My name is Es Miranda.
I am from Mexico.
My country is very beautiful, but is also
very poor.
And so many of us have to emi.
My life in my country was a beautiful
life
because that is where I grew up with
my parents and my siblings.
We lived poorly, but we were very united,
but I liked most was the food and
the place where I lived, which was in
the country
without having to worry about how to pay
rent,
how to pay electricity or how to pay
for water.
So many times it is very sad not
to have a job and a little bit
of food.
I miss the people. I miss the food.
I miss the natural beauty of the ranch
where I grew up and my parents and
brothers and sisters.
I have the hope to go back and
be with them so I can enjoy the
nature and the food and the water and
many more things.
My life in the Us has been very
difficult since I arrived. It has been very
sad.
I was alone with nothing and with no
1.
It was very difficult because my dream was
something totally different than what I thought.
I thought when I arrived that everything would
be easier, but it was not. I suffered
a lot. I didn't have the liberty to
be where I want, but after
all my suffering.
I have my family now. I have my
husband. I have my life. I have my
son, and I thought before, that I could
not move forward, but now things are changing.
After all this suffering, I realized that here
in the Us, it doesn't matter who you
are or where you came from. If you
don't have people to support you, then you
can't move forward.
There have been people in places, and they
have opened the doors for me and my
family. I am okay now. I'm not saying
I'm very happy because I don't have my
parents with me that I am doing better
than before, and I'm am learning many, many
things, and I know I will learn
many more.
My name is Momo C.
I came from Thailand.
Actually, I was born in Ira
division
Po Po Village
miramar.
I love miramar.
We are 4 brothers and sisters.
After I got married, I followed my husband.
Life in Bur is very difficult so I
could not complete my education due to my
parents difficulty.
They could not put me in school. I
have a very limited education. That's the reason
I got married, and I followed my husband
wherever he went. I have 2 kids.
My husband took me to the refugee camp,
and the refugee camp, everyday life is tough
hard. But fortunately, we crossed over all that
situation.
The future for my children is hopeless in
a refugee camp. The food and everything they
provide is difficult.
Fortunately, we survived 7 years in the refugee
camp. At that time, I got a very
good opportunity to reset the United States. I
got an interview and medical tests completed, and
we came to America.
After we got here in the United States,
it is a very developed country, especially for
my kids. I have a very positive view
and deep hope for them.
And I know that there is a good
opportunity as much as we try ourselves. And
so the future is open here and I
feel safe in our life here. Our lives
are protect... Acted,
especially the family life. If we try, we
get what we work for, I try to
solve my personal difficulties. I want to rely
on myself acted The people of the United
States, their warm welcome gave me strength. My
name is H Chic. I am from Somalia.
In somalia, I did not have an opportunity
to go to school because of the violence,
but I always wanted to go to school
and have an education. Although I didn't have
that opportunity. I like to work and I'm
looking for an opportunity it gives me a
job that I can do. In this time
of my life, I am optimistic. I am
optimistic that I will get a job somehow.
My name is Be,
Bah
Go.
I am from B.
In my country, I worked in construction,
and as a security guard. There were rivers
in the country,
so I went to the rivers and collected
stone sand in aggregate and sold the aggregate
stones and sand. And in that way, I
made income to support my family.
From that, I used to buy meat and
other
necessary items,
Also, I used to raise pigs, chickens and
ducks, and I also used to work in
the fields.
The life in America is good. Now, it
is very good.
But we don't know in the future. It
is unknown. The people say America is very
good for living. So I think so. In
the future, I think I will be the
same as other people. I don't have much
to say because I am very new here.
My name is Mohammed Sa. I am from
Iraq.
But I lived in baghdad since birth.
But as a family, we lived in the
north, I have been living alone in baghdad.
And all these problems and fear and instability,
but my aim and baghdad dad was to
get married and become a family, but I
couldn't because of the hardship, It was very
hard to get a job. Every day you
hear death or news that it's not healthy,
not good. So for the last 7 years,
I tried to escape from there and come
to the united. Of America. That was my
dream? I was thinking day and night how
to go there, and what is the process
to come here? Of but it was hard
because hundreds and hundreds want the same dream
that I had, many want to come here.
It was hard. The luckily I got through
the process and came here in February 20
13.
So now I'm starting my dream, my forever
dream. They will be living here in the
Us, and all this healthy life in freedom
and I am exercising now. I am seeing
a great difference that what I had dreamed
and now I am in my real dream.
Even I hope some of new iraqis.
They need something they don't know how that
I know and the life is good.
Everybody coming here as a refugee, they have
their own different dreams. So now hopefully, I
will make a family, and hopefully,
I will live here in this beautiful country.
Well, there you go. There's a handful of
stories
of refugees that have come to America,
seeking a better life, seeking
education, Well health care,
food,
sanity, safety,
a better life for their children, for their
parents.
Human beings who are seeking asylum in a
country that was founded on the concept of
asylum. The conversation I had that follows
is with Andrew Air heart,
and he helps
assimilate refugees once they've once they get to
America and have passed all the millions of
tests It was a great
discussion. I learned a lot,
and I hope you did too, and
I don't have much more to say about
that other than Dolby Links
Of course, on hey human podcast dot com,
references to what Andrew and I discuss and
Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.
Hey, Andrew. Hey. How are you doing? I'm
very well. Thanks for being on the podcast.
Oh, no. I'm glad Glad to have opportunity
to talk to. Thank you.
My name is Andrea Martin. I've I've worked
with
Refugees primarily since about 2008,
and in Portland Oregon, I can involve with
an outfit called the immigrant and refugee community
organization.
And the work that I did for them
is to
I'm an instructional designer, so I build training
programs. And so I was building training programs
for cultural
adaptation
and
workplace skills...
Adaptation to help refugees adapt to that in
the Us.
So building programs on how do you interact
with police, how do you interact with your
children's teachers, how do you interact with the
medical system, the banking systems, things like that.
And then for a workforce act how do
you communicate your skills, learn are some cultural
norms around interviews, how you fill out job
applications or learn? A lot of kind of
rubber hits the road sort of stuff. So
that's the work I to... I work from
them for them from 2008
until 2000
end of 2015.
And then more recently, I've been here in,
Nashville, Tennessee. I've done a little bit of
work with some of the communities here. There's
a big Z community.
Here in.
The Z are 1 of the minority ethnic
groups of Be or Miami. Numbers words are
are somewhat controversial themselves, you know, who likes
to use which term. It's an incredibly complex
part of the world,
And I and I would say that 1
thing that we can say generally about refugees
is there is no 1 typical
refugee except... For the fact, you know, the
kind of the defining things with refugees is
the story usually starts with the soldiers king
and things went downhill hill Right. And apocalyptic
way is after for that. Yeah.
