Tuesday, June 19, 2012

This is... Greece?

Lindsey and I just finished our first week with the refugees. We worked at a refugee camp that is put on by the three main refugee ministries here (Oasis, Hellenic Ministries, and Helping Hands-which we are working with). Overall, the week was absolutely exhausting, comical, interesting and confusing, and rewarding. I was able to spend time with a lot of children, getting to know their personalities despite the fact that I couldn't understand what they were saying. The staff we worked with was also very hard-working, good-natured, and fun to be around.

I may be in Greece, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I am getting the feel of Greece. When I am at work, I am getting a completely different culture! Here are some things that I have learned about the Muslim/ Persian culture that Lindsey and I are getting to know:

- The men and women are often separated. Many of the women are afraid to learn too much about Christianity or to even become Christians because they do not know how their husbands will respond. The women won't swim or dance in front of the men, and even at meal times it is mostly separated. Lindsey and I were told that it is best to just not have physical contact or eye contact with a man because we do not want to send "the wrong message." To be a woman in this culture kind of means walking a tightrope of rules.
-  It is a honorable thing to be able to get the best of someone. For instance, children would often indicate that they need another piece of candy for their little sister or brother who is sleeping or sick. Often times, if you give in, they will keep that for themselves. Part of this is also due to the fact that these children do not have many possessions and often go without, so whenever they can stock up on things, they do!

The language that is the most common among the refugees is Farsi. It is the modern/more widely used version of Dari. I have been busy trying to learn words and phrases, as well as the new sounds (yes, a sound that they use is that throaty sound you make while hacking a loogie-- hard to get used to!). Many times this week I have recalled that learning a language as an adult means learning a handful of words per day. Learning a language as a child is a lot easier-- which explains why many of the children know more English than their parents. It isn't uncommon for the children to know several languages-- their home language, Greek, English, and maybe another.

Throughout my life, I have gotten used to people wanting to know what race I am (Korean) and if I know about the culture/language/my birth parents. I did not really expect that when I came to Greece. However, there are four different distinct looks of Middle Easterners. Caucasian (from Alexander the Great's conquer), the darker color of the more tribal regions, the typical picture of a Middle Easterner, and Asian-looking (from some long-ago Chinese invasion, I think). I was surprised to see the range of races represented at the camp!

It took a few days for the campers to get comfortable and to feel like they could ask me questions. Then it was as if, one day, they all decided they had to know where I was from! I would say America, but then they got really confused. They are used to seeing Caucasian Americans. They would continue to ask me where I was from until I said Korea. Then they wanted to know north or south? Trying to explain that I was adopted and am an American was difficult-- especially with the language barrier. I would often ask one of the translators to help me, but they didn't know the word for adopted. I was once described as an orphan who was found by and taken in by a family in America. (Thanks, Ma and Pa!) The mother who was told this felt really sorry for me!

Eventually some of my refugee friends realized what I was trying to say. They told me the word was "farzandee." These girls have been so good to help me learn Farsi!

I am so grateful to have gone to this camp. The grounds are beautiful and it is right next to the sea. I have been able to make several friends among the refugees-- many of whom I will be seeing over the next few weeks! There are the three older girls who help teach me Farsi and who painted my nails one day.  There is the family of four girls who were unsure of me at first, but who would play games with me and joke with me by the end of camp. There are the pre-teen girls that I worked with during the children's ministry time. 

There is the little boy who is not very accepted among the other children-- he attached himself to me very early on in the camp. His older sister, who was in my pre-teen group, has also become a good friend. The parents of these siblings thanked me for befriending their children. The father spoke in front of the camp; he spoke of what they had fled from and how they have really experienced a different, more full love in Athens and at camp. They have two older sons who have been able to move on into Germany. "F," the daughter, showed me pictures of their life in Afghanistan. The children looked healthier and less worn by life, they were in their own home and their faces were fuller. They were surrounded by family, and in one photo F pointed to several people. She would say what country they have been able to flee to-- Germany, Australia, Canada... Imagine being separated from your loved ones, not sure if they would survive the trek or if you would ever see them again. I feel honored to be trusted enough to see those photos. 

The language barrier may be frustrating and it does make getting to know people more difficult, but through the barrier we are able to see each others' characters more and are able to teach and learn from each other. It was something that I was nervous about. Thank you for your prayers. I can now put the language barrier in the "hallelujah!" column! Other blessings are the staff at camp and Helping Hands (really, I wish I could tell you about them, but this post is already a long one!), the opportunity that Linds and I have to see two cultures in Greece, and the friendships that have been made the past week. 

Prayer requests:
- for continued energy, strength, and wisdom
- Greece as they start to build a stronger gov't and economy
- for the Helping Hands, Oasis, Hellenic Ministries staff and the work they do
- for the lives of the campers/refugees-- that they may see a difference in the lives of the Christians they encounter, that they feel the love of Christ, and that their fears of turning from the Muslim faith can be overcome by they power of God

Thanks again for your love and support. Please send me updates on your lives and prayer requests!

Much love. Ho-wa-da-fes! (Goodbye in Farsi)

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