Internships are an invaluable opportunity to learn and apply one s knowledge and skills in a real world situation. The past four months I was able to put my anthropological knowledge to work at Refugee Services of Texas (RST). This is an agency that helps to resettle refugees, as well as provide job development and counseling. They also help victims of trafficking and those seeking asylum through mental health counseling and job skill development. My internship provided a wonderful experience by allowing me to work with people from many different cultures on a day to day basis. Refugee Services of Texas Although Refugee Services of Texas has many different programs under the same roof, the largest program at RST is resettlement for refugees. According to the 1951 Convention Related to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country. This basically means a person who is in flight from a desperate situation. During my internship, I learned that there are many refugees and asylum seekers that are fleeing from desperate situations all around the world. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, there are 11.5 million refugees and asylum seekers throughout the world. Through this internship I met people of different nationalities and was able to learn about cultures about which I previously knew nothing. The United States hosts the largest resettlement program for refugees in the world. Each year the President establishes the ceiling in consultation with Congress and
the State Department. In 2005, the admission ceiling was set at 70,000 but only 53,000 people actually resettled in the United States. Refugee Services of Texas in Austin was able to resettle 158 refugees in 2005. While this may seem a small number, it is actually a large number for the Austin office. There are also other refugee organizations in Austin that add to the number of resettled refugees in Central Texas. Refugee Services of Texas alone has five offices in different cities around Texas, with Dallas being the main office. The Dallas office has been resettling refugees for the past 25 years. The other two programs at Refugee Services of Texas are smaller in size. Green Leaf Refugee Service Program is a mental health counseling service for refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of trafficking. This program is designed to help clients at any stage of their acculturation and self-sufficiency process. It is in place to help clients deal with depression, anxiety, social isolation, cultural and social adjustment, and more. This is very important to many of the clients at RST because it is difficult to transition quickly to a new environment and this program allows the clients to talk about their concerns. Finally, the RST has a program called the Victims of Trafficking (VOT) program. This program which helps victims deal with their former situation.. The focus of the VOT program is to renew the client s sense of control after leaving a trafficking situation. I was unable to work in this program as much as the others, so I am unsure of details. I do understand, however, that this is a very important program to the state of Texas because there are many victims of human trafficking that are unsure of where to go for help. My Work with the Resettlement Program The resettlement program at Refugee Services of Texas is where I helped the
most. Refugees come from all over the world but during my internship I worked mostly with refugees from Iran, Liberia, Burundi, and Burma. The Burmese refugees were larger in number, and often different from each one another because of the many ethnic minorities in Burma. This internship educated me about the many differences refugees have, including not only their culture, but also where they lived and the persecution they dealt with in their home countries. Refugee Services of Texas (RST) - Austin office is affiliated with Church World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries, which are the funding agencies for this resettlement program. These organizations provide RST with money to fund the refugees housing and utilities and also provide the refugees with a small grant to pay for initial expenses. They also require that RST provides appropriate necessities for the refugee upon arriving, such as furniture, dishes, linens, toiletries, and other essentials for becoming self-sufficient. Setting Up a New Home. Setting up the apartments for refugees was one of my favorite parts of this internship. It was my job to build a kit for each new arrival. A kit includes items such as basic toiletries (e.g., shower curtain, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant), linens (towels, sheets, blankets, pillows etc.), kitchen items (dishes, silverware, pots and pans, mixing bowls and spoons, etc.), and cleaning supplies (laundry detergent, dish detergent, household cleaner, mop and broom, etc.). Each new arrival has a kit set up for them with the appropriate number of items for the number of people in the family. After creating a kit, it was then my job to transport all goods to their new dwelling.
