Chapter 15

"The Road to Refugee Resettlement," by Dianna Shandy, is, to say the least, an eye-opener. And it was definetly my favorite of all the enthnographies we read this semester. The structure of the piece made it feel more like a story then any other ethnography. The beginning of the story of the Nuer youth and the ceremonial scaring seemed like it was going to be what the entire story was about. But, it was overshadowed by the theme of immigration, and more specifically the immigration process for refugees. I thought Thok Ding’s story was interesting. The way it begins with him being in refugee camps and that being the way he gains his education was inspirational. And then, he learned, like other refugees did, to tell a refugee story without making yourself the dramatic murderer. His experience in America was fascinating. He found other Nuer to live with, even though the United States separates groups of refugees to speed up the process of assimilation.

Shandy mentions that in America, when a person is educated they are deemed either underemployed or their degree is not recognized (157). My boyfriend lives in the Lower East Side and frequently visits the local hookah bars. A lot of the employees at the Cozy Café are immigrants and they are college graduates in their countries. One man, Ayman, has a degree in accounting in Egypt but his degree isn’t acknowledged here. His English is impeccable, as are his social skills. I’m around him a lot and I just think it’s unfortunate that he has to pursue his degree yet again here in America. One of my sorority sisters is married to a man from Brazil and his degree is also ignored. He also has to take jobs that he would never have to consider if he still lived in Brazil. I think this is an extreme disservice to the immigrants that come to this country. It’s an injustice that could definitely be remedied through a qualification test or something.

Shandy, Dianna. “The Road to Refugee Resettlement.” Conformity and Conflict. Pearson 2008. pp. 151-160