Hello dear friends, I returned to my home in Oakland, CA mid January 2025.  I had taken a fall on uneven sidewalk several months back (which caused a bad limp) and the pain continued since arriving home.  Last week, by the suggestion of the orthopedic surgeon, I had a total knee replacement and am now recovering. Sadly I cannot return to my refugee work in April as planned, but am hopeful of returning as soon as I’m confident on my feet. Despite this minor setback, I have continued my work with refugees abroad through NGOs and individuals that I have come to know throughout the years who often turn to…

I am in my last month helping refugees here in Greece.  Despite the cold winter months, people are still risking their lives to try to make it to a better life. So far this year, more than 49,000 asylum seekers and migrants – mostly from Syria, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea – have arrived in Greece by sea from Turkiye.   The camps are all full and the conditions grow worse.  The European Court recently ruled that the living conditions in the camps constitute “inhumane and degrading treatment” and that human rights are systematically violated.  There is great concern that the camps are becoming prisons, with no NGOs or…

Hello Dear Friends, With exhaustion, I write to you in my fourth week here in Greece.  Besides my old laptop giving up on me and needing repair, I have been very consumed.   I spend three days a week at the refugee center, offering English lessons, but also doing basic tasks such as helping to serve meals, providing coffee, holding babies and entertaining children, and mostly providing my attention and compassion to others.  In addition to offering language support, and purchasing and distributing essential supplies, I also help individuals and families navigate the asylum process.  And, of course, I help many independently based on their needs with food, money, asylum…

I am coming to the end of my three months here volunteering with refugees in Greece.  My heart aches for the many people I have met fleeing their countries and their horrid stories of what they have endured as well as in the long and difficult journeys to try to secure a better life.  Many are extremely educated and others are everyday families fleeing the wars and the horrors in their countries:  Taliban (in Afghanistan), Al-Shabaab (in Somalia), Houthis (in Yemen), Al-Assad’s regime (in Syria), etc.  I have truly met the most incredible people and am moved beyond words with what they have given up for safety and the hopes…

It is my second month of working with refugees in the camps in Greece that are the gateway for refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea and many other countries.  We do not see any Ukrainians as they are immediately given permission for asylum and can fly in (rather than come by unsafe rafts in the sea) securing housing, medical care, education and the right to work…special privileges unlike any other refugees fleeing their countries from war and persecution. After 3 weeks in Athens, I decided to return to Lesvos as the center I was volunteering at on the island asked for my assistance since the island is being…

Two weeks have passed since my last update.  I’m finally feeling fully recovered from the Covid and busy as ever. I continue to teach English and with my style of teaching (a lot of exaggerated drama and bringing in fruits, vegetables, and many items we learn), have become a favorite of the women.  My class size has grown from 8 to 42 at last count. Above, one day in class we discussed a bigger topic: ‘Things That Can Never Be Taken Away From You”.  It was a very interesting class and the women acknowledged that family, their hijab, their thoughts, their culture, flowers and even the sound of birds singing…

I arrived in Turkey on April 13th…was immediately taken in by customs officers because they were concerned about all the eyeglasses I was bringing (to donate to refugees). They refused to look at my paperwork (showing which NGO was accepting the eyeglasses) and confiscated all my luggage, charged me fines, and even made me miss my plane (costing a hefty $600+ to reschedule onto another flight and not lose my original return tickets.  Miserable start…  And, if that wasn’t bad enough, I developed a bad case of Covid (my first even being vacc’d and boosted).  I was sick in bed for 14 days…pretty miserable. While in Turkey, I walked the…