In one of my classes I have a group of CAMP (College Assistant Migrant Program) students from Myanmar. Their people group is Karen, pronounced like the girl’s name “Corinne.” Like their parents who work in the poultry industry, they are some of the kindest and hardest working people I have ever known. They all want to make their families proud by doing well in college. As so often happens in the classroom our roles reversed and they taught me something new about what Thanksgiving means, a lesson I hope I will hold in my heart forever.

Most of my CAMP students were born in a refugee camp. Their parents fled across the border into Thailand when soldiers came to their jungle villages and burned their houses to the ground. All of them have stories of loved ones who didn’t survive, or didn’t make it into Thailand. Many still have relatives living in fear inside Myanmar, where government forces hunt and kill Karen people. The stated goal of the Burmese military commander is to wipe the Karen from the face of the Earth. As an American citizen from a small town in Arkansas I can only try to imagine any of these things.

Some of them lived as refugees their entire lives before coming to the US in their teens. They are thankful for things like a house with a strong roof, plenty of food to eat, and clean water to drink. A young woman describes what it was like to haul buckets to a river for water, how her mother boiled it over a fire. A young man talks about how thrilling it is to learn, fulfilling the longing he had all of those years to go to school in a place with no trained teachers, no books, no school supplies. Another tells how thankful he is to have more than one shirt. He remembers when he only had one shirt, a free t-shirt given out to everyone in the refugee camp. He wore it until it was way too small and just rags, but now he has a clean shirt every day. 

My eyes fill with tears as they go on and on: thankful for a bed, a room, a phone. Thankful for a car, shoes, the internet. Thankful for a table. A floor that’s not made of dirt. Meat to eat. A bathroom. Plumbing. A desk. They never had these things before.

I think of myself as a patriotic American but it dawns on me that I know nothing of the riches of my country, how lucky I was just to be born here. As a kid I never realized school was a privilege. I thought it was just something everyone does. There were teachers and classes and everyone had pencils and books and a desk.  Water was not a treat. I was never afraid when I saw a soldier; I was proud. I knew soldiers were good people who fought for us. They were there to protect us. To keep our country safe and free.

As so often happens in the classroom our roles reversed and they taught me something new about what Thanksgiving means, a lesson I hope I will hold in my heart forever.
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My husband and I have a list of things that need repairing in our home: the handle came off the microwave, there’s a problem with one of the burners on our stove, the shower in the master bedroom drips and it’s annoying when we’re trying to go to sleep at night. A puppy has chewed the trim in our laundry room. The agitator in our washer is not just right. Sometimes the internet is slow. There are bigger things, like that the hardwood floor needs refinishing, but it will be so hard to keep dust out of my grand piano. We decide to put that off. 

These are the sorts of things we discussed at the breakfast table this morning, over eggs, toast, and bacon. Stone turned on the faucet and clean water came out, just like it does every day. He poured a little into a machine and then stuck a pod in the machine—one of the pods that gets delivered to our door every month by subscription. As it dripped he poured milk into another machine that swirled the milk into a foam. He added vanilla, honey, and cinnamon—all out of tidy containers–then spooned the froth into a cup now full of hot, dark espresso. Our house was warm.

After choosing clothes out of a big closet, and a pair of shoes out of many, I left my house in a car. It has leather seats. It starts on the first try. Warm air blows on my feet and heated seats keep me comfortable as I take the nice paved roads to my office. My office has a phone and comfortable chair. A computer with fast internet. A printer. It even has cute little red fridge where I keep my lunch, and a case of Diet Dr. Peppers. In my office I grab books, pen, and paper—all provided—and then I walk into a warm classroom. I have freedom to teach stories and poems and plays I love to students I also love. I get paid money for doing this.

This essay would never end if I kept listing all of the things I have to be thankful for. But this year what I’m especially thankful for is the perspective my Karen students have given me. The reminder of what a miracle it is just to be alive in this place, this time. The gift it is to have my particular set of problems to solve. There are people all over the world who would trade places with me, just to be safe. To keep their kids safe. Clothed. Fed. To send them to a free public school with brilliant teachers and books and programs to help them grow in every way. May I be so thankful it keeps me mindful, and spurs me to work that brings freedom, safety, bounty, and joy to others here, and everywhere.

The post Thanksgiving Thoughts appeared first on Arkansas Strong.

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is new to me. My homeland is Myanmar, and my people are Karen. We are hated by the Burmese government so the military hunts us, burns our villages, and tries to destroy us. Because of this danger, my family fled our home and escaped over the border of Thailand. I was born in a refugee camp there. My whole life was in that refugee camp until I was ten years old. One day we got the chance to come to America and that is how I ended up in Clarksville, Arkansas. We don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey like everyone else, but my heart is full of thankfulness.

I am thankful to have plenty of fresh water and to have enough food to eat so I don’t go hungry.

When I hear the word thankful, I immediately think of the simplest and most basic things we might be grateful for, such as health, friends and family, food, time, and a variety of other things. To me, being grateful also entails being grateful for the fact that I am alive. When you are Karen, that is a significant reason to be thankful. 

We can always be grateful for simple things when time are tough. Henrik Edberg stating that “Because even if things look tough today or for the next 3 or 6 months, I can always find something or several things to feel very grateful for about my life.” There are many things to be thankful for. These are the things I am thankful for: my family and friends, they are the people I need when life gets tough, as well as all the love, support, and kindness they show me. I am thankful to have plenty of fresh water and to have enough food to eat so I don’t go hungry. Having internet access is important to me as well. It’s incredible how we can learn about anything from what other people share online, because when I was in refugee camp, we only had books, a blackboard, and chalk. We never have access to the internet.

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I am grateful for my parents' sacrifices in order to give the best life for us, because coming to America for us without understanding the language was quite brave.
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One of the things I am most thankful for is having a roof over my head and a warm home, because when it is cold, windy, and raining outside, I can safely return inside the house without fear of being soaked or freezing to death. Many people do not have a home and wish to have one. We should always be thankful that we have a beautiful home and we’re living in it. 

The second thing I am thankful for is my parents. I am grateful for my parents’ sacrifices in order to give the best life for us, because coming to America for us without understanding the language was quite brave. My parents encouraged me to value education and taught me how to create goals, which helped me build ambition. Paul Hudson stating that “Parents were the teachers before teachers were teachers.” Having a caring mom that cares about me and supports me is absolutely precious, and I should be grateful for it. “Parents should support their children until they can support themselves.” I am thankful for who my parents are. They are deserving of praise, gratitude, or credit, as well as being pleasing, acceptable, appreciative, and agreeable.

 I am so thankful I came to America and to Arkansas where I can have a better life.

The last thing that I am most thankful for is having a good education. I am grateful that I was able to attend Clarksville high school in Arkansas because there were so many individuals in the Thailand refugee camp who wished to attend school. They are unable to attend school due to financial constraints. Instead, they have to go work with their parents at such a young age. When I was in Thailand refugee camps, schools were not free, and school supplies were not provided. For example, I wanted to go to the expensive private school in the refugee camp which offered a much higher and more decent education, but I was forced to attend the refugee school, which provided very little instruction. I recognize that life is more about appreciation in a refugee camp. I have been encouraged and driven to make every effort to achieve an education.

In conclusion, it’s important to be thankful for what we have. I’m thankful to have a loving and supporting family, a good education, and a lovely home to call home. Robert M. Miller stating that “The month of November brings us Thanksgiving and a chance to take stock of our lives and consider all the things we can be thankful for.” I am so thankful I came to America and to Arkansas where I can have a better life.

The post A Thankful Reflection appeared first on Arkansas Strong.