But they're are from all over the world,
they're of all faith. They're of all educational
backgrounds. I think that we tend to think
of a refugee as for someone huddle against
the the storm, you know, you know, that's
been written out in a in the jungle
somewhere
desert. These are docked and these are doctors
lawyers and, you know, and and literally like
hydraulic engineers and dentists and judges and mechanics
and cameras and people who are illiterate and
enabling like, I think that's a really good
point that, that there's this image of what
a Refugee
stands for. Potentially in America. Right. You know,
Now,
maybe more so than than it was when
our grandparents. Well they're You know, this business
with the cereals right now has...
Brought a lot of interest in Syrian refugees,
and and certainly that's significant I can't.
I don't think that we... I don't think
certainly an I really imagine how bad things
are in Syria.
But this has drawn a lot of attention
to the refugee crisis. Can't,
but there are there are and there have
been refugees from all over the world
steadily. I mean, this is this is not
a new thing. This has been gone. A
long time yet. And the Us actually reset
an whole lot of for Refugees, and we
have a reasonably good program here, and I'll
tell talk a little bit about some of
the details for So before we get into
the nuts and bolts of all of that.
Sure. What
what, I mean, that's quite a mission for
a man to take on and it's like,
what what
made you decide to go into this No.
I mean, I felt like I was very
fortunate to be getting a paycheck. For something
that I really love to do.
It's kind of a sexy
occupation. You know I mean, you know, it's
it's a neat way to make a living.
I I can't complain about it at all
for I did get laid off from my
job in 2015.
And so, the funding can be pretty tenuous,
but
and you just gotta get in there and
figure it out. I'm I'm not too worried.
So it what brought you to this career
hat? Well, you know, I... Fundamentally for me
everything. Scenes from really believing that we're all
brothers and sisters. And so I think that
my time,
in the world is best used by
you know, serving other people and so that's
that's, you know, I I think that
Just it's it's kind of a call and
thing. Yeah. I'm... We're a human being. I'm
a human. Yeah. That's and I really appreciate
you about either with humans or or tried
to. Yeah.
Okay.
So, 1 of the things... If you don't
mind let me turn the questions around and
see kind of what what you might know,
how would you define the difference between their
refugee and an immigrant?
It's a good question. I would think that
a refugee is someone who comes out of
a situation that's hostile,
tenuous.
And
arrives
into a situation where they're not prepared at
whatsoever. They've just sort of been cold
stuck on the vehicle of some sort of
transport
and off their shift to whatever receiving
place there there is. And
an immigrant to me has a plan, I
guess, or even family.
You know,
From the the Immigrant portal quotes that I
know, the good kurds, just a couple cards
that I know is this is large kurdish
population here.
There's such a huge network here. Right. So
when they when they integrate here that assimilated.
Right. Right. And also, I think the Immigrant
is somebody that in my mind, we has
made the application process. I guess, I don't
know It sounds more illegal then not that
a refugee is illegal, but I mean, the
the concept of a is basically just showing
up and going to please somebody for God's
sake helm me. Well, the issues of legal
legality are certainly part of it, and you
also bring up the significance of arriving him
to a town
or whatever where there's already
you know, people of your background have already
shown up, Like, if if I was occurred
and showed up in in Nashville as a
huge Curtis community here.
And how much more challenging it is if,
like, literally back in Portland. I knew a
guy who... He was the only guy... There
was 1 other guy in 3 counties that
spoke his language?
And so the challenge... The difference is between
showing up where there is a community and
when there's not already a community developed, Can
can pretty significant. I mean, there are people
at both English that don't communicate well. Sure.
You go. It's a then who the next
up all the language and Right.
Gonna be terrifying for the person. Well, you
know, it's it's kinda... It it... Yes. It's
it's a huge mountain decline to adjust to
living in a new culture for anybody. I
mean, I lived in Japan for a while
and and that's tough. And I could come
home anytime I wanna do, and I had
a job and, you know, and all kinds
of things. So people spoke English. Some. But,
you know, and in fact, I think I
think that's 1 of the things I'd like
to... And I explore with you today the
significance of people's
there's a lot of
misunderstanding about the capacity delivered to speaking and.
How does that happen and and significance of
living and what it... And how that relates
to ass simulation integration. It's a really gonna
whole language. Yeah. If it is. It is,
But, you know, I mean, you put them
man on the moon, you know, it others
have done it, and others will continue to
do it. It can be done. There... There's
a lot around that. But to come back
to the idea of
legally whatever a Refugee is the... When we...
No, like, by definition, the people who headed
out of new orleans after Katrina, there were
refugees. They couldn't stay where they were for
some reason. Okay? The folks that are leaving
reality right now because of the fires,
technically their revenue son. Okay.
Something happened that you can't stay home, basically,
that's kinda of a good 1. And when
I say can't, it's like you can't stay
where you were.
There's no option from hooks butt to leave.
I think that most people would rather have
stayed home and, you know, been happy cruising
them along with their lives there than to
have been forced
to leave to a second country or to
do third country rep,
which is what they see when refugees come
to the Us.
So there's an outfit called the United Nations
high council on refugees.
And there is a legal
status of refugees. So when somebody comes here
as a refugee, they're legal to work,
they're legal to... I mean, their their kids
can go to school, they can access no
care they're all here legally. There's no legal
status.
They're... The... The government knows that they're here,
and they've gone through a pretty significant vetting
process that we'll talk about here in a
little while. But the definition, according to the
Un, if you don't wanna to read this
off to you because I don't off the
top of my head. Okay? So this is
how the United Nations high council on refugees
defines a refugee.
Owing to a well founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race
religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social route or political
opinion is outside the country of his nationality
and is unable to or owing to such
fear is unwilling to avail himself of the
protection of that country
or return there because there is a fear
of persecution.
So basically, there are some there are some
criteria
there are some legal criteria that you must
need to be recognized as a refugee. Okay?
And so that's significant. So when we talk
about
refugees coming here to the Us. They've they've
gone through a vetting process,
and they have met this definition of what
a refugee is.
Okay. So any questions about that. No. Seem
pretty strange sense. Okay.
So, and, again, this will be the... The
second only thing that I'll just straight at
reed to. If you don't mind there was
an excellent short publication that was put together
by the folks in Greens
the center for new North Carol of refugee
fact checkers.
And I think it's worth going through this
to kinda,
flesh out. What is that vetting process? Yeah?
I think that's great. Do you mind me
reading? In fact Mean, I think that's important
because in general, in America, I'm gonna speak
for. Other countries. I don't know how they
feel about refugees, but just from the things
that I've read, online, news and and social
media and stuff people are pretty ignorant about
it, and they're just concerned that basically, they're
just piling up terrorists and shipping them into
America, You know, that's the rhetoric, which is
insane.
