Halloween and Thanksgiving Updates

Brenda is NOT a fan of Halloween! She does not appreciate all the zombies, monsters, blood, and general evilness that abounds in October in the USA. Going to stores was upsetting for her, and she avoided the holiday as much as possible. She just doesn't get it and I don't blame her. It's weird.

Becky however is not so anti-halloween. She was excited to be a princess and the Clements family set her up well! She looked lovely. I added a couple of finishing touches to her princess outfit because she looked through our dress-up box and wanted to add the wings from Brooklyn's first Halloween and a shiny necklace turned crown on top of her head. She was a beauty! We took her out with our kids for trick or treating and they all made a huge haul! Lucas and Becky turned in a little sooner than the bigger kids since their little hands were frozen. We enjoyed a few groups of trick-or-treaters at home while we sorted through their candy.

Brenda and Becky went on their first road trip for Thanksgiving. They traveled with the Clements family to rural Idaho (Burley, I think) and enjoyed a huge family gathering. The big news Brenda shared when I talked to her last night on the phone was that there was, "SO MUCH FOOD!" and she liked the "biiiig chicken" they enjoyed going to the movie Frozen.  Becky has gone to the movie theater before with Grandma Susie and my kids, but this was Brenda's first movie theater experience.

Now that Christmas decorations are going up all over town Brenda is ecstatic! She loves Christmas lights and the different decorations popping up in yards. She said, "They put dead people in the yards but now that is gone and it is all lights. I don't like the bodies but I like this. It is good."
That sums up her impression of our holiday decor. It's so fun for me to see it all through her eyes.

Today I'll head over to their place after school and make sure everything is in line for December. Brenda is really responsible about making sure bills are paid on time and the first of the month is always when she gets everything paid. I hope to see if she has any extra in her account this month for her to buy Becky a Christmas present. I know she would enjoy having something for Becky on Christmas morning. It will be an exciting month, as this rings in the one year mark of their arrival to the United States.

It's been a wonderful year!

We're Schooling Now

Brenda is doing really well in school. My blog posts have been less frequent because with my career as a teacher and Brenda now a full time student, our lives have gotten crazy busy! I'll try and do better at keeping things updated because her life here in the United States continues to amaze me. She is challenged and impressing her teachers with her dedication and progress. It really is a miracle that she is doing what she is doing. Can you believe that she is here, in school?! A year ago she was a refugee in Uganda with no idea that her life was about to transform. And now she'd doing this...

She received her first report card and received all As and a B. She says Physical Science is really hard so she got a B. She is feeling great about her work and everyone around her is incredibly proud of her. 

Thanks again to all the people that reached out and donated money to support her during the school year. (And those that will continue to give!) Without the support of others she would have been working in housekeeping, struggling to make ends meet with no options for the future. We are still a few thousand dollars short of supporting her through the entire school  year, so if you are able to donate it will still make a difference. 

Donations can be made directly to Brenda through me. 

Becky's Birthday in America

In our family we eat cake for breakfast the day after someone has a birthday. This morning in particular Brooklyn is loving that tradition and loving that Becky is a part of our family now. 

Becky turned six on Sunday, September 1. The morning got off to a great start because for the first time in four months Brenda did not have to work the weekend! I went to pick Brenda and Becky up for church and they enjoyed seeing the friends they had made last spring in our congregation. After church we went back to our house and had a special birthday lunch with a few friends and family. The food was kid friendly - pizza and baked mac and cheese with fruit salad and veggies. Becky was most interested in the mac and cheese but this was only after I mentioned that we had to eat lunch before opening presents.

 Since my kids are all big kids now we made sure there were some little girls at the party to share the fun. Penny, Flower, and River made Becky's party perfectly full of fairy loving friends.
(And look at those lovely faces! Who says Idaho doesn't have color? You just have to look a little.) 

As promised, once we finished lunch Becky opened the first birthday gifts of her life. Unlike her mom Brenda, she didn't have to wait 20 years. However, it still seems like birthday presents should be a part of life prior to age 6. We are so glad we could be a part of both Brenda and Becky's first American birthdays this year.

Once Becky got the green light she dug straight into the nearest gift bag. We all laughed and slowed her down a bit so those that brought the gifts could see her open them. She was very polite, thanking and hugging everyone that gave her special things. She is now stocked up on Tinker Bell fairy toys, a great outfit for fall including boots and a warm hoodie, a Webkins and other toys, and a pale pink outfit to wear to her most exciting present of all - a year of dance classes!

Cake and ice cream were served after Becky blew out her candles. All out at once - may all her birthday wishes come true!

Becky and Brenda have really become an integrated part of our family. They are such a blessing in our life and in the lives of everyone who meets them. What a fun day! Happy birthday Becky! We look forward to many wonderful years ahead.