Another RST staff member first moves all of the furniture into the new home of the refugee family. The required furniture consists of a dining table and chairs (large enough for the number of family members), living area seating, and one bed for each family member (married couples and sometimes small children share a bed). After all of the furniture has been moved in, I was able to create a new home for the new arrivals. I enjoy decorating so this was one of my favorite things to do. I would rearrange the furniture, make all of the beds, set up their bathroom and kitchen, and add special touches of my own. My goal was to make every apartment I set up to feel like home so when the family arrived, it would be some what comforting. Shopping for food. Another aspect of setting up the new homes was to shop for culturally sound food items for the family. My first experience was difficult because the family I was shopping for was Muslim. I learned that practicing Muslims only eat Halal meat and this must be purchased at a Halal market. Halal meat is meat that has been blessed by a Muslim, killed in a humane manner, and must be completely blood-free. It was a very interesting experience to shop at a Halal market and be asked many questions for which I did not know the answers. I was very confused, but a fellow shopper was kind enough to help me complete my purchase correctly. Settling in. The apartments are normally arranged the day before the family arrives. When the family arrives in the United States, a staff member from RST, typically a caseworker, will greet the family at the airport. I was fortunate enough to experience this while interning. I was able to greet the family and help them carry their bags. Once everyone and everything was packed into the car, it was just a short ride to their new
home. Upon arriving at the apartment, the caseworker orients the family on basic apartment knowledge. They are taught how to operate the stove, dishwasher, and thermostat as well as locking the door and turning on the shower. Many of the refugees have never seen anything like a stove or a refrigerator and it was exciting to watch the amazement in their eyes. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. The morning after the refugee family arrives starts early. A caseworker will normally pick up the family at nine in the morning to take them all to the Social Security Office to apply for Social Security cards. This is so the adults can being working as soon as possible. This is one task I tended to often. The Social Security Office is always busy with new applicants and the average waiting time is about two hours. After filling out the quick application, it is just a matter of waiting. At this point, the refugees just want to relax because they have been traveling and dealing with paperwork for the past few days. This is the easiest benefit to receive, with the application and waiting times being shorter than most other benefits such as Food Stamps. After taking the clients to the Social Security Office, they are brought back to the RST office to copy all of their documents and to sign more paperwork. This is when the family is given some pocket money, a bus pass, and clothing if they need it. They also sign their most important document at this time, the Food Stamp/Medicaid application. After they sign this, a caseworker fills out the application for them and faxes it in for approval. Once it is approved, up to four weeks later, they are taken into the Health and Human Services office to pick up their Food Stamp card. This involves more lines and
more waiting. Once they have received their card, a caseworker is to call and set up a PIN number for them and explain to them how the card works. This job was given to me often though it was more difficult for me because I did not speak the language of any of the clients. I had to attempt to explain how to use the Food Stamps. Mostly I could only explain that the card bought food, but they never understood what a PIN was and why it was important for the privacy of their card. Before the new refugee family has been in the country for thirty days, they must visit the Refugee Screening Clinic. This is where all new refugees must go to receive their immunizations, vaccinations, and other tests. Many of the refugees have been living in poor conditions which can lead to illness and this is a major concern. They have to receive a series of shots to make sure they are free from disease and to prevent them from catching any terminal illnesses and must return to the clinic numerous times for each set of shots, normally a month apart. The clinic sees patients on a walk in basis which leads to a lobby full of waiting refugees from all over the world. In the two hours I was there, I was able to meet a man from Afghanistan, a woman from Bosnia, and a man from Iran, who was ironically related to the clients I had taken in. A Culture Lesson. The first family I transported to the Refugee Screening Clinic was a married couple from Iran. While at the clinic they greeted the Iranian man in the waiting room. The man spoke some English and claimed to be family of the clients I had brought in. He wanted me to transport him back home with the clients I had brought. At first I thought there was no problem in doing this until I found out that he was not a client of Refugee Services of Texas, but a client from another organization. The family I
brought was angry that I had said no to taking this other man home. The doctor then intervened and had to explain to the husband and wife why I was unable to give this man a ride home. She explained to the clients that there are liability issues in America and legally I was unable to drive someone who is not a client of RST. This enraged the Iranians because they thought that there was no problem in just giving a family member a ride home since I was already taking them home. The doctor explained to me that in Iran there are entitlement issues and their culture is very different from ours. The Iranian couple did not understand why I did not feel entitled to take this man home and why it was such a problem for me. This was a difficult cultural situation I was in, but it all worked out. I suppose they understood somewhat because when I took them home they gave me many thanks and shook my hand. Acculturation. The next step for new refugees is to enroll them in English classes. This helps them find better employment. Acquiring employment is very important to becoming self sufficient and speaking English is often required to be hired. Job development is left to the job coordinator at RST, but I was able to assist in one client s needs. I took a client to their second interview at a hotel in Austin. His English was limited but good enough for me to ask him questions. I took a telephone survey for him to complete the application process. I was thrilled to do this since this will help him to be on his own in the future. Employment is very important to refugees, and it is often difficult to find an employer who is willing to work with the potential obstacles.. Routines of the Work Place Although client interaction was enjoyable, I also had to tend to many office tasks such as filing. While filing can be somewhat
monotonous, I was able to read about the clients and their information. I was able to read about their countries of origin, languages spoken, and the names of their family members. There were also pictures of every family member which made it easier to put their names with faces and recognize them when the came in to the office. I was also in charge of organizing all of the donations RST receives on a daily basis. This was also somewhat boring, but I was able to make the kit building much easier by organizing donations appropriately on the designated shelves. Sar Ke While interning at Refugee Services of Texas I have been able to meet many different people from very different places. I was honored to speak to one of the clients from Burma who is also employed at Refugee Services. He has been in America since June 2007 and has had to overcome many obstacles to be where he is now. I was able to obtain his story and with his permission I am able to put it into writing. The story of Sar Ke Nu, a Karen from Burma, now a refugee in Austin, Texas. Sar Ke was born into a small village of about 120 people in Burma. They had small huts and some small fields for gardening. The village was tucked away into the massive jungle on the Southeastern border between Burma and Thailand. Sar Ke and others would travel on foot to gather water from a nearby stream every day. They also had a small school in the village where all the children would meet every day. When Sar Ke was eight years old, he and the villagers had to flee because they had word that the Burmese military were headed to their village. Sar Ke is Karen, which is an ethnic minority in Burma. The Karen people want to be autonomous, have their own