Well, you know, we have... Our situation is
distinct from what's happening in Europe and that
just physically geological.
You can't just have thousands and thousands of
people walking into the Us and the way
that that europe has seen. I think it's
dismissive to to say that people who are
concerned about the refugee crisis and what it's
going to do to their native countries and
the influx of large numbers of people That
is a concern. I mean, that that affects
everything. I mean even here in Nashville, we
think about that what is it 80 people
a day who were moving here. Mh. And
what's that in the to was kinda say
again. So, yeah. That's that can't be good.
But no. Anytime you drive, anytime a whole
lot of people show up into a system
and are needing to access services, And am
learn to contribute to that system. It's a
huge deal. And so I don't... III
really try not to either demon denies the
people who are concerned
Huge numbers of people from different language, cultural
backgrounds and unknown
safety issues showing up. It's not crazy to
be concerned about that. And it's also not
crazy to care about these people and I
think the key is to help them become
contributing members as quickly as possible. Mh.
And I think that that is what most
rich G's urgently and desire to do. So
anyway, let's get back to this Yep. This
business only
on the vetting process.
Okay.
So again, this was put together by the
fine folks over at the center for new
new North Carol over in Greens.
And, okay. So definitions, the terms refugee and
asylum seeker are often used interchangeably. However, their
political meanings are very different.
Now we just come the definition of refugee.
Right? Okay. So the owing to a well
founded fair person... Being persecuted and so on
and so forth.
An asylum seeker is someone who says he
or she is a refugee, but whose claim
has not yet been definitively
evaluated.
Okay? So again, this implication the refugee of
the legal status of a refugee is somebody
who's has been embedded in, their case has
been reviewed. An asylum seeker is somebody who
showing up and says that they are refugee
And by definition, are refugee, but not by
legal definition. The thing that you're and I
hear that is Olympia, all the time. Seems
like, in the eighties people were asylum seekers
who were, you know, gym and
Right. Right. Yeah. Right. The russians who wanted
to.
Okay. Right. I remember about that. About that.
That's a fine for me. Alright. And and
and you'll... If you'll notice something you're watching
the news about Refugee issues now, you'll hear
that especially in reference to what's going on
in Europe, asylum seeker, asylum seeker asylum seeker.
Okay. And again, you're talking about hundreds of
thousands people who have suddenly showed up into
the system sure. Okay?
Until they have vetted, they are asylum seekers.
And that's... And so I think it's good
to to know the difference between asylum seekers.
So once second gone through the vetting process.
That. Then they can they can be granted
the legal status of the refugee and all
that comes... And and all that comes with
that. Right?
Okay. So moving on then when large masses
of refugees flee a country at the same
time, there is not the capacity to conduct
individual asylum interviews for everyone. This can result
in large groups being declared P fa
refugees and I may have that it's FACIE.
Because of.
Dream fashion Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. My that's rough. Yeah. Childhood. Well,
mine is apparently.
So because of its geographic location, the Us
will never experience large numbers of P fa
Refugees arriving from Syria.
And I will note that this document was
put together mostly in reference to what's going
on with this syrian and the refugee crisis.
Okay? So general considerations.
Systems evaluate the claims of asylum seekers to
assess whether or not the individual or family
unit actually qualifies for international protection
under the refugee
designation.
To qualify for refugee status, the individual cannot
have been engaged in any fighting or terrorist
activities.
Okay. Now we reset to the United States,
obtaining refugee or peanut fast...
It doesn't. We'll look it up later.
Refugee status does not make an individual eligible
for settlement to the Us. Okay? So even
if in in
the border country where they've gone to... Yeah.
Just having been recognized a refugee does not
yet enable them to come to the Us.
Yeah. Only the first
That's the first step. Right? That's the first
hurdle.
Medical and security checks must be completed before
Refugee will be considered for retirement. Are a
lot visa is happening in other countries that...
Sure. Got I'm sure control here. Right. Well,
here in Nashville, recently, there was a lawmaker
who was
he was making a pushback against refugees being
settled here on
Yeah.
Tuberculosis, I've I've known a lot of folks
who have
had to be treated for tuberculosis in in
Portland. It's not that. It's it's not a
shock to people who are used to refugees
coming into a system
for for them to have
diseases that they that need to be addressed.
I mean, I was to England a few
years back and spent some time, and they...
Tested me for Tv when I got. Just
part of part of Just part the deal.
The deal. Right. So again,
again, I I don't like to demon people
for saying there's this concern. Let's be aware
of this concern. But this is a... This
is not a deal breaker concern in lot.
Okay. Right. But it makes sense. So that
other the gatekeepers, we make sure that you're
not Right. You know, we don't have Ebola.
Sure. Sure. Awesome some,
you know, the play here whatever. Yeah. We're
trying to cut down play. Yeah. I. You
know, Up down again. Sure. The United states
had a Bubonic plague outbreak a little while
ago. Did we? Yeah. I can't remember which
say. I have a very dear friend in
the Cdc, very high ranking in this busy.
And She kinda... She and I have these
intense talks better are.
Yeah. She, like, if you knew what I
knew?
You never.
What.
Okay. So, again, back to the document, security
measures in place.
Refugees are vetted through background check processes
involving the Us departments of State, Homeland Security,
the National Counter terrorism Center and the federal
bureau of investigations among other national and intelligence
agencies.
Background checks use biometric data, including fingerprints and
retina scans.
The average background check takes between 18 and
24 months to complete? My goodness. So where
where do they say during all this with
their detention? I
place where. I. We're talking about all over
the world and so my...
I this would be prior to coming to
the United States Somebody wouldn't arrive here without
having going through this process. So so I'm
a... I'm smith fleeing my country. There's
chaos, ratings supreme, and I reach out to
America and say, hey. Okay. Take me in.
Right. Right? And then the 2 year process
begins, of where I'm mean vetted by Americas.
So let's say here in Somalia You leave
Somalia.
A good chances is you're gonna go to
Kenya, and then you're probably
you... Maybe you're gonna be there a month.
Maybe you're gonna be there, 15, 18 years.
Maybe you're gonna die there. You have no
way of knowing.
Okay? But that's where you will have to
go through the vetting process. But it's... So
we have people there are
Like
I I don't know the. Alright. It goes
down to balance honest with you. Alright. But
the vetting process takes place Outside of the
that. Yeah. Yeah. So and and this is
for
Syrian or folks out of boot town or
folks out of iraq or sure know, folks
out of anywhere. This is a process that
they all go through before coming here. K.