Living the Dream

Fifty years ago today Dr. Martin Luther King, with thousands of people looking toward a better future gathered together at the March on Washington. He spoke these hopeful words, 

I have a dream that my four little children will one day 

live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color 

of their skin by the content of their character.

 I have a dream... I have a dream that one day... little black boys and black 

girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and 

white girls as sisters and brothers.

Today as our nation reflects on that day and that speech, I am filled with joy as Brenda walked into her classes for the first time. She wore silver shoes a salmon knee length pleated dress with a white top. As she often accessorizes with hair, she chose a silver and gold short wig that accented her shoes. Her backpack and lunch box made their maiden voyage through the doors to this wonderful year ahead. Brenda is able to attend school because dozens of white strangers and friends are coming together to establish a scholarship support fund for her. Her daughter Becky is attending a well known Montessori school, an opportunity made by a loving white family. They have angels in their midst and I think Dr. King would be proud. We have made great strides to make Brenda's dream for an education come true, but like Dr. Kings dream we are not quite there yet. Progress is a process.

If you are inspired to help make Brenda's dream for an education a reality, please invite your friends and family to contribute to the scholarship (and obviously you too if you are so inclined). I'll just keep begging until we reach the goal. Hope you don't mind.    

Orientation Day

It's happening. Sunday was Brenda's last day at Inn America. Monday some of her angels took her school shopping- backpack, lunch box, supplies. Today she attended orientation at Marian Pritchett School and will attend full time beginning tomorrow at 9:00. Her classes will be challenging but I have complete confidence in her, her teachers, and the supporting social workers. She has a lot of people watching over her and our team of angels continues to strengthen. 

Keep checking back. This is just going to continue to be great. 

To support Brenda this year donations are still needed. 

It's likely the best thing you'll do with your money all year.  

Wild Fires - Living in Idaho

(Picture swiped from Google images) 

As often happens in August, Boise is engulfed in smoke from surrounding mountain wild fires. It is something that I am totally accustom to, as I have lived in Idaho most of my life. The past two summers seem to be worse than usual, but it's nothing that seems too out of the ordinary. Unless you just arrived here from Africa.

Brenda was in my car the other day and we could see a huge plume of smoke over the horizon of the nearby foothills. We commented on how big it was and noticed a helicopter in the same direction. I couldn't make out if it was a fire fighting copter or life flight, but began to explain to Brenda how the helicopters are used to fight fires. 

Then I realized that she didn't know about the forests. She has never been outside of the urban area of Boise. I have explained to her that most of the surrounding area is full of trees and mountains, but she has yet to see it herself. I told her about how the hot temperatures, combined with lightening storms cause wild fires every year. 

She looked up at the helicopter and said, "That doesn't make the fire?" "I thought it makes the fire."

Me, "Nope. It helps pour water on the fire." 

Brenda, "America is so hard!"

Me, "Do you mean that it's hard to understand things here?"

Brenda, "Yes."

So once again I am enlightened about just how many things in Brenda's daily life don't make any sense. She is so adaptable and independent that it is easy to take for granted that she "just knows" things that she has no experience with or context for understanding. She amazes me. 

I messed up, but overall - things are great.

We have raised about 75% of the money we need to send Brenda to school for this school year. Oh boy do I hope the other 25% shows up soon! She registers next Tuesday and starts school Wednesday. It is amazing to me that at the beginning of July there didn't seem to be any way for Brenda to attend school and now it's happening. This has all moved very quickly and exceeds what I would have imagined on my own. I am so grateful to the many people that stepped up and said, "Raise $10,000? Sure, we can do that." 

However, due to the fast pace of this process there were some assumptions made on my part that are now coming back to sock me in the guts. (You know, that feeling you get when something doesn't go how you planned and you feel like puking?) Well, that's the situation I'm currently in.

Many blogs ago when the idea for a scholarship fund was formed I wrote that I would run the donations through a non-profit organization; either the school where I work or the Agency for New Americans and donors would receive a receipt for the donation. Well, it turns out that my naive assumptions about accounting have caused a problem. ( I guess they'll keep me teaching about people and how to speak Spanish. No CPA jobs for me.) Due to the large scope of this fundraiser and it's informal "no red tape" process, the non-profits I have contact with are not able to accept the funds without mucking up their own accounting. I apologize for saying that there would be a tax write off for the donations. It will have to be viewed by our donors as a simple gift with no tax benefits attached.

The good news is that I have not heard from one single donor, "I really don't care about this Brenda lady's education. I just want the tax write off."

