Pre-Service Blog

Pre-Service Blog.

1. Going in to the service learning project, I'm not hoping for too much. On a basic level, I'm hoping that the Burmese family will have at least some grasp of the English language and are comfortable enough in their surroundings and with our company to come out of their shells. I would imagine that being a refugee in another country it would be very easy to remain in a tight knit family group and it may be hard to open that group to some well meaning (but alien nonetheless) students. Longer term I'm hoping to gain a greater understanding of the Burmese culture and how refugees go about integrating themselves into a new environment. I would love to hope that over the course of my service-learning project I can create a bond with the family and make their integration to American culture at least a little easier.

2. My assumptions of the service-learning site are mainly based upon my visit to the world relief centre back in August. I spent 2 hours on a hot summers morning sorting out furniture in the warehouse which would later be taken to the homes for use by refugee families. The furniture was often clearly 3rd or 4th hand and very few of the pieces matched each other. With this in mind I pictured a fairly shabby and eclectic living space. Since arriving in America last August I've only lived in a college dorm and the handful of residential houses I've been luckily enough to visit have been in prosperous neighbourhoods; owned by comfortable American families in the main. Having never been inside an American house in a less favourable neighbourhood and seeing the rejected and donated furniture in the world relief warehouse combined to paint a less than positive assumption of the service-learning site.

2. The family that I've been assigned to are refugees from Burma. Beyond that, I don't know too much. Burmese culture isn't something I'm particularly knowledgable about, I know that Burma has been war torn for many years having frequently seen it on the news in Britain. I know that there is an extremely large refugee population in Burma.

3. To this point in my life the interests/passions that I can relate to the world relief programme are shamefully few. The number of times I've volunteered willingly to help out those less fortunate than myself can be counted on two hands, being somewhat of a introvert, this experience will push me outside my comfort zone. I am looking forward to this venture from my daily routine and I think that being exposed to people of different cultures makes you a much more rounded and complete individual. Despite having travelled decidedly more than most 20 year olds, Burmese culture isn't one that I've ever been exposed to and I'm looking forward to that.
One connection that I can relate with the Burmese family is the fact that America isn't my native culture either, although my own native land shares much more with USA (a language for example) than Burma does, that feeling of displacement and homesickness is definitely one I can relate to.