Now specific to the Syrian,
Syrian refugee applicants already have to go through
additional security measures. And again, I'm reading again
from the document here.
Us intelligence agencies rely on their own intelligence
and the intelligence of their allies, they do
not realize rely solely on source country data,
which may be inadequate or liable.
The 784000
refugees who have settled in the Us since
09:11,
3 have been arrested for terrorist activities. I
we that's statistic again please. The... Yes. Of
the 784000
refugees who have settled in the Us since
09:11,
3 have been arrested for terrorist activities.
2 of the 3 were planning attacks outside
the Us. Now, this data is based on
2015.
Okay. So I just... I think that's so
important. I mean, that is a tiny... Yes.
Tiny fraction
There have been more domestic
acts of terrorism by our own, you know,
by Americans. Sure. Than there have been by
refugees. Yeah. I just think that's a really
important thing. I I did I do too
that that's a... Well, you know you know
always been statistics around and whatnot but those.
Those are some pretty significant numbers. Yeah. 2
or 3. Yeah.
If there's any doubt, and again from the
document, if there's any doubt that an individual
poses security concern he or she will not
be selected for reset and are removed from
further refugee process. Assessing. Now that's all from
the document.
1 thing that I would say having spoken
to,
dear friend of mine from the Middle East,
the Us for a lot of people is
not their first choice of where they would
want to go and not because they don't
value our
he
Yes Really thinking
as Americans, it's hard for us to see
the significance of freedom and to be I
do exist. I just I look at us,
like, the the main girl in high school,
like, the head cheerleader leader. Like, I'm so
The cool. Yeah, we can be kind of
the cool kids. Yeah. But, you know, we
we are not
who we think we are as Americans. Americans
are everybody, you know, anybody. That's the thing.
This is a multi
country and so... Yeah. So...
But but this fellow was told me that
from his community, it's well known that it's
a 1 or 2 year process just to
get vetted to come to the United States
So that's a big challenge. So you know
you're just gonna be stuck somewhere until you
go through that whole process, and then maybe
you don't get approved for for 1 of
a number of You have statistics on
comparative brief versus non approved? No. I don't.
But if you like, a I'll follow. Yeah.
Yeah. And then,
I can
Okay. And then another reason why it's more
attractive to go to some other countries is
there are more
robust
support systems, like, maybe you get to go
to a country where your kids are gonna
get to go to college for free or
there's free medical care or the cost of
living is significantly lower. The Us is a
tough place to come to because it's it's
a word it's a real synchronous swim outfit.
You know, Refugees will get about 6 months
of support upon having arrived, which is basically
food stamps and and some health care. Mh.
They're...
They...
Are... They get, like, a month or 2
of rent covered, and then they're on their
own.
And so you're talking about for a lot
of folks, even
some are fortunate to show up with language
skills, many are are not, and so many
are just scrambling to get that first job
and to...
Again and again, and again,
refugees talking to me about their desire to
become
contributing members of the culture that they're living
in.
And that's 1 of the things that they
feel as adults, 1 of the greatest losses
that they experience is that in their country,
they were a person of significance. They you
had to do things. They had a contribute
and to have been in limbo for a
month or 5 years or 20 years. What
that would do to a man or Woman
would anybody just to be just to be,
you know, on the sidelines of your life
with no controls over that next step. What,
I mean, I've been out of work for
about a year now. I've been very fortunate
to have a big fat savings
account,
and to have been able to do some
kind of piece meal over here and there,
But it's been horribly mentally
disrupting to me to be disconnected from the
work that I do that's a contribute
contribution. Sure. To the world that I live
in, and, you know, and and I even...
You know, I eat day and sleep inside.
So my situation is pretty easy. Right. So,
I I, you know, my heart really goes
out to folks and and you're talking about,
you know in the refugee camps, you know,
your kids,
let's see your kids don't go to school
for 4 or 5 years, what happens to
them when they then get to another country,
What happens, you know, you you miss a
generation of education. Your whole culture just just
hit the bricks.
Okay? That's 1 of the things that's happening
with the Syrian. So did
cross go in and and give... Do they
help with that sort of thing? There there
is a... You know, there are degrees of
support. But, you know,
there's...
Are it a police state once inside a
rep Refugee camp Are they infected with I'm
very fortunate to, in November. I'm gonna be
visiting Bur and visiting some of the refugee
camps that are on the thai Be order,
and we'll have a little bit better a
sense of that.
I would encourage anybody to just, do some
Youtube videos on Refugee camps.
Can get a sense of what's really going
on there.
That's the other end of the tunnel from
what I'm familiar with now. What I see
is people emerging from this tunnel of having
been in limbo and now trying to adapt
to what it's like in mistakes. Do I
psychological services too? You know
the we're we're talking about. I mean, here...
This says, oh, yes. Okay. They're
I think that that will vary depending on
the services systems that are set up wherever
you land. I know that in Portland, there
was some, on a psychological
support available. But then, you know, I mean,
think about the challenge of how do you
language The... Exactly. How do you provide
really good
psychological support,
an English speaker to an English speaker. Now.
How are you gonna do that? To a
Speaker. I mean, when there's nobody in town
who speaks the language without the challenges of
providing that are are
are not insignificant.
And it, you know, I think if anything,
what I've learned from from just from spending
time around refugees is that
just I'm just amazed by how often they're
just show up with their game face and
they're, you know,
they're just ready to try to to make
things work. I see so little of the
trauma,
you know, that I know
they've experienced. Mh so they're really remarkable bunch
of people. So... Yeah.
Wow. So explain... So now I'm here, I've
made a vetting process? Okay. Do I get
introduced to somebody like you? Do I Do
I... How long do I meet you? Okay.
Well, I can tell you about the system
that I was involved within Portland. Okay. Okay.
And, it varies from city to city wants
to place I I Not every not every
state has... No. There about a dozen cities
in the Us that are...
I've further referred to as
a Asylum cities, I think in in
on the radio recently, but basically, Nashville is
1 of them. Nashville... I call them Refugee
cities because kinda of the world that Working.
Nashville a refugee city, Saint Paul,
Minneapolis is a refugee city.
Houston,
New York,
Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle.
So there are a number of cities that
were designated. I think back in the seventies
is when most of the systems were set
up,
that provides services for refugees on arrival. Now
as a refugee, if you show up as
a refugee, you can go wherever of the
hell you wanna go. Okay? Because you're here
legally.
Most likely, you're gonna go someplace place that
you have family or friends. Nice. That's a
huge benefit if you can. And most likely,
you're gonna go to a city that has
some sort refugee services a.
So in the system that I was working
in portland,
someone would arrive,
and 1 of the volunteer
agencies, catholic charities lutheran family services, and I
apologize. There's also a Jewish
oriented outfit that does this. The services are
not
denomination or religion specific.