So how is it going to work now? I will go with Brenda to set up a bank account specifically for the scholarship. Her name will be on the account. The PayPal account will link directly to this account. I will transfer money monthly to Brenda's account so she receives the $1000 a month we planned from the start. Essentially, the only change is that she will not be receiving a check from a non-profit organization. She'll be learning about bank accounts and transferring funds and all that good stuff.

So again, I am very sorry that I gave wrong information in the beginning and said things that I am now not able to carry out. But to those of you that donated, THANK YOU ANYWAY! And for those of you that still want to be one of Brenda's angels - you have all the facts.

Send contributions directly to Brenda through me or mail me a check written to Brenda Muhoza Matata. 

Transition coming soon!

Marian Pritchett School

We have raised just over $6700 for Brenda's scholarship fund. Our goal is $10,000 to get her through the school year. This would provide her a monthly stipend for living expenses so she can focus on attending the Marian Pritchett School for young moms. I just got off the phone with the Head Teacher there, and I am even more excited about this opportunity for Brenda. She said that they have girls from all over the world studying at their school. It will be a perfect fit for Brenda considering her history and life experiences. This is such a wonderful opportunity for her and I really hope that we can raise the additional $3300 to get her through the entire school year. If you know someone who can make a donation, or would like to yourself please email me at emilymail74@gmail.com

Brenda gave her notice at Inn America that she will no longer be working after August 25th! It's happening!

Beyond Excited

I visited Brenda and Becky tonight. I stepped into their second floor apartment and found it to be 90 degrees. Brenda keeps the air conditioning turned off most of the time to keep her power bill lower. She decided to turn it on though this evening. By the time I left it was a comfortable 79 degrees.

We talked about her excitement to go to school. She has informed her employer at Inn America that she is going to start school at the end of the month and they said they will start looking for her replacement. I think this is all going to be for the best in many ways because they are already seeing a slow down in the number of rooms that are occupied, therefore cutting back on her hours. I don't think she would have been able to make a livable wage during the cooler months.

She looks forward to studying. She looks forward to returning to church on Sundays. She looks forward to focusing on her education seriously. She is so grateful for the scholarship.

We still have a large gap to fill though. We need at least $1000 a month to pay her expenses during the school year so she can focus on school and take care of Becky. We are just over half way to the goal. I discussed with her how there are many people that are willing to support her education and that they would love it if she would allow photos posted here for them to see her. No deal. She does not want her photos publicly on the internet. She explained why and I will respect her wishes. She did however think it was a good idea to send all the donors thank you cards and will send a hard copy picture with the card. So there's another good reason to donate. Now there is a perk for donors. Unintentional, but a perk non-the-less.

If you or someone you know would like to make a real difference in Brenda's life then join her team of angels. We currently have 40 families on the team. I wonder how many people it will take to make this a winning team?

Culture Clash

America. It turns out that the way we do things around here might not be how things are done in Africa. (Shocker.) Things that are seemingly "normal" or "well intentioned" here might not feel right to someone that has grown up with Brenda's experiences.

Brenda has asked that the photos of her be removed from this blog. Although I think she is amazingly photogenic in every way, she would prefer that there not be photos of her posted. In the past she has said that it was fine, but today she wants them off. So, since this blog's purpose is to honor her I will also honor her wishes.

However, since many of the previous posts' content is expressed through photos, I'm not sure the best way to go about heeding her request. Do I go back and re-write everything so it makes sense without the photography? That will take more time than I have. So, in the short term I have disabled all previous posts with Brenda's photos.

Until Brenda is comfortable with her photos on here, there will be none. I hope you all keep reading and I'll do my best to be really detail oriented in my future posts so you can picture everything. Just look at this like you are reading a book. I'm currently in the middle of Dan Brown's Inferno and I don't even need one photo to imagine the gorgeous details of Florence, Italy. I'm no Dan Brown, but for the readers sake I'll try.

*********************************************************************************Update (April 17, 2015) Although she is still apprehensive - she is permitting me to post some photos now. I am so happy that she is opening up a little more and glad you all can have a peek into her life.

Brenda learns we are sending her to school!

I told Brenda last week that I had a surprise for her on Tuesday night. She has been anticipating it with excitement. She arrived at our house to a backyard gathering of people who love her and Becky. I took a moment to tell her that we were having a special dinner in her honor and everyone came to be with her. There would be another surprise later in the evening, but first we ate. She asked for identification of the quinoa salad and the coleslaw, but was familiar with the cheeseburger. Thanks to our experience at a drive thru a couple months back she is a cheeseburger fan. 

After eating I took a moment, surrounded by friends and family, to tell Brenda about the scholarship we are collecting. I told her that we have saved enough money to pay her bills for half the school year already, and we will keep collecting donations for as long as it takes to get her through the entire school year. 

DONATION PLUG: If you haven't joined Brenda's team of angels, there is still a need! This is going to take a very large team!  I dare you to find a better cause for your moo-la. 

