Belated holiday greetings to you all and Happy New Year! It's been a while since my last post as essays, work and the dim light of an English December kept me busy until I went on holiday to Egypt. But it was a happy sort of busyness, and I continue to be grateful for the many opportunities to learn and share with others in Bradford. I haven't even had a chance to tell you about work yet, so let's start there.
(Nile sunset in Aswan, Upper Egypt)To maintain balance between theoretical learning (uni) and practical experience I found a part-time job working with refugees, which (as you know) is a particular passion of mine. I hadn't intended to work, really, but when I went in for a volunteer interview I was encouraged to apply for a position, and... well... here we are. Now, as an advice worker at Bradford Action for Refugees, I’m learning much about the policies and opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees in the global north, and how the sharp wheels of the British bureaucracy turn for those not welcome within the UK's boundaries (particularly failed asylum seekers). We strive to offer a listening ear, make a phone call to the Home Office or a local housing management company, and facilitate access to available resources in the community, supporting those who come through our doors in their day-to-day struggles. I find the office culture at BAfR quite different to dear AMERA - no interpreters, and still searching for a principled (and rights-based) approach to programming. However, BAfR is in a period of tremendous growth and change, and I am learning from partaking in the visioning and policy discussions we're engaged in at the moment, and which will soon be adopted. A little patience and perspective go a long way here.
In early December, a colleague and I had the opportunity to take a few refugee families to the Opera in Leeds as part of our family outreach program. It was amazing how easy it was to talk sports and school with the 5-10 year olds – and thrilling to watch their excitement at the Leeds Christmas lights and Opera House. There’s something so universal about childhood, and it’s wonderful to be reminded of the little joys of life, and that there’s much more to life than school! Perhaps the Opera we saw was a bit grim, but we still had a lovely outing and it was a nice change from the intensity of advice work, which I enjoy but is always fast-paced.
Part 2: a Somali Christmas and two new years in Cairo
Oh, Cairo! Somehow this city keeps pulling me in... or is it the people there?! What dear friends one makes after two years in a place. It was wonderful to be back: eating Tamaya, speaking Arabic, hearing the call to prayer, and smelling that fresh smoggy air. (Oh right, there are a few things that I don't miss about that burgeoning metropolis of 20+ million!)
But reconnecting with everyone made my heart sing, particularly visiting AMERA to see dear colleagues and bumping into a few old clients along the way. Also, two friends had given birth to beautiful boys in my absence, and it was a gift to be able to hold Christian and Mohammed. And of course it was a treat to eat camel meat for Christmas dinner with a group of friends from Sudan and Somalia at our favourite Somali restuarant in Nasr City. There were moments of sadness being apart from family for Christmas again, but it helped being able to skype and email pictures of our respective celebrations. Speaking of which...
...our Christmas dinner crew
the dinner: rice, stew, salad, injero, camel meat, chicken and bananas(it's not a Somali dinner without bananas!!!)
All in all it was a rejuvenating and positive holiday. AND, it was book-ended with English snow so I didn't feel I had missed a white Christmas in Canada!!! There was a beautiful powdery blanket covering hills and trees on the train from Manchester back home to Bradford. It made the lost luggage and other plane fiascoes drift away.
Part 3: Looking Ahead
I am still hoping to return to Egypt this summer for my Applied Field Experience. However, after writing a paper on the causes of Somalia's collapse in 1991 and the ongoing challenges to reconciliation and peacebuilding in the world's "number 1" failed state, I have been thinking about changing my dissertation topic to explore the perceptions of the Somali Diaspora on their contributions (negative and positive) to peacebuilding and statebuilding in Somalia and the challenges they face in supporting stability there. This means I am contemplating conducting interviews and focus groups with Somalis in Cairo and perhaps contrasting this with Somalis in London and/or Toronto and/or elsewhere instead of pursuing an internship with the UNHCR. This is all very much in the early stages of processing with professors and friends and Rotary, but their initial feedback has been positive so far. I'll keep you posted as to how things unfold.
In the meantime, another positive development I am excited about this semester is my upcoming participation in an intensive Study Trip to Uganda this March. A group of approximately 10 Bradford Peace Studies students will spend two weeks in Kampala and Gulu, connecting with academics, government officials, international and grassroots NGOs and members of civil society about the conflict in Northern Uganda. When it was announced that the Africa study trip would be to Uganda I was excited because with my background in child protection issues I am interested in learning more about programming for the reintegration of child soldiers, and I am also very fascinated with concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation in Acholi culture. I hope to write a couple papers on these topics later this spring. And will be sure to add a few pictures and reflections here too.
I hope this finds you well in 2010... wishing you peace, health and happiness as you continue on your journey!
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