I mean in terms of who they serve.
These are just outfits that have services systems
set up. Someone will meet you at the
airport where someone will have already found you
an apartment, Mh.
Furnished department. And this you know, some of
the refugee apartments that I've seen, there's... They're
just living in
really pretty bad conditions in some cases. And
in some cases in pretty fair condition. So
that it can be all over the board
on that.
It's it's not it's not a big happy,
huge free ride. I mean, it's just barely
getting by in a lot of circumstances,
especially in a popular city like Portland or
Nashville where the rents are going through the
roof. You can imagine what challenges that puts
on, placing refugees and the housing.
Okay. So you get arrived from the airport
tube pure new apartment, and you got a
place to sleep, and you, within the first
week, you will go through, medical screening and
testing and any medical issues that need to
be addressed will be addressed. And then you
show up at a place like where I
used to work, and you will take another
screening to determine your English language level,
and based on those English language levels, you'd
be placed into different levels of classes
And the classes that we provided
were
focused entirely on cultural
adaptation and
getting the person ready to engage in the
job search as quick as possible. The goal
is for people to become
self supporting as quickly as possible. That's the
that's the overarching goal of the system Is
to get people
self supporting through. And employment is considered a
route for doing now. Okay. So
as you're going through these classes, you've got
about 6 months, You're eligible for those classes
for about 6 months
And during that time, you're working with what's
called a job coach or employment specialist who's
also working to connect you to employers in
the area. So a lot of folks naturally
go into
food production and hospitality and kind of some
of the the entry level sort of positions
that that you wouldn't have somebody would go
into. And it know again, so this this
makes us think about what are some of
the challenges for someone who is illiterate in
their own language, you know, this is 1
example. Somebody who can't read them right in
their own language,
trying to hold down a job as a
house is gonna be pretty tough. Here in
the Us with no language skills.
Often, however, with a great desire. Work. The
other side of that coin is
you take this, you know, this hydro electric
engineer who's in the same boat,
you know, who... Somebody who has been fantastically.
Able to contribute to their culture and their
family and their will be. And now they're
trying to get a job as a house.
And what that goes to somebody. Yeah. So
you're talking about just people from AAA
really broad spectrum of backgrounds who are trying
to
Again, again, and again, I... My honest belief
is really trying to become contributors just as
quickly as as the can. They they want
their kids to be okay. They want themselves
to be okay. And and they're. They have
a they want to best can in being
here. You know, I
I really don't have a much of a
sense of people
showing peter looking forward to a free ride
or anything like that. Most people are are
really happy
to get that first job and and to
try to get things off the ground. Experience.
That's kinda weird. That's that's kinda what happens.
Now to go a little bit further with
your question though what happens when you arrive
here.
Okay? So you got a place to stay
that you are responsible for paying your rent.
I've almost never been to a refugees house
that the lights were turned on in a
daytime because there's no money for electric or
utilities or anything like that. You got your
rent covered for a couple of months, but
everything else is on you, and so you
got people live in living pretty cheap, you
know, saving money in any way that they
can,
often
often finding ways to make it work because
the human capacity
to serve survive was just so stanley.
Absolutely.
So
like, if I come...
If I come to a new country, and
my kids are gonna start going to school,
Okay. So I'm gonna take this from the
perspective of of, maybe a a young father
or, young family. Okay. My kids are gonna
start going to school. They're gonna pick up
English pretty quickly because
they're a little bit younger and it's just,
you know, that that
just... That's the way we'll build, You know,
we can pick up languages more easily when
we're young. But the real deal is they're
picking up the language faster because
they're
listening
reading writing and speaking in English for 8
hours a day. It's immersion? It's... Yeah. It's
it's the in that. It's the time spent
in the language that enables you to pick
it up.
Okay. So, M is as the young father,
I'm may be fortunate to get a job.
Now let's compare the difference between if I
get a job as a cashier.
Or if I get a job in a
production facility. Okay? In the production facility, my
need to communicate in English is gonna be
very limited
and there's a fair chance, unfortunately,
that there will be other people from my
language background that are working there as well.
And so my need... So
Now, my 8 hours a day are either
not speaking English or remaining in my native
language.
Okay. So that and as know it slows
things down. My my ability to pick up
the language is a little bit tough. And
I got that just to interject for a
second it, it frustrate me when I hear
people say, well, you live in America asian
English. And I don't think people realize how
daunting, first of all, the English languages, that's
number 1. I mean, plenty people born can
barely handle the English language Right. And 2,
the comfort and safety zone of being with
people that speak your language. I mean,
It would be, like, if you took an
American and threw them on, you know, on
the planet at Z arc and suddenly, they're
not speaking Z can, They don't know how
to speak that... How lonely would that be?
Right.
And to not understand that to you... Well,
you know, the 1 of the things that
comes up with with language skills as Americans,
most of us learned
the 1 language that we know as very
young people, and we don't really have a
sense of what it takes
to learn to speak a language.
Okay?
A good way to think about it is
if I got a guitar,
it may take me a couple of months
just to get, you know, to where I
could handle handle something like Twinkle twinkle little
star,
going out on tour is years down the
road. Okay. And that's a good way to
think about people who are learning to communicate
in English.
When somebody
can speak to you a little bit in
English. That doesn't... It's not helpful for you
to go full throttle and start giving them
a native level
English because they just can't work at that
level.
There are ways and I'd like to talk
to you a little bit about this to
kind pitch your language level to work effectively
with people who are language learners. So your
point, I think is really significant.
Many people who
are here whose English isn't perfect.
It's easy to underestimate that it took them
years perhaps to get as far as they
are, and they're working on it really hard,
but
if my job is a... And, again, I'm
gonna go back to my young father analogy.
Okay. I wake up with my family at
the house in the morning, we probably spend
some time, you know, eating breakfast, whatnot there
in the morning gotta get everybody up, fed
off to school but whatnot, I go to
work all day. Okay. So now I'm 8
hours in. And I've got that 3 or
4 hour window in the evening
between,
you know,
can't getting home from work and going to
sleep myself,
stacking up
language lessons on top of that is
is powerful, but that's a huge investment. I
mean, it's it it's like going to medical
school or something like that. I mean, it's
a really big deal for somebody to do
that, and you can't just turn this ship
around in a day or 2. It takes
somebody years of effort to make practical to
make
significant progress when they... Because of perhaps the
circumstances of their employment means that they only
can can even work on their language skills
for a few hours a day.
So now let's come back to previously, we
said, okay. If I'm working in a factory,
and I'm, you know, I'm speaking my native
language or not communicating all day long.