Her reaction to the news was joyous, humble, and ran the spectrum of emotions. Laughter to tears to laughter again. These beautiful photos capture a fraction of the energy shared. 

Thanks to Mike Jewell for the amazing shots!

  

In Brenda's words -
Thank you everyone. I love you everyone. Thank you so much. I'm going to school! I'm going to school! 
Always in my life I see people going to school and I think, "That is not my chance. I am nobody." Now I will go to school! I never believe! Thank you everybody. 

For me, this has been surreal and we are just over half way there. The donations have come from every nook and cranny spanning my entire life - elementary and high school friends, summer camp fellow counselors, former missionaries in Chile, families of my current students, and so forth. There are so many to thank. Please know how trans formative this effort will be for Brenda. There is no better team to be on.  Keep sharing the effort. It's totally worth it.

The reveal was humbling...

Brenda was thrilled, overwhelmed, and elated. 

She is totally worthy of a scholarship.

To date we've collected just over half of the money we need to send her to school for one year. If you haven't donated yet, please consider what you can do to be one of Brenda's angels. PayPal your tax deductible contributions to ewilliams@foothillsschool.org  

Brenda says she won't sleep for days because she is so excited to go to school, but I bid you a good night. More photos and stories of this wonderful evening to come tomorrow. 

More Fun with Firsts

Last week Brenda and I went to Costco. Since you can buy nothing at that store without it being super-sized, I gave one of my cantaloupes to Brenda to try at home. I told her it was a melon, told her what it's called, and told her to slice it open and remove the seeds. However, I did not think to tell her that it did not need to be cooked.

After frying one half in her sauce pan she tasted it and found that she may not have needed to cook it. She ate the other half raw and says that she now likes cantaloupe. 

Today Brenda received a little pampering courtesy of Gretchen Nishitani, photographer and nail tech extraordinaire. Gretchen was looking to pay it forward for the generosity and love she has in her life and asked for nominations for a free pedi. Guess who I nominated? 

Thank you Gretchen. Brenda felt loved today.

A Generous Heart

Brenda gave me a pair of flip flops from Africa. They are black and beaded and beautiful. She wears a similar pair and had me try hers on a couple of weeks ago and said she had a surprise for me. Shortly after, she arrived with a gift for me. Now we can match. We didn't even plan the toes matching. We just have the same style I guess.

I almost slipped up and told Brenda that I have a secret myself. Today we were talking about her desire to go to school in the fall and I could hardly keep from blurting out, "WE'VE RAISED MORE THAN $3100 for you!" But I kept it in. I didn't tell. I want to have at least $4000 before she gets her hopes up.

So if you haven't donated, now is a perfect time. School starts in a month and I don't know how much longer I can keep this a secret.

Let's Send Brenda to School This Fall

Friends who read this blog,
Hopefully you all have heard the call to action to help Brenda receive the opportunity to go to school full time beginning this fall.  

Because she is under 21 years old, she qualifies to attend full time public high school at a local school for teen moms. She is 20 years old. The school is free, but her living expenses for her and Becky remain a reality. They need to pay rent, buy food and living needs, pay for transportation, and pay utilities. Her monthly expenses are around $1000. In order for her to attend school, we are looking to raise $10,000 for her to have her living expenses covered so she can begin attending school full time instead of working full time.

Like me, you might feel skeptical that $10,000 can be raised in such a short amount of time. Well, so far there have been almost $2000 in donations! This after less than a week looking for kind hearts to open their checkbooks. We only have $8000 to go and remember, we only need $1000 a month, so if you are willing to make a donation now and again in the future we can count on making the $10,000 goal by the end of the school year.

Please consider giving to this scholarship. As a teacher, mom of three kids, with a husband climbing his way out of a real estate career hole I completely understand how it feels to have the bank accounts pretty shallow. However, I have come up with some ideas on how to make a donation, even without a big surplus of cash laying around.

1. Fast for a day and take the money you would have spent on food and donate it to Brenda's scholarship fund. (Yes, I stole this one from the scriptures.) Brenda and Becky have had plenty of days they've gone without food and as you feel your tummy rumble you can think of them and feel great about the sacrifice you are making. 
2. Have a yard sale and give the profit or a percentage of it to the scholarship fund.
3. Have your kids get involved and have a bake sale or lemonade stand. 
4. Invite your family members to give a donation to the scholarship for your birthday present. (Hopefully your birthday is soon!)
5. Dig deep. I know sometimes it feels like you can't afford to give anything more than what you already have to pay for. Well, I bet if you think for even a little while, you will figure out a way to make this happen.

