Sometimes, You DO Have to Live Like a Refugee

 We are now living in a country that, not long ago, had the greatest number of refugees in the world.  During the years of civil war and the Taliban rule, roughly 5 million Afghans - at least 20% of the country's population- fled to Pakistan, Iran, India or (for the handful of lucky ones) Europe or the US.  Most have come back - which means that Afghanistan is now one of the countries with the highest rates of internally displaced people, since millions have returned not to their former homes but to new starts in Kabul or elsewhere around the country.  So we understand the gravity, the importance, and often the tragedy of refugees and their search for a safe haven.

But this blog isn't intended to be a serious discussion of serious issues, and certainly isn't meant to touch on any issues related to our work.  One thing we learned during our trip back to the US is that Afghanistan is not the only country to know refugees, and that Pakistan is not the only country to have served as a haven for the homeless and uprooted.  America, too, has a long history of refugees and havens.  As the Statue of Liberty itself says, "Give us your tired, your poor, your curdled masses."  And in northern Ohio, they offer just that sort of haven - and not just for people.  Anybody could do it for people.  It takes a special place to offer asylum to dairy products.