state, and the Burmese military does not like this; therefore, they kill the Karen upon seeing them. The villagers had to walk for seven days to Thailand where they found refuge at Tham Hin camp, one of the many refugee camps in Thailand. The Thai government unfortunately does not want the refugees from Burma in their country. If the Thai government finds any Burmese outside of the refugee camp, they are deported immediately, which means they could be killed or imprisoned upon reentry to Burma. This is not the safest place for the Burmese refugees to be, but they have no other choice. Sar Ke s family has lived in Tham Hin camp for over ten years. Many of the other Burmese clients I was able to work with had been in the camp for thirty years, some being born their. There are so many Burmese at these refugee camps there are the problems associated with over population. Since the Thai government does not want the refugee camps there, non-governmental agencies (NGOs) help keep the refugee camps running. If the NGOs were not there, the Thai government would likely burn the refugee camps to the ground. The NGOs make sure there is food and water for the refugees, but there is still a problem with sanitation and disease. When Sar Ke was 18 he left the refugee camp alone and went to a missionary school in Thailand. He had to hide his identity and was able to do this successfully for three years. He was able to pass as Thai and was not deported. He then found out he could apply to come America. This is a long process which involves numerous background checks and interviews to make sure one is not lying about persecution. Sar Ke s parents did not want to come to America because they fear they will never be able
to return home. So, Sar Ke traveled by himself on a long journey to America. He first was flown to Japan for processing and health screenings through the International Organization for Migration (IOM). After this process, he was flown to Los Angeles, California. There were representatives from IOM there to help him find his connecting flight. From Los Angeles he flew to Dallas, Texas and had to switch flights alone. Since he spoke some English (learned in the refugee camp) this was much easier for him than for non-english speaking people. He then arrived in Austin and was picked up by a caseworker from Refugee Services of Texas. Some of his extended family members had already traveled to America and he was able to live with them. This also made adjusting to a new culture a lot easier. Sar Ke has only been in America since June of 2007 and yet he has done an amazing job adapting to his new environment. He is employed with Refugee Services of Texas and he just received his driver s license. He was also able to purchase a car with one of his friends from Burma and can now drive around Austin. What a change for someone who previously was living in a remote area in the jungle. I was recently able to help Sar Ke find a new place to live too. He wanted to move out of his cousin s house and be on his own. He moved into an apartment with his friend and is now experiencing the American life. It is amazing that Sar Ke was able to achieve all of this within just a few months of being in America. He has been a true success story of refugees and has also influenced many others to work hard. Seeing him succeed has shown them that it is possible to live the life they want. Sar Ke has overcome so much and is now able to live freely without
the fear of being killed at any moment. He does mention that he misses his parents and his home, but says he feels like he is in a better place. His story opened my eyes to what is going on in Burma and has also allowed me to educate others about his journey. Reflections on What I Learned It was important for me to use what I have learned through my anthropology courses when questioning Sar Ke about his life and journey to America. I had to keep in mind that there are differences in our cultures and things look very different to him. While I am afraid of the bus system, he is able to navigate to any location in Austin. He had to overcome his fears to survive while I did not. I realized that I have it so easy in America and working with refugees has allowed me to learn of the many differences we all have. I was fortunate enough to learn how to be socially sensitive and to have a social perspective. With the refugees entering America, Americans have the opportunity to learn about global issues they may have not known previously. Working with the refugees allows me to see their problems through their eyes and not my own. I have learned so much of the Burmese government and problems it is placing on its people. I am able to understand these issues through the peoples perspective and not just from the American media s reports. This is advantageous because I hear the story with an American point of view but also from the perspective of the Burmese people. I have also learned that my customs are quite different than that of the refugees and I cannot be offended when they do not act in ways that match my culture. I must be conscious of their customs to avoid offending them. One example was learning that I
should take off my shoes before entering their homes. This demonstrated that I understood and respected their beliefs and customs. I learned a great deal while interning at Refugee Services of Texas. The most important thing was learning to be open minded to learning about new things and to be wary of cultural bias. I was able to work in a professional setting, which taught me much about workplace politics and how to act appropriately in that setting. I was also exposed to many new cultures and beliefs, not only of the refugees, but of my coworkers. I believe the most valuable of everything I have learned this past semester was the ability to build relationships with people I know nothing about and with whom I can communicate very little. I will never forget the people I met and how I made a difference in their lives. I only wish they knew how much they have inspired me to be aware of peoples needs. On my last day at Refugee Services of Texas I was informed that a few of the families are losing financial support. The staff discussed ways to raise money for these families so they would not be without a home. I was particularly interested in an Iranian family that I worked with for the past month. This refugee family has some medical issues and young children so it will be difficult for the father to work to support everyone. I suggested that I could do some fundraising to help them as much as possible. Had I not worked at RST, this is something I would have never thought I would do. This internship has inspired me to help people more than I ever thought I could. I will use this knowledge in my future endeavors and hopefully I can inspire others as well. I never knew that anthropology could be applied to social work as I was able to do so in my internship. This last semester was very enjoyable and has changed my mind on
what I wish to pursue. Working at RST has allowed me to think of other options of how to apply my anthropological knowledge and has inspired me to continue my education at the graduate level. I hope to study social work and use my undergraduate degree to its fullest when working with others.