Brenda has nobody to make this happen except us. If you are reading this blog, you are one of a very small number of people who know she is in need. Please do anything you can to help. I know I sound like I'm begging. That's because I am. 

Thank you.

Established Yesterday - The Send Brenda to School Scholarship Fund

Yesterday seven of my Facebook friends donated a total of $345 toward the $10,000 goal to pay for Brenda and Becky's living expenses so Brenda can focus on going to school full time at the Marian Pritchett School. That is a great start for one day! The school is free but rent, utilities, clothes, food etc are still needed. Many people would assume that a woman like Brenda would have rent assistance. She does not. The only government assistance she and Becky receive is Medicaid insurance, a portion of child care costs, and some money for basic food. This does not cover transportation to and from work, laundry soap, hygiene products, clothes or anything else.

I went to sleep last night with my heart so full of gratitude it felt crowded beneath my rib cage. Frankly, the people who gave money were not those you might expect. All of them are people I met in Junior High and High School. They don't know me well. I haven't kept in touch with them. They live all over the nation. They are from diverse walks of life and share no common religious or cultural tie that would cause them to donate. They share only a compassionate heart and the willingness to act on it and make a PayPal donation. The donations came in many sizes. Everyone gave what they could right now.

I wish you all could meet Brenda. If you spent 15 minutes with her you'd give all you can to make school a reality for her. Thank you for trusting my words and I hope you want to be a part of this.  If you'd like to donate to the cause you can send a PayPal payment to ewilliams@foothillsschool.org.

How it works
All donations will sit in the PayPal account until late August when I move the money to an official educational account through the school where I work. I will formally create a scholarship through the 501c3 so donors can receive a tax write off. The money will be presented to Brenda at $1000 per month as long as she is attending school full time. Please let me know if you have any questions.  

Summer and the End of the Honeymoon

Brenda and Becky arrived to their new home in the dead of winter. Leaving Uganda and arriving in Boise's winter climate must have been an incredible shock. But they took it in stride, learning to navigate walking on the slippery, ice covered sidewalks. Brenda recalls the agonizing walks home on days the buses quit running before they were able to go back to their end of town. (The difficulty navigating the Boise bus system is a completely post-worthy topic and I'll have to save that for another day.) Now we are in July and the peek of summer heat is upon us. Last week's temperatures of 108 degrees were not much easier to bare than the freezing cold of winter. At least we got the thermostat figured out before the heat hit! (See the "It Got Hot" post.) This week we introduced them to the wonderful world of snow cones and riding scooters down the sidewalk. Brenda did not like the snow cone, because she hates sugary things, so she had plain shaved ice. Becky however will grow up a regular old American kid, and had no trouble with the pink and yellow snow cone.

Brenda is working 5-6 days a week now at Inn America and Becky attends Montessori School 5 days a week and goes to a babysitter on the weekends while Brenda works. Life has settled in for them here in Boise. The primary purpose of the Agency for New Americans is to assist refugees in becoming self-sufficient, knowing that they do not receive much financial support once they arrive in the USA. Brenda receives no housing assistance anymore and only basic food and health care assistance. I'm not sure how much longer her Medicaid insurance will last since she is working now. The honeymoon is officially over for Brenda, and it's now up to her to make sure the bills are getting paid.

For the most part I strive to keep this blog positive, highlighting the adventures and exciting discoveries Brenda and Becky have here. Unfortunately, Brenda is facing a few very real and big challenges ahead of her so I feel like it should be shared here if this is a true account of their first months in Boise.
1. Brenda needs to go to school.
2. Brenda's job is making her sick and is really disgusting.
3. The public transportation system in Boise is so difficult to navigate! Buses are infrequent, the hours of operation are pretty bad, and routes are indirect. She needs to finish drivers training and get a car.

For today's post I'll just take on problem #1.

Brenda is 20 years old, and wants more than anything in this world to be able to go to school. She has an opportunity to study at the Marian Pritchett School until she is 21 years old. It is a free, public school serving teen moms. Although the one year she has left qualifying under this program would not get her a high school diploma nor GED, it would give her the only free option for 9 months of full time school. She needs to be able to do this.

She also needs to be able to pay her bills, which come to around $1000 a month.

Mary, the wonderful woman who owns Lakewood Montessori (a champion for Becky's education) has made a bold challenge; raise $10,000 for Brenda to have a scholarship to allow her to attend high school for one year.

I already know one willing angel with $1000 in her wings. She's donating it knowing it will get the ball rolling and inspire others to give. This week I will be setting up a PayPal fund for donations to this scholarship. If you or someone you know is able to donate, please send payment via PayPal to ewilliams@foothillsschool.org . Would your employer donate? Do your parents like giving to great causes? Would your kids do a lemonade stand and have the proceeds go to this scholarship? I am going to look into running all the donations through a 501c3, so donors can receive a tax deduction. Please stay posted, but contact me immediately if you are able to donate. In Mary's words, "All we need is 20 people to donate $500! We can do that!" Whether you have $500 or $5, it will make a difference in Brenda's life.

