Separate spheres. All photos by Irargerich
Being foreign is a revelatory experience, but not all travelers are able to return home.
Last week my section of Cathay Pacific flight 882 from Hong Kong to Los Angeles was full of refugees from Myanmar, a nervous group of 39 men, women and children bundled up in winter coats, each clutching a plastic bag emblazoned with the logo of the International Organization for Migration.
During the long flight, the man next to me – an ethnic Chin – struggled with his in-flight entertainment system. Finally, he got a movie to play – a Beverly Hills 90210 sort of film, featuring wide-eyed blonds flirting with country club pool-boys and shopping on Rodeo Drive.
Fractured clouds
Watching the man watch an idealized vision of America as we cruised over the Aleutians, I thought about the the transition he would face adapting to life in the real America. How would he reconcile the gaps between expectations and reality?
He didn’t speak any English. He was going to the state of Washington.
No matter how well this particular Chin refugee dealt with the transition to life in America, he would have to adjust to being a foreigner in an unrelentingly foreign culture and environment.
The concept of ‘being foreign’ is central to the experience of travel, but mainstream travel media rarely seems to address it head on. The British magazine The Economist recently published a thoughtful meditation on being foreign. One line was especially resonant for me, as I thought about the refugees, exiles in a foreign land:
For the real exile, foreignness is not an adventure but a test of endurance.
We voluntary travelers are so fortunate, in so many ways.
Community Connection
For a look at the challenges the refugees overcame before getting on the plane to America, check out the article Waiting For Life to Begin in a Burmese Refugee Camp.
Clearly, refugees need a lot of support here in the States. Does anyone know how to help out? What nationalities are being resettled in your area? Please leave a comment below!
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6 Comments... join the discussion!
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Ha! Good line, Turner, and a more insightful point than it might seem at first glance. Thanks for always reading and commenting –
Tim
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Very thought-provoking, Tim. It would be interesting to look at the differences between how a Burmese refugee would reconcile image vs. realty and how someone from the next category over–who’s not forced to come but is lured by financial prospects–would reconcile it.
In answer to your question, there are a lot of East African refugees (at least I assume they are refugees?) brought to Maine. If I end up spending long-term time here, I look forward to engaging with that community and finding ways to help out.
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Very thought provoking indeed. I worked with many refugees in Sweden (a local school had a mentor program) and know just how difficult and sometimes flat out devastating the transition can be for those people.
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You can help refugees in your home city by signing up to be a mentor/friend/buddy through IRC’s local offices all over America:
http://www.theirc.org/volunteerYou can also sign up to learn how to teach on a volunteer basis English to people who have moved to America through a local literacy non-profit. This skill could be used when you go traveling as well. http://southbayliteracy.freehostia.com/
I am from England but I live in LA.. I remember what a massive culture shock it was for when I moved to America and we speak the same language – kind of
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You can help refugees in your own town by becoming a mentor/buddy – contact your local IRC: http://www.theirc.org/volunteer
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