I do not believe there could have been a better time to take a course that works alongside Nashville’s refugee community. For the entirety of this semester, the worldwide refugee crisis has been on the front page of newspapers and the focal point of news broadcasts everywhere. We see the public’s discourse on the matter in our Facebook newsfeeds and around our dinner tables. Now we’ve had the awesome opportunity to discuss the matter in the classroom, and to put action behind our viewpoints. After the terrorist attack in Paris, the refugee crisis began to get more media coverage than ever, and I felt a strong urge to help these people who have been stripped from their homeland, their way of life, and sometimes from their very own families.
During the week of Thanksgiving, my husband and I decided to take the remaining gift cards from our wedding shower to purchase some household items for refugees who are making a new start in the Nashville area. With a total of $170 to spend, we were able to buy lots of useful items, such as plates, bowls, glasses, silverware, cookware, etc. During a season all about gratitude, it was such a wonderful opportunity to give to those who truly need it. This one evening of giving made such an impact on our outlook on the refugee situation that we are thinking about making this act of service a Thanksgiving tradition in our family. It reminds us of all of the things we have to be thankful for, and prompts empathy for those who are not as fortunate as we are. I am very appreciative for this class; it has given me an opportunity to serve a part of our community that I have had very few opportunities to interact with, as well as provide me with a productive outlook to view the refugee crisis and create an opinion of my own, shaped by service opportunities inside the classroom and out. It has been an invaluable experience that I will always carry around with me.