The Beginning

So, this is it. The waiting, the anticipation for this moment, has been enormous. I think back to when I first applied to Boston College's Graduate School of Social Work, hoping to enter the Global Practice program, and wondering just where I would be placed once I found out that I had been accepted. And now, I am here. In high school, I remember very distinctly writing in a scrapbook we had to make for a theology class about how, in ten years, I saw myself working for some sort of humanitarian agency abroad. Okay, so this might be only an internship, but hey, I'm getting there! I will be the first to admit that I'm not a patient person, so it's kind of ironic that one of my goals in life is to make change slowly, to paraphrase a similar expression uttered by Professor Lombe, which is exactly what the Loretto Community in New York (where I spent nine months after college) and others like it did every day when they advocate at the United Nations and what Jesuit Refugee Services Europe does by pressing the European Union to reevaluate policies and positions that may be adversely effecting an already marginalized population: aslyum seekers and refugees. Before I clarify the difference in aslyum seekers, refugees, and internally displaced persons for those of you reading this who may not be as familiar with these terms, I want to first paint the scene.

Brussels, Belgium is not exactly where one interested in international development might first think of moving.If you are a fan of great beer, well, then perhaps it is one of the first places to come to mind. Belgium is a highly developed country, and the city of Brussels is filled with exactly what you would hope to find in Europe: 1 euro waffles, frites drenched in sauce oozing out of a giant sub sandwhich type bun, cobblestone streets, towering elegant buildings, and grandiose steeples with melodius church bells echoing as a soundtrack. On my first afternoon out with my roommate, a 22-year old law student from Germany and our suitemate, a 25-year old German/Italian working as a trainee at the European Commission (which oversees the implementation of EU policies), I was impressed by the clean streets and fresh air and the sound of lilting French accents beautifully spilling out around me.

However, if you are as interested as I am in how policies can and do affect people too often not given a platform to speak, then Brussels, the epicenter for European Union interactions and a perfect example of a place divided between its EU/politician area versus the rest of the city, is the perfect place to be to advocate for social justice and for all voices to be considered and heard. The EU is one of the largest donors to developing countries, but there are also issues within EU borders that need to be addressed as well. I am very excited and eager to spend the next three months learning about and identifying some of these barriers to social change as well as hoping to gain a better understanding and perspective on the work that Jesuit Refugee Service does to accompany refugees and aslyum seekers on their journeys.