nancy graciously introduced me to some of the families who lived in refugee camps in bhutan. they are so gentle and kind. we visited 3 different apartments asking permission to photograph the families for my journalism project. at each house, we were given chai tea and it was the best chai tea i've ever had and the most i've ever had in one day! they used lipton tea, sugar and pepper. that's it! nancy and i probably had about 5 cups! meg nath wanted some portraits to send to his friends in nepal, he wanted the streets and buildings in the background to show he's in america where there are paved roads. out of the three families i visited, only one man had a job(that i know of). i am so proud to be from a country that rescues families in need, but i think more could be done to help employ those recently entering the united states, even if they do not speak english, we should have more bilengual supervisors. there is much we can learn from these families and i think the sooner we offer them opportunities to contribute to society, the less they will depend on others for basic things that most of us take for granted and will eventually find these things on their own which is a beautiful thing.

I'm doing a project on refugee families in Austin who come to the U.S. because they're either persecuted for religious or political reasons. This particular family is from Burundi. This family belongs to the twa ethnic group. The Twa are tiny people. I keep mistaking the father for the son, he is maybe 5 foot at most. (that's me next to the father and 12 year old daughter) If remained in Burundi this family would have been killed by the Hutu's, another ethnic group inhabiting Burundi. This family is so generous. But I won't be able to work with them. They love having their picture taken which doesn't aid to the story. There is so much of a language barrier that I don't know if I have time to wait around to figure out their story myself. So that being sad. On to a family from Burma or Iraq. Hopefully.

These photos are a little soft. The lighting is dim and I forgot to bring a flash! I'd like to say that it adds to the element of unfamiliarity to the family and culture as I've never been in a position to attempt to communicate with a family without a translator of any sort. But I don't know...