Firsts

Idono y but I started blogging again.

I usually only blog in foreign countries, but I guess New York is like living in a bunch of foreign countries at once. Since this post is inaugural I want to start it off w/ this article from the NYT via my Momma (luv u momma!) about immigrants, particularly refugees and asylum seekers from Africa, who've been resettled in places like Maine and have to face New England winters as their first experiences with cold, snow, ice, etc. I kinda relate #UofR.

but for real this got me thinking about other "firsts" for new immigrants to the U.S., and just how new it really all can be. Dave Egger's "What Is the What" is good for this and I've also seen some firsts firsthand in my work with immigrants. Some highlights:

-immigrant kid gets in the elevator with me to come up to my office. Looks around nervously. Watches closely as I push the button for the floor. Takes my cue as we walk out. "Is this your first time in an elevator?" I ask. She nods.

-helping a client navigate the T in Boston. He is soooo interested in what lines go where and how you can get different places. "Did you know the Red Line goes to Ashmont?!?!" Yes i did, but i didn't find it so fascinating before.

-last summer in Kenya preparing a timeline of a client's life to help her apply for resettlement in the U.S. I ask, "did this happen in 2001 or 2002?" Her response: "which one is earlier?" Creating a timeline when you've never been taught time. I heard a colleague relate a similar story recently in which a client's life was constructed via world events. "Was this before or after the Americans came?"

I wonder how crazy hard a transition it must really be. Desert then blizzard. Vegetable markets then Wal-Mart. From feet to elevators. And no concept of the drastic nature of the change until you experience it. But I guess a lot of firsts are like that. It's like my Civil Procedure Professor said [and excuse me for paraphrasing shout out SECTION ONE]: "I could explain Civil Procedure to you, but it's like sex. You won't understand the words until you do it."