The challenges is that that that's gonna bring
up. Now if I get it happen to
get a job as a cashier,
then all day long. It's hello. How are
you? I'm communicating with people even just the
familiarity
with making eye contact, saying hello and having
just that little short conversation that gives you
confidence and then that person is so much
more fortunate to be put to the Single
swing situation of use them the language on
a regular basis. So there's all kind of
factors involved in
how quickly a person can pick up the
language.
Now I have known people who are in
their fifties and sixties
who come to the Us,
and they're absolutely given a hell and they
really do make progress with their language. Mh.
But think about if you're 50 years old,
and you moved to Turkey,
What are the chances of you really,
Right. Getting that atlanta? Well like anything, There's
gonna be a few people who are accepting
at language skills right. Like there's great mathematicians
or some exceptional at music or whatever it
is. Some people's brains work well for language.
Well, and I would say
very significantly. It's it's often
less a question of capacity as it is
opportunity. And people
people who make progress with the language are
often
struggling to find the opportunity to make. To
make that progress. America has f.
Every language has f is. Mean what's b
and a f and a, you know, the
okay. L and r sure Sure.
Estimate to. Know, I'm was sure that the
sound,
the earth sound in bird is the hardest
sound
to learn to pronounce if you're not born
in a culture that produces that Yeah. Fun
fact. I'm That
us.
So... It doesn't gonna to be true this
America. Yeah.
Kidding. Well, now, let's let's come back to
our family. The kids are at school. The
dads off at work, and and this is
what typically happens.
The woman is often at home
taking care of the house,
and
This social
isolation experience by women can be really significant.
Mh. Especially perhaps because of maybe your religious
background puts further constraints on who
the... You're culturally familiar with
communicating with. Are you might not even be
a allowed of speak to men but you
don't know. Right. Right. Right. Without some other
managers do no present. Right. So a lot
of rules around... There are a lot of
rules around that. And it's it's dismissive of
a culture to say that that's right or
wrong. You know, they're
it's just the way it is.
It's just the way is. Like if I
went to France, I wouldn't insist that my
wife went top at the beach
Okay. I mean, it's just guys going to
do that And? Okay. So people are where
they are. Yeah. Okay. So now what's gonna
happen is my kids are gonna pick up
the language pretty quickly,
I may over the next few years pick
up the language to some degree.
My ability to speak the language is going
to make or break my opportunities.
Throughout the rest of my life in in
this culture. And it can also further separate
a child from a parent. Well, this this
is 1 of the challenges,
often the children are brought in to act
as interpreter for the family. And so now,
again,
the man who's been accustomed to being head
of that of the family and for can,
you know, being responsible for taking care of
business is relying on their child to
translate with the teachers to translate with the
doctors and not got my kid translating my
medical problems
to my.
And about the the switch in roles that.
There. Yeah. Okay. So that's that's something. All
these, you know, these family dynamic stuff that
have things that happened within, on the newly
arrived, families or
are are quite challenging.
And so
my children very likely,
if I have children born here
Now,
I'm
thinking
living my mental process is going on let's
say, for example, in Soma somalia,
And my children's mental process is going on
in English, I may never really be able
to communicate effectively with my own children.
So if this gap that occurs
between within the family of the arrival
generation and the youth of that generation is
can be really profound. Mh. And so the
challenges that your family is facing and adapting
to the culture
and in just maintaining your family there are
some huge challenges that fill on. No. I
have, but I feel like list just children
are. It's hard enough to be a kid.
Right. And a teenager, especially, where Right I
mean,
when you're surrounded by everyone the same and
you're routine, if you're gonna hate parents for
a minute anyway. So then throw into the
mix,
where
you're from a culture that might be verified
out of ignorance
for for whatever reason because you're different. So
I come into junior high school, and
I'm ashamed.
Probably because, you know, I think that happens.
The human desire to find is really powerful.
Yes. My mother used to come to pick
me up from Junior High and her per
green rabbit, and I was like, to take
me
take all that other 7 in there and
And now I think would create even more
of a divide. So So so I think
it's valuable. No I think that per green
rabbit I think bad app but which should
still have it. So in the family. Anyway.
I I think my takeaway away from all
this is just to recognize that that whether
immigrant or refugee, your your
It's good to remember that these folks are
often
really working much harder than you might suspect
to overcome challenges that that are not easy
for you to detect that are overwhelmingly,
significantly in their own person
professional lives. Sharing. So that's kind of the
takeaway away from all that. Yeah. You know.
And so then
it's it's not too surprising when I become
a grand grandparent. And again,
I can't speak to my grandchildren at all.
Yeah. Because then the children most likely have
not translated that language down, You know? And
so there's some... There's some very significant things.
And in, you know, most
most refugee families that I talked to. It's
not unusual for people to say, listen my
job. I got us here.
I don't care.
Everything
goes into the success
of the next gen. Mh. And so
the the sacrifices prices that are made for
that are are often just phenomenal and heartbreaking,
You know? Because the the kid can't really
appreciate it probably until they or have kids
of drones. Right There's some pretty significant stuff
that goes on there. So that's kind of
what happens that that multi generational
experience of moving to that new country. And
it's not just when
refugees or immigrants come here, that's whenever
any family from any place goes to another
country your a culture or whatever. Sure. But
when you pile on top of the the
trauma
that probably went on for years or decades
or whatever on top of it. So I
I just I just
you know, I I really had grown to
admire the the refugees that I've worked with.
Just some. You had a particular story that
you'd like to share. Yeah. You know, there
there was
There was 1 lady. The weather there's so
many and in fact, I would encourage you,
and maybe we can put a link to
this on the I definitely. I that. Did
a little,
Youtube... Or I did a short film that's
on Youtube. You can look up, our story,
refugees, Portland.
And
there are some 5 or 6 different refugees
telling him a little bit about their stories
of what happened
know, before coming into the Us and then
kind of their experiences being here. So I
I would look into that. I think that
the refugees speaking for themselves is pretty good.
I'll definitely a link up for that. Right.
Right. On the website. Okay. And then, let's
see. There were some... A couple of the
things I wanted to kinda cover with you
moving on put
the rest these stories.
Okay. So having said all that,
and how were we doing long time? Got
about 15 minutes Okay. Well, then let's let's
go from some of those background
information into some kind of practical things that
your eye could do to... Because again, I
think that
The capacity to communicate in English is a
real deal breaker for a lot of folks.
It's gonna either open or close doors throughout
their life here. Mh. And so how
as
a member of the of the mainstream or
native born culture, you know, what's your side
of the bridge? These people are working their
asses off trying to pick up the language,
what can you do
to try to help
build the bridge from your size. Sure. To
to ensure more effective communication And. Okay. So
let's wrap up with some... So
Like Yeah. What can you do that? When
what can you do help? Humanity. Right. Goes
a long way. Yeah. It really does. You
know, the the first step, honestly,
is I think that it it's easy to
underestimate the significance of just connecting
with the person as a human.
