Heart of a Lion.

I want to point out an interesting aspect about being a volunteer and having some of my best friends in Peace Corps throughout the world, Michelle in Panama on a remote tropical island with no electricity or running water, Brooke in a small beach town in Ecuador with not many resources not at

 Her fingertips, Toby with internet in his apartment in Kavarna on the Black Sea, the Rock & Roll Capital of Bulgaria with murals of Billy Idol and AC/DC in the city, and the newest edition, Roger in Mali in West Africa, one of the poorest nations in the world, who will most likely be living in a mud hut.  When I talk to my friends in each of these countries, there is one thing that never changes, we all go through the same frustrations, difficult cultural adaptations, missing home and friends, and the roller coaster ride of emotions that volunteers seem to know so well.  We understand each other in ways no one will ever be able to understand unless you are a Peace Corps Volunteer.  One thing is for certain, we can all have some sort of contact with each other and home, and know that at the end of two years, we can return to our comfort zones back in the states to everything we know.  In the Peace Corps, we are considered professionals who are well respected and as I pointed out in the past blog, sometimes lose part of our identity to integrate into our culture, but nonetheless, people seek upon us as our knowledge is different and accepted in ways, which would never really occur in the U.S. 

            Thinking about the way we are accepted into other countries and loved by the locals and reading current events in the U.S. led me to reflect on the Immigration issues brewing.

            This has always been an important issue to me as it is so misunderstood and until recently, added along racial profiling under the terminology of “immigration reform.”  Hearing the news of this brought tears to my eyes as I think of the many innocent people, the majority from Latin American countries, migrating to the U.S. in hopes of creating a better life for themselves, and possibly their families.  Many immigrants come to work in extremely harsh conditions, such as in the agriculture industry, bent over for hours picking strawberries, risking pesticide poisoning, almost no access to health care, sometimes even no access to running water or proper sanitation, even food.  Many may say, they came here by choice.  I agree, I came to another country by choice as well, the difference, I am here on part of the U.S. government as a professional, and the underlying privilege which is often disregarded, that I was born and live in the U.S.  Because of this, many people want to know you, they believe you, no matter how little money they have, there is always a offering of food or something for you.  This makes my life easier as it is a struggle to try to grasp the language, understand the different cultural norms, be in another country in general, especially when you are far from everything you know, especially your support system, family & friends. 

            I could never imagine immigrating to the U.S., getting the most physically demanding jobs, struggling with a new language, adapting to a new culture, being away from family and friends, and top of this all, being incredibly discriminated against.  The way people even talk about illegal immigrants, which mostly happen to be from Mexico and Central America, and how stupid they are, even how they don’t deserve anything sickens me. Think about it, these people are often learning at least their second language, and dealing with a whole new culture, one where most families will not open up their arms and doors to these outsiders to share a meal with them.

            It hurts to hear here in Paraguay how often people ask me about racism in the U.S.  Mainly because of the sort of media shown here, people ask me if we still hang African Americans, and they see on the news the way illegal immigrants are always sent to jail just for trying to work.  It is really unfortunate that this is a common view, that we, as in people from the United States are extremely racist.  Understanding the power and privilege the U.S. wields, as a country, we should strive to create a good example, not one based on being racist, creating unjustified wars, violent and tortuous, or everyone being rich, but a place that is just to all.

            The name of the blog is entitled “Heart of a Lion” based on the Kid Cudi song, because I feel that this encapsulates what must be endured by immigrants, especially in a society in which racism is becoming more institutionalized day by day.  I urge everyone to think and take action to stop the politicians acting irrationally and educate people around you because everyone deserves the right to a better life, and especially to be treated equally.

I dedicate this blog to any person who has immigrated to the U.S., or tried to live in another country, especially my mom who has endured more racism, and discrimination than many people will ever know or have to go through.

This posting is ESPECIALLY not connected to the U.S. government, but my own views.

The View from my apartment over the river.