Let's send Brenda to school!  

It Got Hot

Boise is known for it's wacky weather. Yesterday it was around 94 degrees and today's highs are in the 70s. Spring and Fall are particularly unpredictable and as a Boisean you must be prepared for anything when you step out the door.

Yesterday, Becky and my kids spent most of the afternoon running through the sprinklers and playing with the hose. We have a nice runway between the patio and the in-ground trampoline. It lends itself to wet summer entertainment.

Once the kids were sufficiently soaked and shivering, we dried off and brought Becky home to Brenda. When I walked in their apartment it was literally at least 90 degrees in there. At 9:15 pm. I mentioned how hot it was and Brenda replied that she had just returned home from her classes at CWI and opened the patio door, but it was still so hot!

I then realized that she might not know about air conditioning.

I peeked at her thermostat and saw that it was still set to "heat". I quickly explained to her that there are three settings- heat, off, and cool, and showed her how to change between the three. Then we had a confused conversation about gas and electric and how her gas bill will go down but her power bill will go up. Once again I find myself stepping back and taking note of the small understandings I overlook daily. Brenda is doing her best to figure it all out. I wonder how many other things I'm overlooking that she needs to learn. I guess we'll continue to face them as they present themselves.

The Revolutionary Optimists of Boise

On Tuesday, May 7th a small group of my 5th/6th grade class presented at the ITVS Community Cinema event of the PBS Independent Lens film screening The Revolutionary Optimists. (Click the title to see what a great movie it is!)

Our class was invited to participate in this event last fall, and we've been preparing all year. This is what led us to meet Brenda and Becky. 

Our students spoke on the partnership Foothills School has with a school in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nkokwe school has shared letters, photos, gifts and riddles with our students for over five years. We raised over $1000 this year to give the school directly to pay for needed equipment and tuition for orphans and girls that otherwise would not be able to attend school. The partnership with Nkokwe is both enriching and heartwrenching. The school is in an area that is controlled by the M23 rebels and rape, murder, kidnapping and theft are daily occurances there. This spring there are 11 new orphans at the school, and just last month another father of a student was kidnapped. Violence and instability in the region seem ever present. However, providing support to Nkokwe school is our effort to fight against such evil with the hope that education will provide for a brighter future for the DRC. Our connection to Nkokwe school led our friends at the Agency for New Americans to introduce us to Brenda and Becky, since Brenda had to flee similar violence in the DRC in 2005.

 In addition to speaking about Nkokwe School, they also shared what we have done throughout the year to learn about refugees and how they are resettled locally. We learned that Idaho receives more refugees, per capita than anywhere in the United States. And the US receives more refugees than any other country worldwide.

Locally there are a number of organizations that support resettlement. However, refugees receive less support than people expect. Did you know that the government only provides financial support for refugees for 6-9 months? In addition, refugees are required to repay the "loan" for their passage to the United States. (Brenda's loan is over $2300.) The expectation is that a refugee will learn English, get settled, become aclimated to the American way of life, and get a job to become self sufficient in well under a year. Anyone knows that is an impossible task. That is why it is so important for communities, and yes YOU to find out how you can make the transition easier for them. Refugees have all fled life threatening danger. That is how they ended up in the US. It was not by choice, it was by chance. I have heard many refugees explain it like this, "Stay and be killed, or run." Some may consider that a choice but with those options choice seems like an inaccurate word.

I am so proud of the work my students did this year. In summary they

1. Learned about and supported Nkokwe School in the DRC.
2. Wrote advocacy letters to congress to bring awareness to the violence in the DRC.
3. Learned what a refugee is in the first place and then how to help them locally.
4. Listened to and learned from resettled refugees. Understanding their stories was a great inspiration.
5. Volunteered at the Create Common Good (click that to learn about CCG) farm, a farm that provides employment for local refugees.
6. Befriended Brenda and Becky.
7. Donated incredible amounts of money, gift cards and household items to Brenda and Becky.
8. Created committees and action plans to support Brenda and Becky's needs.
9. And finally, gave an awesome presentation to report on all their work. 

GREAT JOB! A real and measurable difference has been made this year by 5th and 6th graders in Boise. We have heeded the call of our Kid President to make this year awesome for someone else. (click that link for a super great video)
What's holding you back from making someone's year more awesome? Find your inspiration and follow it. It will take you somewhere fantastic!

What is this?

Often when I meet with Brenda she has a few questions she has held for me to answer, based on experiences she has had since we last met. A couple of weeks ago I stopped by her house and she enthusiastically asked if she could show me some things she had been given that she didn't recognize.

