The other day I picked up a small family from Burma (west of Thailand) at the airport. I drove them back to the office, and as we got out of the car and walked inside, the woman bent over in the parking lot and touched the snow. She seemed a little hesitant to touch it and looked very pleased once she did. One of the first questions that people ask is "how long does the winter last?" I've had a good time shocking the new arrivals by grabbing a handful of snow and eating it. They always want to know what it tastes like.
The Burmese carry their kids on their back, much like the Guatemalans.
Today I picked up a man from Burundi (south of Rwanda and west of Tanzania in eastern Africa). As we rode the escalator in the airport he said the French word for "technology" and kind of shook his head and smiled. Many new arrivals aren't sure how to navigate an escalator and some are even afraid of it so we often take the stairs in the airport. As we drove back to the airport this man's first question about the US was whether or not people walked anywhere or if they all just drove cars. It was snowing so we only saw two or three people walking the whole way back.
This week we were able to get jobs for 13 men at a Marriott hotel in Park City, which is a big step for them. It is their first job in the US and I think it will give them a sense of accomplishment and self-respect being able to work and support themselves rather than just depending on someone else for everything.
