TheBurg

06.17 | theburg | 21 "America is very nice," she said in English. Her favorite new word: "OK." For her, Harrisburg's vast array of flowers— and elevators—were among her most dazzling discoveries here. Beck said that, since 2008, some 8,000 Bhutanese and Nepali refugees, rejected by their government, have been resettled in the Harrisburg area. Adhikari said the program resettled about 300 refugees last year, with the majority hailing from Bhutan. e refugees receive help with life skills, language, housing and jobs. How to use a debit card, write a check, follow directions on a pill bottle, and ask for directions are some of the first skills taught. Beck noted that only about 1 percent of the world's refugees are resettled. With more than 21.5 million people considered to be refugees worldwide, each country picks the numbers they can take. In recent years, the United States has agreed to take in about 80,000. Many refugees are settled together in apartments on Green Street, which can be challenging when families are large and multi-generational. e program's goal is independence within three months. Many refugees find jobs in the midstate's vibrant warehouse, packaging and health care industries. Many enroll at HACC. Often, they work two and three jobs, double shifts, Patterson said, and are "extremely entrepreneurial." Stowell quotes one refugee as he adjusted to America: "I had to be like a baby again." As they cope in this brave new world, "Mostly they just need a friend," said Patterson, someone to visit, to take them to appointments. She finds that most refugee children suffer from severe loneliness, trying to transition from the trauma in their native land to the trauma of separation and a strange new land. One bond the class all seems to share—how laughably bad Google Translate is, Stowell said. But everything else—all good. "ey love the house, the food, the clothes," said Adhikari. "ere is fresh air. ere is peace in America. ere is no one knocking at their door at midnight. In America, they can sleep here fearlessly." He is eager for the day he can take the formal oath as an American citizen. "We can work independently," he said. "We can live independently. We can live our own life. is is the dream place for people all over the world." One hand signal they all seem to know transcends the barriers of language and culture. When asked where they would be without the refugee program, they all speak in their native tongue in a verbal deluge of gratitude, and then, reflexively, they touch their heart. June 20 is World Refugee Awareness Day. For more information about Catholic Charities, Diocese of Harrisburg, including immigration and refugee services, visit www.cchbg.org.

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