The value of people...

Hello!!

I hope everyone is doing well and recovering from all of the large amounts of turkey that were consumed!! I hope that at least someone took a bite of turkey in memory of me!!

This week has been flying by...perhaps partly due to the fact that it's getting darker much earlier now. I don't care for it but I know there is not much I can do about, something about the way the planets rotate!!

Outside of the darkness, my practicum continues to go well. I preface the following by saying that if I did not write this I would be supporting and facilitating what I saw. At the very least I hope to bring some awareness and the idea that injustice and suffering exist in all countries. No system is perfect and sadly many groups of people do not have a voice and the power to make their stories known...even in Finland. What I share is my experience, my understanding of the situation, and information given to me by various sources.

I visited a reception centre for asylum seekers yesterday. The outside of the building didn't look very friendly, quite institutional and cold. It was a former police training academy (at least that is what I told it was). The inside was worse...not only was it institutional but it was dingy, random wires poked out of the walls and ceilings, parts of the ceiling had fallen down, old mismatched furniture everywhere and it smelled absolutely horrible. The reception centre is currently closing but I asked whether or not I would have seen the same thing 1 year ago and the answer was yes, except that there would have been more people and it would have been slightly more organized. Some asylum seekers lived at the centre for 2 to 3 years, awaiting to hear whether or not they would be allowed to stay in Finland. Although they could come and go from the centre during the day, they had to notify staff if they were leaving for longer than 23 hours or else their room would be given away. Some asylum seekers called it an "open prison". Many of the asylum seekers recently received their residence permits and apartments, however, this seems to be in response to the fact that the centre is closing and they cannot ship so many people to the other centres. The centre is closing because the city of Tampere would not pay for maintenance of the building for many years and now it is so unsafe and not fit for living that it is being demolished. The city claims that there is no need for the centre as the number of asylum seekers is decreasing...perhaps this is true but I have to wonder how many asylum seekers here shared their experiences with those they left behind? I doubt that many would have come after hearing what the conditions were like. The remaining staff seemed defeated. They had petitioned the city for many years to have the centre renovated and maintained, however, they now feel that the city is cutting all funding and closing the centre in order to send a message to asylum seekers...the message seems to be "Finland does not want you". The building was a very physical representation of how much value the city of Tampere (and perhaps Finland) places on asylum seekers. This was very difficult for me to see...I felt sick most of the day and I had to hold back tears. My heart broke when two small children, a boy and a girl, about 5 and 3 years old, came running out of one room. They were beautiful and full of life. The contrast between them and the environment they have been forced to live in was appalling. How can children be allowed to live in these conditions?? Especially in such an affluent country. Of course several arguments can be made..."these conditions are better than in the refugee camps they were in", "at least they are safe", "this is not permanent". These are nothing more than excuses coming from people that cannot begin to understand the injustice being inflicted on such a vulnerable (yet extremely resilient) population. I have visited many organizations that provide services to Finnish citizens...they are clean, safe, well-decorated, maintained, and welcoming. I understand that asylum seekers are not Finnish citizens and they do not pay taxes, however, this does not justify their living conditions. Sadly, the remaining asylum seekers that are unable to obtain their residence permits and an apartment in Tampere will be shipped to northern Finland...apparently the north is much less welcoming and some immigrants have been literally run out of town. I understand that conditions in this country are much better than in many other countries but this does not make what I saw right. If we allow ourselves to think "well, it could be worse" then I think we are falling into a very dangerous way of thinking.

I have been thinking as to why I have so many mixed feelings about my experiences in Tampere. I have come to realize that this is partly due to the fact that I am here to see unpleasant things. This is part of the profession I decided to pursue. It was foolish for me to have thought I would not come across injustice. There are always groups of people that society deems as disposable. If anything I am beginning to think that this is a worldwide phenomenon.

I send my love to you all. I hope that this entry has made you stop to reflect and appreciate all of the wonderful people, opportunities, and experiences in your life. If anything, my time away has helped me realize even more how blessed I am.

Bug