to communicate with family.
However, without knowing where I will be going I couldn’t be certain of electricity, internet access, or even an income to pay an internet provider.
Therefore…
my Bible: the Word of God on which our faith is based and
documentation of significant events in our family including my spiritual
journey
scrapbook: documents the importance of travel and spending
quality time as a family exploring
a cutting or seed from my grandmother’s plant that has been passed down through the generations and propagated in each home: to develop a
peaceful environment through nature
If upon arrival at my destination two of my three items had
to be surrendered, it would most definitely be a heart-wrenching event. To relinquish my only surviving possessions would, for me, mean eventual total loss
since my memories are vague and without physical reminders fade quickly. Yet, I
could take comfort in the knowledge that nature and peace are not confined
within the roots of one plant nor are the experiences of life confined to our
past exploits; these aspects can live on through my continued appreciation of
the world in which I find myself.
Additionally, I find – as with so many events in my life –
that this course and exercise come at an amazingly opportune time in my professional
growth. Just two days ago a child was enrolled in our program who has recently
moved to the United States from Spain. He speaks minimal English and my staff
and I speak minimal Spanish. Fortunately, there are a few children in our
program who speak at least some Spanish and many high school students who are
fluent. More importantly, I am learning to see the world through his eyes and wonder how I
would feel to be uprooted and transplanted into a strange world full of
unfamiliarity and confusion. I know it will not take long for this child to
assimilate into the culture of our class, yet I now ask myself… “at what price?”
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI see that we both have scrapbooking in common. On the weekends, I try to add a new page. My scrapbook hold plenty of memories of both family and close friends.
It is good that you did not forget to bring along the bible. The bible will definitely keep you uplifted and encouraged.
After this week, I know that you are going to do all that you can to assist the young child that recently became uprooted from all he knew to move to the United States. It is hard to even imagine going through such a thing. This has certainly improved my way of thinking and teaching.