1. We take the safety we have in America for granted. We are all just one circumstance away from being refugees too. Many of the refugees left due to a war. It was surreal meeting people that literally fled for their lives and hearing stories of what people saw in their own country. Trust me. We are blessed.
2. There is a distinct smell to a refugee camp. There was at least in the camp I worked at this past month. It somehow follows you home. Imagine a mixture of cigarette smoke, BO, and stinky trash. Now take what you’re imagining and make it worse, much worse, that’s the smell.
3. Sharing tea is a universal language. Some of my fondest memories are sitting in a tent having tea with a family from Syria or Iraq and communicating with them using some form of charades. Just the act of sharing a cup of tea is enough to bridge the language gap.
4. There’s ALWAYS more room. There’s no such thing as being “too full.” Each briefing before a shift began with the statement that the camp couldn’t house anymore people, and yet every single day hundreds of people would arrive expecting a spot in the camp. It was our job to find them a spot, and yes it was crowded but we always found a place for them, even if that included fitting 5 grown men in a small 4 person tent.
5. Sometimes the best way to love is by saying no. Maybe the UN hasn’t replenished blankets in a while, or maybe there aren’t enough diapers to go around. There are instances where you have to say no to keep the order of the camp/make sure everyone gets something. It’s hard when you have a pleading father requesting for more blankets to keep his family warm, but you have to remember there are 5,500 other people that need blankets too. It’s hard, but sometimes it’s the best way to love them even when they can’t understand it.
6. Knowing a little bit of a language goes a long way. I’m in no way fluent in French, but seeing grown man’s face light up after I would respond in French was well worth the years of high school and college spent in a French class.
7. Phrases like “alibaba” (thief), “my friend”, and “no good” get thrown around… a lot. Imagine people running around constantly yelling the word “thief” in America, yeah it’s a bit strange. I heard alibaba AT LEAST 50 times a day. I have no idea why that was such a big word, but it was the first word I learned in Arabic.
8. Dance parties happen regularly. What else is there to do? Another favorite memory of mine is getting pulled into a large group of teens dancing in a circle. The music was middle eastern, as was the style of dancing. I tried my hardest to replicate what they were doing, but they still got a kick out of my attempt (It probably wasn’t the best of attempts due to my lack of dancing ability). Regardless, it was a blast and one of my favorite memories from camp. Dancing is another thing that can cross the language barrier.
9. Tensions will be high. If you’re in a place with 40+ nationalities it makes sense to sometimes have tension. Not every country loves each other and there were times where fights would take place and the police would have to get involved. It’s simply a part of it. Imagine going through something as traumatic as leaving your home, knowing you’ll never go back to where you grew up. You’re leaving behind everything you know and amidst that you have thousands of people around you living in as close quarters as humanly possible. Yes, this can make things tense. One day a person will be your best friend, and then the next day they will be yelling in your face for 5 minutes straight because you can’t give them a bigger tent. You simply learn to extend grace and you learn to understand that reactions are emotionally charged and not always representative of how the person truly feels about you.
10. You are a celebrity to the kids. You will be swarmed. A lot. There are hundreds of kids just running around the camp and if they have a chance to walk with you holding hands, or get you to pick them up, they will make sure it happens. Sometimes as you’re doing a job you have 10 kids around you trying to play, and you simply have to ignore them making sure you finish the task at hand. Other times you can give them your full attention and love on them in the way they need. They’re emotionally vulnerable as well, and their mood can change even quicker than a child in America (I promise it’s possible) Again this is where you extend grace and try to be understanding of what they’ve been through the past several months of their life.
11. God is still good. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one. I know that God is good. I really do. But when you hear stories of death, destruction, and you see the effects of war and pain you start to question it. God was constantly reminding me that he is still good despite this brokenness. It’s simple, the world is a broken place and needs the love of a savior. The sad circumstances of the thousands of people in the refugee camp does not change this fact. God is good. You may question it, but God will show you that he is good and he’s not the one that caused any of this. God never wanted this to happen to these people. You have the opportunity in the camp to show how God is good. The simple idea that you, as an American, would come over to Greece to simply help at the camp is mind boggling for most people. They don’t understand why you would do that, especially since you don’t get paid. And that’s the most beautiful thing of all. Through this questioning you can show and explain that it’s because of Jesus, that’s why you’re there at the camp.
