One of my favorite students at “Hope in Our City,” whose journey sings of our common bonds.
This is Misra. She is from Eritrea. As a refugee, she spent many years in hardships that are often unthinkable to me. I am still learning of them. She is learning English from me. I am learning about life from her (especially outside of my American bubble); but, what is most outstanding is how our differences are juxtaposed to our similarities.
She is Muslim, I am Christian. Her culture is represented by the Oromo people, while I am a Black American. I have four children, and she has six. We wear different clothes, eat different foods, come from different lands and ascribe to different beliefs – but in so many ways, we are the same.
We love our children and our husbands. We believe in the importance of family, faith and education. We wish our children wouldn’t waste so much food, complain so much, be more respectful and helpful in lieu of sometimes cavalier attitudes and the occasional laziness. We are both willing to sacrifice for the ones that we love; appreciative of sacrifices made on our behalf; eager to see our children successful and grateful for the privileges that we enjoy on American soil.
We are both women. Proud and unbowed. Hardworking and hopeful. We share with one another, learn from each other, and even with the limited language between us, express our appreciation, concerns, sentiments and reliefs.
As her language develops, we increase our ability to band together. She is one of several refugees that I have the privilege of teaching.
I love her stories, her spirit, her determination and her passions.
And like me – she loves food (smile). It is a focal point of many of our greatest conversations.
I am proud to stand with her, celebrating our uniqueness and our commonalities.
Yes, our differences are not hard to discern, but it is our love that is the most common thread of all. I opted to make this post simpler in construction because it reminds of the simplicity of our conversations, which are yet so profound. What a privilege it is to be her teacher and her student…
#honored
#drcarlamichelle #womensmonth #internationalwomen #refugee #Englishlanguagelearners #eritrea #beautiful #misra #learningtogether #livingtogether #lovingtogether #bandingtogether #priceless #motivation #inspiration
Dr. Carla Michelle Brown * Speaker * author * Educator 
“Same same but different” is the first thought that came to me as I read your slice. Getting to know each other and having the relationship deepen must bring richness to each of your lives. This relationship brings light into the world. Thanks for making it a little bit brighter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also thought about how we are all so different yet so much the same. We may look different and have different cultural backgrounds but we are women, moms, we love food, etc. I love how you pointed out your common thread of love. This is perfect and how we should all look at each other and invite each other into our “different” worlds. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I fully agree! I am consistently learning how heavily we can prejudge people. And it tickles me to find out that we “complain” about some of the same things – even more so when we laugh at the same things – because of our commonalities.
It’s refreshing. And the FOOD part is definitely among my favorites! Though I am their teacher, I feel like they are always giving me so much to learn – and I treasure that dearly.
Thank you for your feedback! It makes me feel like I’m not crazy (smile).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing this piece about what some seem to fear: unity, collaboration, the celebration of culture, and the joys of learning. What an uplifting piece–just what I needed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That makes my whole day. My writing is not in vain. I greatly appreciate your feedback!
LikeLike