Okay?
If I go
to
the store and I'm looking for something, I'm
a lot better served to just start out
with hello How are you than to just
dive right into where the bacon. Okay? Just
making that human connection with somebody
with a smile, and hello is a really
big deal. Mh Okay?
Trying to communicate as a as a language
learner is pretty intimidating for a lot of
folks now some people are just fearless
and they'll go for it. But most people
you can do a whole for them just
by giving these kind of social cues that
I'm not gonna beat you up for making
a mistake. Okay? So I always say, start
out with a smile. Everybody gets what a
smile is
and a hello. That's a really big deal.
Okay? So that's 1 of the first things
you can do. And then practically,
okay.
First thing,
put space between your words.
Okay?
So it may sound awkward, but, you know,
when we're speaking in English, you know, like,
if you hear somebody speaking Spanish, and you
don't speaks Spanish. It sounds like they're talking
really fast fast. It's not that they're talking
fast. It's just that you don't know the
language and you
you can't
distinguish the space between the words. You... You're
not mentally making each word in your head.
How is you're just getting a series of
sound? I always the French at course at
fifth grade level, but I hear in a
grade level. Right. Right. That's... Yeah. That's that's
a great way to think about it. That's
a great way to think that. When you're
reading something, you can tell 1 word from
the next because physically, there's a space. Mh.
Between the words. Now when when native speakers
are communicating with each other, we often omit
that space. Okay. So 1 of the best
things that you can do is to put
space between your words.
Okay? So now I'm gonna say this normally.
Okay?
What are you gonna do after work?
Okay. Now compare that with
what are you going to do after work?
Now you can hear the difference between those
2. And the difference, it feels a little
bit awkward to talk. I sounds 3 because
we're used to... When we get mad of
each other. Right native speakers right
Said, right.
Excellent point. Excellent point. But what you're a.
I think put in space
between your words. And again, it's tough to
teach yourself to do that, but that really
helps the other person. If I was gonna
say, top 2 rules, number 1 smile, number
2, put space between your words. Mh. If
you can only remember 2 things, those are
huge helps to the person that you're trying
to communicate with. Okay?
Let me practice it on you. Okay?
I'm gonna say something naturally as I would
naturally say it to you. You say it
back to me with space between the words.
Okay. Okay.
What time do you wanna meet?
What
time
do
you
want to
meet. That's it. That's it. And in fact,
that your listeners can tell you were smiling
When you said that, you can hear a
smile. Think about. You can hear when somebody
smile had film. Okay? That's part of what's
going on a great fantastic job on that.
Okay. So rule number 1, smile, Rule number
2, put space between your world, between your
words.
Number 3,
pronounce the last
sound of words.
Okay. In American English we tend to drop
the final sounds of things, especially in American
English, especially country singers? Is that effect? Like,
no week drop the g off of everything,
Singing. Right. Right. Right. Okay. Good exactly. Good
example. Good example. So right 1 the 1
I put down here is I wanna go
to the park.
Okay? That
in park almost always disappears. We tend to
just kinda stop a sound. Yeah. Okay. And
so want instead of want? And I want...
Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So taking the time to
put those final sounds on words. Thing You
go right On the plane. It it really
helps folks out a lot because oftentimes they've
been exposed to it.
Students all the time saying
I mean, class, I can understand my teacher.
I can understand what's in the book. I
got in the street and I've got nothing.
Okay?
So what we're talking about here again, is
situations where communication is the goal. There are
times
when you're trying to teach somebody something that
you do wanna use... Slack that you do
wanna speak naturally normally. I mean, that's the
eventual goal, but sometimes you're trying to get
a point across. Sure. So that's what we're
talking about. And be patient. Be patient. It's
gotta be on the somewhere. It is. It
is. Okay. So come back, smile. Number 1,
space between the words, pronounce the last sounds
of words. That's The next 1, I'd say
speak in a normal tone of voice. There
is a tendency for people either to start
talking louder. Yeah.
When when they're not effectively
communicating, that makes the other person uncomfortable. Sure.
And then we can also kind of baby
tall people and kind of speak to them
as if they were children, which is a
insulting to an adult. Absolutely. So maintaining a
normal and positive tone of voice, carries carries
a lot of weight.
And just try to keep track of using
really basic words and simple grammar.
Okay. When we're communicating in English,
we tend to
say things in very polite ways.
That are dramatically quite complex
or we tend to use words that are
sort of
so that we can give the impression of
in of authority or intelligence. And those things
can be really challenging. So again, I got
a couple of examples complicated
to to flesh that out. Okay. So let's
look at this.
If I was to say to you
Could I get you to run down in
the store and pick us up a case
of coke?
Okay? This could I get you to?
Then I makes. Lot of sense to you.
Yeah. I'm being nice. Yeah. I'm assuming that
I'm making in position on you and in
my language. I'm recognizing that. I'm being I'm
being respectful
to a language learner that's a very complex
chunk of words.
Okay? So again, I Could I get you
to run down to the run down? Doesn't
make any sense? Could I get you to?
Doesn't make any sense? Pick pick us up?
Case there's a lot there's a lot of
language in there that's difficult to decipher, and
it's... Most of it's in there because
you're trying to be polite.
Okay? So now let's compare that to
please go to the store
buy coke. Right. Nobody's total sense. Keep the
please in there because you still want to
show that respect to the other person in
consideration of them, but simplified, not dumb down.
Simplify get message. Okay. I'm the I giggle
because I remember being about at my brother,
when I was.
Dion young, I'm 7 years younger for the
older brother. Okay. And he got his ears
pierced. Okay. And
it was dinner time, my family sitting on
the dinner table.
And I know my brother's ears peers. But
my parents do not know this. And my
father glance over at my brother Jeremy, and
and sort of takes it all in and
then says,
I'll never forget this it actually burning my
brain he said self mutilation for the purposes
of a dormant is the characteristic of savage
people.
That's what he says a mouthful. I know.
And by when I... When I later re
told that, my friend say, what is having
it's it means you shouldn't have got your
ears pierced
kids.
See that. And languages everything. Sure. Sure. Could
funny. No. That... You're you're you're heading in
the right direction there. Yeah. Look at your
message and don't dump it down. Don't baby
it down. Just
simplify.
Simplify the way saying it.
And then, finally, asking someone if they understand
is usually pointless,
asking a language learner if they understand something.
They are usually so intimidated and so nervous
about trying to communicate you with you in
the first place that they're not
admitting ignorance is culturally
not cool for a lot of people. What's
a
statement no matter who you're saying into anyway.
