Begin the Beguine

Begin the Beguine*

By Bea Fantini

It is hard to imagine that in calendar terms, it was so long ago, but in emotional terms, it seems that it was only last week.

Thinking back to January 2022, when we received the first group of Afghan refugees and began working with them, what comes to mind is individuals and families arriving to Rotch building at SIT to go to classes. It was a challenging time. We had to find out their names, yet, because they did not know English they could not respond. Sometimes they would show us a piece of paper that had their names, other times, we had to find someone to translate for us.  We also asked them to write their names, however, this was challenging as they did not know the Roman alphabet and they could not write even in Dari or Pashtu. So we did the best we could to get their names.  Mustafa, Ali, Mitra, Abdul, Marwa…After about a week we could remember their names, in spite of the fact that there was more than one Mustafa, Abdul, Farah, etc.

We learned a lot in those first days. We learned a few words, however we relied on our phone translators to communicate when we could not get someone to translate. During the three months of the program, they felt comfortable with us and tried their best to communicate using the little English they knew. Those who spoke English were always willing to help. Looking back to those initial days, we have to recognize that we were living the essence of SIT. Experiential learning it was, the daily meetings  of teachers and staff after classes were over,  gave us an opportunity to reflect on what was happening. It was -and still is- a great learning experience  for everyone, there was excitement, drama, comedy, romance, culture, history and lots of love.

Today, living in town, still maintaining a friendship with the first Vermont families they met, getting to know more people, they are ‘at home’. They are still learning English, and every day they feel more and more comfortable using the language. Their situation reminds me of my own adjustment to life in Vermont. Whatever  happens during the process is worth it.

*I find  certain  analogy between the lyrics of this song and the refugee situation.

Shared by Bea Fantini, October 2024