From Refugee Camp to Refuge for Others F rom R ef u gee C a mp to R ef u ge f or O t he rs January’s Story
Seventeen years ago, a 10-year-old girl named January Htoo stepped off a plane in Chicago after traveling halfway around the world from a refugee camp in Myanmar. She remembers the cold first.“It was my first time seeing snow,” January says. “Everything felt completely new.” Until then, January’s world had been a refugee camp made up of bamboo homes with dirt floors and tin roofs. Families cooked over firewood and lit their homes with candles. Children played near streams winding through the camp, while parents carried the constant burden of uncertainty.
There were moments of joy, but also moments of fear. Sometimes fires swept through the camp without warning, reducing homes to ash in minutes. Safety was never guaranteed. Opportunity was scarce. Education was limited. Reflecting back on this time, January now says “We left the camp seeking safety, better opportunities, and a future with education and work.” When January, her mother, and her brother arrived in Chicago through the refugee resettlement process, they entered a world of unfamiliar routines and difficult firsts: airplanes, cars, winter coats, grocery stores, classrooms, a new language. “The first week, I was trying to adjust to school, new routines, and new surroundings,” she recalls. “The cold was overwhelming.” Like many newly resettled refugee families, the challenges facing January’s family were daunting. January’s mother, Juna Paw, the sole provider for the household, had to learn to navigate Chicago’s public transportation system and maintain steady employment, all while speaking little to no English. There were also financial pressures that many people do not realize refugees carry upon arrival in the United States. Refugee families are required to repay the cost of their flights to the U.S., and for years January’s family went without internet access at home while working to pay off that debt and cover basic necessities. But amid all the uncertainty, one relationship would change the course of January’s life. At the time, Lynn Gordon was volunteering with Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Program. When January’s family needed help navigating their new life, Lynn showed up. She helped January with homework and English tutoring. She helped her get a school uniform. But it was the smaller moments January remembers most vividly. Her first birthday cake. Her first Christmas present. Trips to the zoo, baseball games, and movies. Most importantly, January remembers the feeling those moments created. “It made us feel safe,” she says.
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