During the past nine weeks, our program has been focused around the topic of immigration and the changing Italian identity. As a part of this program I have been able to deepen my knowledge on this subject by spending time in the Joel Nafuma Migrant Center. This center is located in the crypt of St. Paul’s Church on Via Nazionale. The Joel Nafuma Migrant Center is dedicated to helping refugees become better accustomed to life here in Rome. According to their website, this center offers a place where these refugees can come “to get advice and aid, spend time with people who speak their own language, watch news bulletins from around the world, learn English, Italian, computer skills, and basic skills to help them adjust to life in Europe.” Overall, this experience let me see first hand how immigrants are becoming accustomed to life in Italy. In addition, I was able to walk away with a sense that I was able to make a difference in peoples lives.
In these past eight weeks, I have spent two days a week volunteering my time at the Joel Nafuma Migrant Center. On Tuesdays I usually spend the beginning of my time there in the kitchen. Here I help Salva, a refugee from Russia who once came to the center, prepare tea and cornettos. This job consists of making two large pots of tea and pouring them into cups. At 10:30am, we have the refugees form a line as we pass out these cups of tea along with a cornetto. After cleaning up the kitchen we move into the classroom where we teach English. When we come on Thursday afternoons we also help out in the classroom. Here, we have those at the center who want to learn English gather. Depending on who shows up, we devise a lesson plan around their knowledge level. This is often the most difficult part since usually the refugees that show up come from a variety of educational backgrounds. In addition to teaching English, we also help those who are interested in learning how to use the computer. In the classroom there are computers with special typing programs to aid the refugees in becoming more accustomed to the technologically advanced lifestyle in Italy. Many who come into the classroom wanting to use the computers have never used one before or are just starting to learn how to type. In addition to helping with tea and teaching, our group also helps out in the utility room passing out used clothes and hygiene products such as shampoo, razors and toothbrushes. Although this is not the job I usually assist in, I have spent a few of my days volunteering in this room. In the end, I feel as if our work volunteering in this wide range of activities has proven to make a difference at the center.
When I first arrived at the Joel Nafuma Migrant Center, I have to admit that I did not feel comfortable. Turning the corner into the main room at the center, I felt as if hundreds of eyes turned to look at the definite outsider barging into their personal space. Being an American female of middle-upper class it was obvious I did not belong. Before this time, I had not found myself in such a situation that involved myself feeling like such an outcast. I remember how I kept thinking how I was going to interact with these refugees if there was nothing we had in common since for most we did not even share a common language.
After a few weeks I began to get more comfortable interacting with the refugees. Everyone at the center began to recognize us as regulars and the glares once we entered began to fade. During our time making tea with Salva, he was able to inform us about the background stories of many of the refugees which made me feel more comfortable. He talked about how many were forced to leave their families and extremely unhappy being here in Italy. This helped explain the sorrow in people’s faces and the unapproachable attitude many possessed. He talked about how some wanted to talk, some wanted help fitting into Italian society and others just wanted to be left alone. It was up to them to approach you, and other than just wait there really was not much one could do to help these refugees. This talk with Salva helped me to both understand the stories of many of these refugees as well as not feel as if it was up to me to help everyone, since many wanted to be left alone. In addition, through learning more about immigration, migrants and the situation going on in Italy in class, I began to feel more comfortable spending time and interacting with people at the center. In particular, Grillo and Pratt’s piece titled “The Politics of Recognizing Difference” and Kitty Calavits’s “Law, immigration and exclusion in Italy and Spain” helped lay out the tension and marginalization of immigrants in Italy. My frame of reference had shifted as a result of my time in Italy in addition to my better understanding of the immigration process and situation going on in Italy from class. During our English lessons, we were able to speak with a few about the changing identity of Italy which enabled me to connect with these refugees on a deeper level since I was informed on the issue. By the time our time at the refugee center, I had become very familiar with the process at the center and had made many connections with the refugees.
Even though I was able to learn a lot about the Joel Nafuma Migrant Center, I still have many questions. It would be interesting to learn more about the history of the center as far as the story about how it began. It would also be interesting to get more information about those refugees I was never able to interact with due to the language barrier. I felt as if many had a very interesting story to tell as far as why they were in Italy and what life was like back at home to make them chose to move to Italy. In addition, it would be interesting to learn more about these refugees integration into Italian society once arriving. The language barrier hindered conversation that was this detailed. Some of these questions as far as ones about the center could be answered through contacting the coordinator Tuana while others about refugee’s personal stories will probably never be answered due to privacy issues and language barriers. In the end, I enjoyed my time at the migrant center. It was interesting to be able to work with and aid migrants first hand with the integration process in Italy, which is something we were studying in class.
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