She pulled out a red, old, dirty, rectangular, and flat plastic tackle box. After dusting it off a bit we opened it to find a fairly established first aid kit. It contained small packets of antibiotic ointments, bandages, an eye patch and many other items that Brenda has no idea what to do with. I assured her that it was all good to have on hand, and is for times when she or Becky may have minor injuries at home.

She then showed me a small cardboard box that I immediately recognized. She pulled it out and while placing it in her underarm she asked, "For this?" "For when Becky get sick? I do like this?"

I could have laughed but didn't.

I said, "No you pee on it. It's a pregnancy test."
She couldn't believe it. "Why would you pee on it?"
I explained if you pee on the stick it will let you know if you are pregnant."

She was the first to laugh. She thought it was a thermometer and thought she could take her and Becky's temperatures with in under the arm. She laughed and laughed and laughed, referencing this story a number of times that day and many times since.

She wanted to make sure I wrote about this experience in her blog so we never forget this humorous misunderstanding.

Lesson Learned:
If you donate items to resettled refugees, make sure they know what they're getting.

Needs and Wants

Lots of people have been excited to help Brenda and Becky get settled in Boise. There are some lovely people out there in the world and I am so glad that B & B are finally getting to see the good side of humanity. Many people have been asking me "What do they need?" "Is there something I can do to help?" And of course, the answer is yes. I have been keeping a running list of items that they need or mention that they want. I'll list it at the end of this post. But first, my personal moment of enlightenment -

sometimes wants are needs.

Does a person really need a swimming suit? What about fitted sheets? Tennis shoes? More than one fork per person? Towels that wrap around your body? A pillow? Clothes for different occasions? A nice hairstyle? 

As I survey the things that they need I'm finding that things I might think are unnecessary actually seem pretty important to feel like you belong in America. At least here in Boise. I've come up with a pretty lengthy list, and if you have the money or the means to shorten this list for them, just let me know.

THE LIST

Large Bath Towels

Laundry Bags

CD Player

Sauce Pans- one large, one small

Juice pitcher

Juice/Water Glasses

Silverware Set

Soft blankets

Bike Trailer to carry Becky + groceries

Sheet sets- Brenda has a double, Becky has a single, especially fitted sheets

Bed Pillows

Vaporizer- Becky is sick with a nasty cough right now :(

Thermometer

Clothes or gift cards for clothes (Brenda wears size 10-14 pants, Becky is around a child's size 6)

Tennis shoes for both (Brenda 7.5, Becky 12)

Round Table Cloth

All household items not covered by Food Stamps (soap, paper towels, TP, detergent, feminine hygiene, hair care, etc)

It's Monday, let's go to the YMCA!

I hated getting up this morning. As I heard the alarm sound I felt the weight of the week ahead and wished I could hide in the warm darkness of my room and stop what lies ahead.

But then I remembered my life is amazing. Even the parts I hate are coveted among many. I have a job I wish I didn't have to go to. I have a closet full of clothes to choose from, even though most of the pants don't fit. I have plenty of food, hence the pants problem. I have three children that I have to poke and prod to attend one of the best schools in the Northwest. I have a cold car to drive the short distance to work/school. Even my complaints can be seen as blessings.

Today I am going to pick Brenda and Becky up from Language Learning class and take them to the Downtown YMCA. Did you know the YMCA gives a FREE 3 month membership to refugees upon arrival in Boise? As a kid who grew up going to Learn to Swim week, Teen Leaders Club, Summer Camp, and establishing myself as an official "YMCA kid" I cannot say how much I love this organization. They even gave me my first full time career position after graduating from college. Please do all you can to support the wonderful things they do in the Boise community! http://www.ymcatvidaho.org/

BASIC NEEDS:
Many people have been so generously contacting me to ask if there are things that they can donate or do to help Brenda and Becky. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of this community effort to care for them. So, occationally I'll let you know here when I come accross things they are lacking. For now- Brenda and Becky need swimming suits and excersize clothes. If you'd like to donate cash or a gift card, please contact me. Leave a comment here and we'll connect.

First World Problems

I love the buzzing catch phrase "first world problems". My most recent favorite is this youtube clip featuring people in third world countries quoting ridiculous complaints of first world people. First World Problems Anthem

I am finding though, for a lady like Brenda, there are some serious challenges to everyday life in America. I've been keeping a running list as I observe these things and will try to share some of them so she will be able to recall these experiences later. At this point she is not able to read or write with proficiency, so this blog will serve as a journal for her to recall life in her first months in Boise.