Do you understand? Well, you did can be
very con patronizing. It...
What... What's what's often happening? Honestly, the native
speaker is often uncomfortable with. Interaction as well.
Because as a native speaker, I'm not getting
the kind of feedback that I expect from
somebody
just that demonstrates understanding. You so it's natural
for me to say you understand. And that
if the person says, yes. I assume do.
I can tell you from my experience. I
would never assume that's... That... That's a false
assumption. Yeah. The person is more likely to
say yes, because they're exhausted from trying. They're
afraid. They just wanna nod and smile and
get out of the interaction, And like... And
if you're counting on them to operate a
forklift,
Now you've got big, big, big problems. Okay?
So that do you understand there's not really
all all such a useful way to do
it.
If in the forklift
situation, if this was really crucial, I would
ask the person to tell me what I
just told them that allows me to check
their understanding. It makes Okay. Just that do
you understand? Doesn't doesn't really do all that
much. I'm gonna go right back through this
1 more time.
Smile,
put space between your words
pronounce the last sounds of words,
normal tone of voice,
simplified your message,
and don't bother asking somebody if they're understand.
Those are some of the practical things that
you can do to to
build your side of the bridge in communication
with someone else.
I do feel like it's valuable for us
to all share a a native language here
in the states. I do think that learning
to speak English is
you know, we need that common ground. It's
just it's not practically feasible. I think for
us to all learn to speak
tradition Italian wall and you know, all of
the languages is their present. And I understand
that. When I was saying that I get
frustrated by people that say, we you should
speak English. And I get that. It makes
sense logistic all I'm saying is people should
have patience. That's right. And we should be
part of helping them yeah speaking. Really. If
you're getting frustrated by your neighborhood bang guy
because he doesn't understand you asking to take
your steps in the car. Take 5 minutes
and say,
car. Here you go. Dang. Like, walk. Or
whatever it is. Right Yeah we're all in
this together. Just be aware of that they
need learn speak English I don't really disagree
with that, but realize
grandma and Grandma, you can't leave them in
Somalia when everybody came here. They are not
learn speaking english because of their age and
unlikely.
Those that are physically
capable of learning the language.
It's not
an overnight success story take years to get
really comfortable. So b part... If you're gonna
insist that people don't to speak the language,
I think that it's reasonable that we
become a part of that process to make
that as easy as possible. There are things
that you can do to make that easier
harder be sure. We have a lot of
people that are not native English speakers here
in Nashville nashville. For whatever reason. There seems...
I mean, I I come from Seattle where,
of course, there's tons of people that are
not necessarily English speakers.
But I find it... It's always a nice
bonding moment when I need somebody and I
say, tell me how to say this in
your language. Okay. You what I mean? Because
said something like...
I don't know something. Right. They don't know
something. Right? And we're and I find that
a nice
moment. Right.
Well, it it cast the other person as
an authority, which as someone adapting to a
new culture is often
an experience that they so rarely get to
do. You know?
When, you know, the
when the other person is able to contribute
in a way that they've... You know, that
they're comfortable and confident with. That's such a
big deal to people. I mean,
just to go to somebody's mike's house and
they cook a meal for you. It's such
a big deal for them, I... I benefit
tremendously because I get to eat all these
great food, They get to do something for
me
And honestly, I I truly believe that's...
I I really really believe that most folks
want to become contributors
They are big time believers in the American
dream in waves that as native born Americans,
we can...
We really can't
appreciate what a big deal it is.
I
I don't think it's crazy to be concerned
about
we see terrorism
a lot in the world today. There's a
lot of horrible things that are going down
right now. I don't think it's crazy to
be concerned about that.
But I think that when I think about
Refugees in the Us, broadly speaking, I'm certainly
not intimidated,
Gen... My general impressions, these are people who
want to contribute who want to be part
of making America.
Just a a great place to live. You
know, they want their kids to be okay
They want their families to be okay. They
wanna contribute. They wanna get back.
And they're doing
most, you know, 9 times out of town.
They're knocking themselves out, trying to make that
happen. I saw a video the other day,
it was a room full of people from
all over. Mh. That they... And they... The
video was filmed in Europe. I'm assuming.
And the panel is
individually interviewed each person and said,
is there any particular
what's the word? And.
Ethnicity, whatever that you don't like. Okay. Just
across the board of, and so somebody would
say, Oh, I don't like the turks or.
I don't like the Germans or I don't
like them, whatever. So we went down through
the line asking these people.
And then they gave them all the Dna
tests. Then the tube tube goes off, they
recon beans.
And then in front of everyone,
they came forward. Okay. And their results were
given and they had to read them aloud
of what their backgrounds were. And
inevitably, of course, There were some of that...
The thing that they hated about whatever the
the reit, you know? And then the reason
that they hated whatever
race or whatever.
They were.
Right. And so percentage. Right. And 1 of
the women interviewed
and turned out the 2 people in the
audience for cousins. Wow I didn't even know
it, and they were from opposite side. 1
was a
I think 1 was named Syrian and the
other 1 was, Israeli. Okay. Yeah. And when
I went to, like, second cousins like that.
And, which was a really profound moment for
them. Sure. And
anyway, the woman said every human being should
take this test. Mh. And I got... I
like, man, Wouldn't that be something? Yeah. Because
suddenly, these walls, these... That we build in
our minds Right about why we're better than
or less than
would be have to sort of really got
be cracks as well. It really would. Because
suddenly, these people that I don't like by
virtue of no reason other than I don't
like them. Right.
Maybe I am them. Right. Because truly, we
are
And that... That's the thing that frustrate me
the most about
humanity. And my father will always say, you
know, it's always been this way.
It's just now we know about it because
mass media and all this sort of stuff,
and I get that, you know, human beings
are always trying to figure out a way
to feel better about themselves. And the best
way to do that is to feel worse
about someone. You know what to make somebody
else like that guy. Upon somebody else for
interview. Yeah. By this... It really touched me
to watch that video and to think, yeah,
man.
We all just spit a jar and send
it off to the lab. We
alright. We're all this same.
But just some quirky differences here and there.
Anyway, thank you so much for calling.
Absolutely. I really appreciate it.
I'm gonna put links some things up on
the website. So please send send me an
email with some things you'd maybe, like people
to see. I absolutely will do that. Yeah.
Is there any particular website that you can
recommend is somebody wants to no more. You
know, I think if some... If somebody wants
to know more, avail yourself of an opportunity
to
say hello to somebody that you might not.
Say hello to otherwise. And just start opening
in those course. That's that's the most powerful
piece of of this whole puzzle. Awesome. Alright.