Monday, July 19, 2010
Closer to home, in a couple of ways
I received a phone call the other day:
“Hello Paul! Guess what? I’m your neighbour now! My asylum claim has been recognised and now I live near your house, want to come over and see my new place?”
I was elated when I heard this. I had lost contact with my Afgan friend ‘Dehqan’ when he had been moved to the east of Glasgow last year.
I learned two pieces of good news in that phone call: he was granted asylum and can now move on with his life, and that he’s living nearby. The building where Dehqan is now living is newly built and the neighbourhood is a vast improvement on his previous place.
Dehqan says it’s a stroke of luck, but I believe it might be something more providential.
Dehqan is great example to others in his situation. While on asylum support, he worked extremely hard on his English, even learning Glasgow slang in his spare time; he is not far from fluency. Immediately after he received ‘leave to remain’, he found a job at a restaurant; unsociable hours, but he sees it as a temporary solution to help him raise some money for driving lessons – his ‘dream job’ is to be a Glasgow bus driver (he called up FirstBus and found out that they have a training scheme after he gets his licence). It may seem like a modest dream, but he has a plan and is working hard at it.
“Hello Paul! Guess what? I’m your neighbour now! My asylum claim has been recognised and now I live near your house, want to come over and see my new place?”
I was elated when I heard this. I had lost contact with my Afgan friend ‘Dehqan’ when he had been moved to the east of Glasgow last year.
I learned two pieces of good news in that phone call: he was granted asylum and can now move on with his life, and that he’s living nearby. The building where Dehqan is now living is newly built and the neighbourhood is a vast improvement on his previous place.
Dehqan says it’s a stroke of luck, but I believe it might be something more providential.
Dehqan is great example to others in his situation. While on asylum support, he worked extremely hard on his English, even learning Glasgow slang in his spare time; he is not far from fluency. Immediately after he received ‘leave to remain’, he found a job at a restaurant; unsociable hours, but he sees it as a temporary solution to help him raise some money for driving lessons – his ‘dream job’ is to be a Glasgow bus driver (he called up FirstBus and found out that they have a training scheme after he gets his licence). It may seem like a modest dream, but he has a plan and is working hard at it.
The other thing worth mentioning about Dehqan is that he is “a seeker” – his own words. He came to a couple of the Bible studies at our flat and was asking when they would start up again.
I spent the evening catching up with him, drinking tea, and eating Afghan chicken curry; it was a bit like a celebration.
Many reasons to thank God.
Dad