Team Meeting – WFDC and Blankets
Day 23
Wow, there was a lot happening today…
First thing this morning I got a call from one of our co-chairs. She had gotten a call saying that a wash machine repair person would be at the house at 8:30 this morning, wondering if she could meet him there. She agreed.
She was wondering if I knew about any other things happening today. I said I thought we had drivers picking them up for a visit to the Workforce Development center today for their food and medical assistance meeting, but I didn’t think it would be that early. She assured me it would be that early, but she thought it was tomorrow. Together we combined to be one correct person. The meeting was today at 8:30. Clearly neither of us had checked our collective calender. Fortunately those involved were all aware.
The driver arrived at about the same time as our co-chair. With two Americans present they were able to convince the newcomers to leave their children at home to avoid the 4 hour appointment. The crying only took about 15 minutes to stop so it worked out OK. A noisy riding toy that was donated yesterday proved to be the trick to capture the attention of the crying boy.
Meanwhile the appointment at the Workforce Development Center (WFDC) did not take nearly as long as normal. It was only about an hour and a half.
If you read much of my writing in this blog, in other blogs, or in my book you’ll see that I am quite positive in my feelings toward the motives of other people. I tend to give the benefit of doubt to others. Some may call it naive. I just happen to think that people are basically good and try to solve things in the best possible way, when they know how. Where I do express some cynicism is in relation to “the system.” Mostly though it’s a mocking humor because no one person could conceive of the craziness involved in various aspects of “the system.”
For example, in regard to the Workforce Development Center today, the appointment only took 1.5 hours instead of 4. It turns out that the person helping out today has not handled a case like this in years. So I joked that she wasn’t experienced enough to remember how to drag out a 1 hour meeting to 4 hours anymore. :)
One member on our resettlement team has worked exclusively with Burmese refugees over the years. She has developed quite a network within that community. So, for today’s WFDC visit, she was able to get a former refugee to help interpret. It’s quite a convenience when we can get an interpretor that has been through a comparable experience.
A story from a few days ago was brought up at our team meeting tonight. It concerned some blankets that were found at the house on move-in day. It appeared to be a box of ratty blankets, the type we would wonder who was trying to pass off junk as a good donation. One of the co-chairs took the box out to the garage, where we triage before committing goods.
The next day the box was back in the house. Clearly someone wanted them. The co-chair asked about them wondering if they “really wanted these old smelly things” and received confirmation that she believed meant they did want to keep them. With the washing machine not working at the time, she decided to take them and wash them. She had to give assurances that she’d bring them back.
As she pulled the blankets out to wash, she noticed writing on them that was clearly not English. Finally it dawned on her that these blankets were precious possessions that a member of the refugee family carried with him in his luggage.
When she returned them the owner picked one up and sniffed it. He said, “not smelly.” And then, she believes, he tried to tell her they were from his mother. Another good lesson for us.
I absolutely love your blog. It adds a human depth to the resettlement process, which can get pretty bureaucratic and mechanical at times. Keep on writing.