I work as a tutor for international students and I love my job; I find these students to be dedicated, intelligent, and fascinating. They come from diverse backgrounds and they love discussing the differences between their cultures and ours. The students are hardworking and compassionate, and they have a desire to be friends with American students. Many of these students have battled things that we only hear about in the news. These students are fighting every day here, too. They are fighting to get past a long list of stereotypes perpetuated by the spread of misinformation and on-the-spot judgements. When I look at my students, I see eagerness and kindness. They are overwhelmed with the pressure put upon them both by their governments and our government, yet they still make an effort to be friendly and polite. Sure, there are rude students, just like there are rude students all over campus. The majority of international students want to reach out to Americans, but they are nervous. They are well aware of the stereotypes that surround them, and they know that many Americans will have a negative opinion of them before they even introduce themselves. This is something I am aware of, and I think about it every time I work with them.
During my last shift, I worked with a young woman from Syria. We had a half hour long appointment, and she wanted to practice her speech in front of me. This isn't unusual; every term, we have large groups of students who come in for appointments for communications classes. However, her speech was unlike any other speech that I've heard. She agreed to email it to me so I could share it with you all:
"The war has been going on for six years, I’m saying this to show how I have experienced life while my country have a war in it. If you guys listen to me very carefully, you guys will understand what I’m feeling and what I have been going through. What I’m going through is 100 percent of what the Syrians are thinking and feeling. I’m one of the thousands of people trying to show people what we are feeling.
"Today, I would like to share my life story and how Syria is affecting me and my life. I always think about what will happen tomorrow... I’m afraid to lose everything I have. Because of Syria, we might be kicked out of Saudi Arabia — where we live now. My dad's boss got fired because he’s Syrian. If I can’t go to my country, and where I live now is kind of kicking us out, where should we go? How can we live? What might happen to us? I have a really nice family and I’m afraid to lose them. I’m the oldest, my father is trying to make me responsible for everything; that’s not bad, but it's scary. I’m afraid to lose everything I have. I started to think that I don’t have to pass any classes because I might not be able to finish school. Who knows what will happen?
"I have a sister. She’s three years old and she [has not entered] school. Imagine what her life is going to be. I used to travel to Syria three times a year, and every time, I stayed at least a month over there, but the last time was five years ago. I have an uncle; he used to live in Syria but he moved from Syria to Saudi Arabia because he lost his house. Everything he had was in the house. The most important things were his money, and his [deeds for other houses.] He lost everything; he has nothing to prove any more that the other houses [belong to him.] He came back to us saying ‘I lost everything; I have nothing,’ he was devastated. Imagine if my dad wasn’t there [to help him.]
"This is why I am afraid. I think every second something might happen to me; like, I get a phone call from my family and they tell me something bad happened. Life is not easy at all, especially when you know that you are staying here or there temporarily. The war affected my country and I’m getting hurt more and more. I know we might be kicked out of any place we go. I have a really nice family and I don’t want to lose any one of them. They’re the most important people in my life."
At her request, I have not included the student's name in order to protect her privacy.
After she delivered her speech, she described the way people treat her here in America. She said that there is a devastating war going on in her home country, and she feels like every day, she is judged for it. So many Americans find out that she is Syrian and immediately begin to label her, judge her, or even advise her on how to deal with the conflict in her own country. People make bomb jokes about her. Teachers give lectures about what is going on in Syria and she finds that they are hugely misinformed and that they are spreading negativity and misinformation to her peers. This student is going through a horrific amount of stress, and she can't even spend time with her family. She is afraid to go back home because she worries that soon the U.S. might stop allowing foreign exchange students from Syria; she is anxious every day for her family members, who are Syrian refugees.
Imagine how she feels: living in a country where many of the citizens think she is a criminal and a representative of a potential death threat. She hears political candidates on the news spreading hate speech about her people; she watches them propose to ban her people from seeking refuge here. Meanwhile, her family is in turmoil. Unfortunately, even after years living in America, she is not immune to the hateful things that are said about her and her country. She is desperately trying to make people understand that she is not the violent stereotype so many Americans perceive her as, and that Syrians are not evil. Her country is plastered all over the news, and yet no one covers stories like hers. Many people in America (and other countries, for that matter) demand that Syrians be banned, but they refuse to listen to Syrian people's perspectives.
Her story is one of the saddest examples of America's obsession with stereotypes and fear-induced hatred. She is no more dangerous than you or I, but she faces blatant judgement and discrimination here. She does not exemplify any aspect of the stereotypes surrounding Syrians. If I've learned anything from her story, it's that America needs to pipe down and start inspecting the way we label others based on popular media and what our politicians feed us.