A Bit Foreign

"I became more and more comfortable just being myself, a kind of mongrelized, hybridized, weird sort of character…What I started to realize was everybody feels a bit foreign ... even people who have lived in the same place." –Mohsin Hamid, Interview on book, Exit West

Last night, I spent the evening with some expats from around the world (1 Argentina, 1 Brasil, 1 England, Kenya, 1 German, 1 Switzerland, and 1 USA). It could’ve have been the glass of red wine that made me feel good, but I found myself very at home with these folks. They are all working for a cause and non-governmental organizations that are doing some inspiring work. I loved listening to them and hearing their unique perspectives on what movies they don’t want people to know they love to LGTBQi rights to finding ways to stop human trafficking.

It was good for me to have a reality check, sit back, and laugh until my belly hurt. Even though they came from various perspectives, places, and backgrounds, they were grounded in goodness. They were grounded in resisting and persisting. As more wine and injera (Ethiopian flatbread) came, I sat in awe and thought to myself, we need more people like this in the world.

The meal and conversation also reminded me of my last meal in Kakuma with the group of awesome people who are carrying the project forward. They come from places around the world (2 Somalia, 1 Burundi, 1 Ethiopia, and 1 Rwanda). They, too are grounded in resisting and persisting. I, also sat in awe and thought to myself, we need more people like this in the world.

Things are winding down here. We have worked alongside 350 participants in 3 months. On Friday, we (South Sudanese, Burundi and myself) did a workshop with the Kenya’s department of Refugee Affairs Services. How did this happen? I happened to be invited to a very random meeting and I talked a little bit about the project. A government official got wind of it and asked if we could bring the workshops to his department. We may bring it to their branches. The purpose of bringing it to the government is for them to be in the same room with the very people they are supporting so that they can co-develop solutions, offer empathy for both sides, and collaboratively create hopeful dialogues.