Resettling Refugees Essay

If refugees cannot return to their beloved homes, they are forced to resettle in a new country (Gevert). This resettling process includes struggles of all types, but one of the greatest hardships of resettling refugees worldwide is making friends. For example, in the book Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Ha’s home country was taken over by a communistic government, so it was unrealistic for her to even dream of returning home. In her new school, in America, Ha was teased for the way she looked which made her journey of making friends even harder; all of her classmates had ignored her. Ha, then, didn’t have any idea on how to begin the process of making friends, so she had to rely on her family. Making friendships is a struggle for all

This often makes them feel like their lives have been turned inside out. First of all, in the article Children of War, Emir, a refugee, says, “Sometimes I wish I’d have stayed there, watching the war, rather than be here, but without friends” (Brice). Emir longed to have friends, but didn’t know where to start. Ha had a similar situation where she was confused which she described as: “He pokes my cheek. Howls from everyone. He pokes my chest. I see nothing but squeezed eyes, twisted mouths. No, they’re not curious” (Lai 146). Since Ha was teased in front of her whole class, she will have an even harder time finding friends. Another perplexing situation of Ha’s was when one of her classmates began threatening her because she was smarter than him. She later explained the situation by stating, “Pink Boy has gotten his 6th grade cousin to agree to beat me up” (Lai 221). Ha has apparently made an enemy, yet she doesn’t know how to make amends. Refugees are often rejected by peers just because of who they are and what they look like, and have to find ways to cope with

Former refugee, and current Refugee Transitions worker, Til Gurung described his wife’s situation by saying, “Now she has more confidence and language skills to help herself and her family” (Gurung). This shows that refugee families always want to share new information and ways to help each other acclimate faster and make friends. This directly compares to the time in Inside Out & Back Again when Mother helped Ha get a present for her new friend, and Ha said, “Perfect for Pem! Mother always thinks of everything!” (Lai 246). Ha received a Christmas present from her new friend, but felt uncomfortable when she had nothing to give in return. Mother, however, remembered of an item that would make a thoughtful gift for Ha’s friend. Another upturn in Ha’s back again process was right before she was about to get pulverized by Pink Boy, she got saved by her brother. Later, she described what she she saw as, “ A gigantic motorcycle. A rider in all black stops. VU LEE!” (Lai 227). Ha probably felt relieved when she saw her brother on the motorcycle, and empowered knowing that her family has her back. In conclusion, refugees, who have the support of their families can overcome struggles in their new school such as making