Ubering Down That Old Town Road

As I readjust to Eastern Standard Time and 24/7 air conditioning, I’ve thought a lot about what it means to be an American citizen. Many of the conversations I had with German and French couples eventually broached the topic of immigration, whether intentionally or accidentally. During the times my feet felt like they might fall off and I broke down and called an Uber, I met some of the most interesting people. Almost all of my Uber drivers in France and the UK were immigrants, many refugees fleeing unsafe situations in their home countries. Despite their non-native citizenship, these people I spoke with made every effort to learn the language of the country and identify themselves as French, German, English or what have you. They frequently discussed how isolating it was to be an immigrant (or refugee) in a new country and how few people made an effort to include them in…anything. It made me think about how we treat immigrants here in the US. If it’s isolating to be an immigrant in a country that for the most part welcomes them, I can’t imagine how hostile and isolating it must feel to be an immigrant from any country living in the US. With the current political situation, immigrants are not celebrated or welcomed; they’re interrogated and detained. For a country that was built on immigration, we’ve definitely forgotten that. I’m so thankful for this experience as it opened my eyes to what others experience every day and their feelings associated with not just moving to a new place, but fitting in, finding a tribe, a job, and making it a home. I really do believe I’ll be able to apply much of what we learned to my future classroom and hopefully with the NWH project, to my school community at large.