So far, these are my observations:

• Going to a pet and garden store is amazing even in the dead of winter. But why would ANYONE keep a rat as a pet? "In Uganda, we keep away from rats because they are dirty!"
• Snow. Ice. Cold. Very different than Africa!
• Coins- what are the values? Try explaining why they have different pictures on coins of the same value, and why the small dime is worth twice that of the nickel and ten times the penny. American money is weird.
• Automatic car washes are incredible. "America is amazing! America is amazing!", says Brenda, the whole time we were in the carwash.
• The Drive Thru - Wendy's

Brenda:  "You talk in there?" pointing to the sign and speakers in the drive thru.

Me: "Yes, we tell them what we want here and pay at that window up there, and pick up our food at the second window."

Brenda: "Wow."

I hand her a cheeseburger and a frosty.

Brenda: "What's this called?"

Me: "Junior Bacon Cheeseburger"

Brenda: "It's my first one. I like."

• I read to Brenda and Becky everytime I see them. We look through Becky's kindergarten books and Brenda learns too. One night I was reading them the story "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr Seuss. Upon reading the page with darkness and a monster infested river Brenda stopped me and shared that there is a river between Uganda and DR Congo that looks like that. There was a monster in the water of the book and I can only imagine the monsters that she has seen. This is a mild and only one example of the matter of fact memories that are shared at any given moment. Brenda is an amazing survivor.
• Valentine's Day! A holiday of ridiculous proportion all about love! Brenda and Becky attended the Foothills School Valentine's Activity enjoying making cards with glitter, stick on hearts and cut paper doilies. We ate sweets (which Brenda can hardly tollerate) and decorated cookies to donate to local fire stations. Brenda laughed and said, "I am like a little kid!" as she decorated the cards. "But I never got to do this when I was a kid." Here is a picture of Becky making her valentines.
  
• What is a raffle? I bought Brenda some raffle tickets at the Valentine Party for a dessert prize. She was very confused how the whole process worked, but in the end she figured it out. SHE WON THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER!
• Sugar is a treat, but Brenda can't stand it. I see her want to enjoy all the abundance of junk food that now surrounds her, but every time she takes a bite of something sweet she cringes. It's like she just bit into a lemon.
• White people don't stop their cars even when they see you. On a particularly cold/freezing evening Brenda and Becky were waiting for a taxi or bus to take them home from downtown. At this point Brenda is in drivers training, and plans to also learn to ride a bike this Spring. However, until she becomes independently mobile Boise does not have the most stellar public transportaion system. No busses or taxies came. They were walking, hands stinging they were so cold. Becky was crying. "All the white people smile at us from their cars and some wave, but none stopped." I tried to explain that in our culture we do not get into cars of people we don't know. Therefore, we do not expect people to get into our cars if we are strangers. Once I explained this, I know Brenda understood the logic, but it made me think twice about the next time I see refugees walking along the sidewalk in the cold.

More experiences to come.





Brenda and Becky

Ubrupt change occurs everyday. But not usually for me. However, last month I contacted the Agency for New Americans to find out how I could connect my 5th/6th grade class with the work they are doing for recently resettled refugees in Boise. Suddenly, two people have come into my life that feel like family.


This has been a project I've been working with this class on all year. First, I taught the class how a person becomes a refugee. What does that status mean? How is a refugee different from an illegal immigrant, someone displaced by natural disaster, economic migrant or environmental migrant?  In case you are not brushed up on the terms, the most important parts of the refugee definition are:

• Refugees have to be outside their country of origin
• The reasons for their flight has to be a fear of persecution
• The fear of persecution has to be well-founded
• The persecution has to result from one or more of the five grounds listed in the definition (race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion)
• They have to be unwilling or unable to seek the protection of their country

( From Refugees and Children in our World Lesson 4, www.unhcr.org)

Next, the class needed to connect with people in Boise who have been resettled here. Did you know that Idaho receives more refugees per capita than anywhere else in the United States?

Upon meeting with Yasmin Aguilar, the community coordinator at ANA, she immediately identified a perfect match for my class - Brenda and Becky, a congolese teen mom and her five year old daughter who was born in a refugee camp in Uganda. Brenda fled DR Congo when she was 12 and has not seen her parents or siblings since. She was 14 when she had Becky, and has spent every minute since working for their survival. They arrived to Boise at the very end of December 2012.

The hardships Brenda and Becky have faced are more difficult than I can comprehend. She tells me stories from her time in DR Congo and Uganda regularly, and each time I hear one I am amazed by this woman's resiliance. She has been through things that are unmentionable; and not just once or twice, the unmentionable was the norm. She is a testament to the goodness of the human spirit and an example of positivity and strength. She credits God.

In this blog I will attempt to document their new journey. As the author, I suppose much of the stories I share will also be my experiences with this treasured new friend. Let the adventure begin!