Liberty

And welcome back to what I know is everyone's favorite blog, Summer of Refuge! Just kidding, but I sure hope someone likes reading it.
This week was an especially impactful week for me. Besides the fact that the Pacers lost the game on Monday (since being in Indy I have suddenly become a random Iowan die-hard Pacers fan), class discussions have been very interesting and eye-opening. One of the things we try to incorporate into our classes, especially the advanced levels, is American culture and American history. This week, we did a lesson on the United States' independence and the Revolutionary War. The students were very interested to learn about this, since the US is considered by many to be the world's greatest power and we can't pinpoint exactly why the US has been so successful in this way. The question is: how did it all begin?
We started with Patrick Henry's favorite quote: "Give me liberty or give me death." Although all of us grew up hearing this quote since we were little kids and reading it in the history books before we really could appreciate what it meant, I can't imagine what it must be like for my students to hear this for the first time. Even though it's hard for us to think this way, let's try to really think critically about the country we live in. We have liberty around every corner. Anyone can go to the library and get a book. Everyone has access to at least some education, which the government encourages. If I hate Obama, I can publish it on my Facebook wall and maybe the worst thing that will happen to me is that I will get some nasty comments. I'm allowed to have a Facebook if I want to. I have a president, not a dictator. I cannot stress enough the fact that not everyone is given such luxuries. Yes, I know that I'm speaking from a white middle-class perspective and like every other sociologist out there, I'm aware of the economic, racial and gendered disparities out there. Not everyone is given the same opportunities, but at least we can say that we all have certain human rights as citizens of the country. The idea of "give me liberty or give me death" struck the students in such a tender way. I could see each one of them, individually, beginning to understand the meaning of the concept, smiling, nodding, and saying, "I like this. This idea, I like." The reason people become refugees is because in their home countries they aren't given freedom. What they're given is oppression, threats, civil war, and corruption. Violations of basic human rights are a good reason to get out, and once they come to the United States, they've come so far and been through so much that I often feel like it's my responsibility to guide them the rest of the way. It's the least I can do.
Another quote we talked about in class was "all men are created equal." Yeah, we know that at the time this quote didn't really include women, or non-white men for that matter, but at least it's something that we can strive for as Americans. This quote really sparked some discussion in my group. For once, they talked and I listened. They talked about how in their country, men in uniform abuse their power. They go to the fronts of lines, demanding goods for free. When refused, they say, "I'M A GENERAL! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" They beat citizens, they steal, they give advantages to those who can offer them the most money. One thing in particular that I remember was, "Military, and people with money, all same." If you don't have money and you're not in the military, you don't stand a chance. We even talked about how in one country, Burma, to get education you must pay money. If you don't have money, you don't get to go to school. All men are not created equal.
And I thought, no wonder they loved these quotes so much. These sayings express ideas that are forbidden in their countries, unheard of. I think that in these quotes my students really found something to become fond of and passionate about, and left class with a growing contentment in knowing that our founding fathers really had some good ideas, and here they are living in this very country. Sure made me proud as a teacher. That was a proud moment, indeed.
On a less serious note, I'm really getting to know my fellow interns and coworkers outside of class. Our office has four different desks in it, so usually I'm always accompanied by someone. I find it kind of awkward to share a room with someone and not talk to them, so I think sometimes I overcompensate for this by talking whenever I can. One of my fellow interns is from West Africa, and the other day we literally stood by a big world map in the office and spent half an hour looking at the continent of Africa and talking about it. This is what I really love about working with people of different backgrounds, you really learn something new every day. Another coworker, as I found out, had apparently driven through my luxurious hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The other day he asked me, "Anna, I know you're from Iowa, but where exactly?"
ANNA: "Cedar Rapids."
COWORKER: "Is that the city that smells bad?"
ANNA: "Probably."
COWORKER: "I think I drove through there once. A lot of cereal factories?"
ANNA: "Yep, that's the one."
COWORKER: "Huh. Yeah, it's not the nicest place, is it?"
As you can see, he had a lot of nice things to say about my hometown river city that reeks. I almost asked him if he was from a big white house in a clean Chicago suburb, but I resisted the temptation. Not trying to make a bad impression on anyone :) Sorry about the sass, old Anna blog coming out!
Either way, the internship continues to go well. As I teach more and more classes, I think I'm becoming really attached to being a teacher. Sure, I don't mind the office work in the off-hours, but there's something about being in the classroom and giving people life skills that really keeps my motor running. Hopefully I'll be doing more of the same things in the future.
Thanks for reading this one and I hope you enjoyed it! New one next week!
Anna