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Lala’s experiences volunteering with refugees from the Middle East.

Service

5 Things You Didn’t Know about Afghans

Posted on August 10, 2019
5 things you didn't know about Afghans, moria refugee camp, lesvos, greece, flag of afghanistan

Last winter, I had the opportunity of making many Afghan friends on a Greek island called Lesbos. When I first arrived at the refugee camp, it was embarrassing how little I knew about the Afghan community. I didn’t know anything about their customs, or even what language they spoke. It didn’t take me too long to find out how amazing, friendly, and welcoming they are. Surprisingly, they are similar to us Colombians in many ways. I want to honor my Afghan friends, and all the other Afghans that have had to leave their land involuntarily by sharing some of the things I learned about them during my time in Lesbos. It would be good for people to know a little more about them instead of the usual, incorrect stereotype.

Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Afghans:

1. Dari (Persian) and Pashto are the Official Languages of Afghanistan

When I encountered my first Afghan family in camp, I didn’t know what language they spoke. If you asked me then, I probably would have answered “I don’t know…Afghan? ” Many people would possibly answer the same thing. Both Dari and Pashto are the official languages of Afghanistan, but Dari is spoken more widely. Dari is the name of the Persian language in Afghanistan, but most people know it as Farsi (“Persian”).

Although the writing looks a little intimidating, learning Farsi is not that hard after all. The way it’s structured is pretty straight forward. By the end of my last trip, I was able to communicate pretty well with my broken Farsi. I would say the pronunciation is an interesting mix between Spanish and German.

2. Afghans are Incredibly Friendly and Welcoming

Pretty much everyone in camp refer to volunteers as “my friend,” and once they know our names, they always greet us by name whenever they see us.

For them, guests are a blessing. This means they are always ready to welcome people into their homes and share with them. Everyone in the house will make sure to make the guests feel at home. They will make the most of however much they have.

Even though the Afghans in at the refugee camp deserve a more appropriate space to live, and their current conditions are far from ideal, this doesn’t stop them from inviting people over to share a meal or a cup of tea.

Since food options are very limited in camp, they get very creative with their cooking, and it’s soooo good. Meals are an event, an experience, ideally where everyone eats from the same big dish in the middle. Thanks to them, I had the best omelet I have ever tried in my life! 

3. They Have a Different Calendar Than Ours

I spent new year’s in camp, and nobody in camp seemed to care much about the date. It was a regular day for everyone. I realized then that they had nothing to celebrate, since their new year is on a different date. So, when do they celebrate and what do they do?

Afghans take celebrations seriously, and they know how to have a good time. Their new year’s celebration lasts 3 days! Nowruz literally means “new day” in Persian and is the name of the Persian New Year. March 21 is the date that marks the beginning of a new year and the first day of spring. They start their celebrations around March 19 and feast with friends and relatives for 3 full days! Some even celebrate during the whole week. Later in the year, they have two even bigger celebrations where they get together with family, friends, colleagues, and share meals together. Children usually get money from all their relatives during these celebrations, so they also get their share.

Their week starts on Saturday شنبه (pronounced Shambe) and ends on Friday جمعه (pronounced Jom-a)

4. Afghan and Colombian Timing Works the Same Way

Let’s say you have an appointment with someone at 2:00pm:

If you arrive at 2:00pm you’re early.

If you arrive at 2:10pm you’re on time.

If you arrive at 2:30pm you’re a bit late.

If you arrive at 1:50pm you’re not from around there.

Being 15 minutes “late” is totally fine. So even though our calendars are different, our minutes are the same!

5. Afghans are High-Contact People

Like Colombians, Afghans come from a high-contact culture. This means that they keep a close interpersonal distance, make more eye contact, and tend to touch each other more often. They greet each other with a kiss on the cheek (or three) or with a big hug. It may surprise you that this only happens between men or between women. Normally, there is no physical contact between men and women, unless they are married or siblings.

BONUS!

  • Colombians (especially those from Bogota) and Afghans look alike.
  • They have a great sense of humor.
  • It’s normal for Afghans to have middle names.
  • Ali and Fatima are very common names because of their religious connotation – like Juan and María in Latin America.
  • Tea is always special, and they drink it all the time – after dinner, lunch, with guests, after working out…

I’m psyched to tell you that I’m going to work with these amazing people for three more months this fall! I’m heading to Greece tonight to work in the same camp as I did last time and I’m thrilled to reunite with some of my Afghan friends!

You can read a little about my last trip here!

Service

It’s Not Over

Posted on March 12, 2019
serving in Lesvos, refugee camp in Greece, adventure, friends, mytilene

“Finish” “Tamam” “Hallas” That’s what we would say in camp after completing a task, after a family was completely moved in and pretty ok with their new place, when convincing a person that we had to take down the structure where their neighbors used to live, or after agreeing on a temporary solution with someone. Now my time serving in Lesvos is over, and I’m back home. Before I left for this adventure, I thought this was going to be a once in a life time trip. I knew I needed to do it, and I knew it was going to be life changing; but I didn’t imagine I would long to go back. Now I’m longing to be back.  

I spent my last days on the island living on a boat. It was a great experience.  My team left before I did, so I got some extra days to hang out with my friends from the camp and say goodbye. On my last days I got to see some of the behind the scenes of camp. I got to see the warehouse where clothing and other donations are stored, and I got to attend a Women’s day. Once a week women can go to a place outside of camp to get their nails done, talk, paint, get make up done, and sometimes even get massages. During my time in Lesvos I visited a place called “The Hope Project” a lot. It’s a space open to anyone who wants to come and paint and draw. Everything is provided, they just have to do the painting. I got some painting lessons from my friends and got to spend good times with them there. It was very good to see all the organizations that contribute to camp and all the different things that go on on the island.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish my time in Lesvos.

After all my plans to have the best last night failed, I was left with no choice but to walk back to Mytiline one last time. This was a one hour walk that I did many times from Panagiouda, the town where I was living at first, to the main city, Mytilene. I had just started to walk when I ran into a group of friends that I hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to. It was perfect timing. That was good enough to finish my day. But as I kept walking, I saw a group of people gathered in a parking lot playing some game. Turns out I knew them and some of the closest friends I had made in camp were there! It was like a dream. I spent my last night on the island playing charades, soccer, and other neighborhood games, drinking coke in a parking lot with the very same friends I had said goodbye to that morning.  I did not expect to see them again so soon!

  • serving in Lesvos, refugee camp in Greece, friends, adventure, soccer
    Another night, at another parking lot, playing soccer with my friends from camp.
  • refugee camp in greece, serving in lesvos, nighttime funtime
So many other things didn’t go the way I expected them to.

Like that time when I finished my three-week series of only-night-shifts. I had learned so much Farsi during that time and was really excited to use it in the following shifts. It was going to come in very handy for the morning tasks. Turns out I was only dealing with Arabic families the following days. All I knew how to say in Arabic was shukran which means “thank you” and alibaba which is just slang for “thief” or “bad guy”. That was not helpful enough to deal with what I had to. I also thought I’d be done with night shifts for a while… I was wrong. Even as I planned this trip, volunteering in Lesvos wasn’t my first choice (but it definitely was the best).

On one of my days off, there was a fire that completely burned out one of the big tents that housed around 50 refugees. I happened to drive past the camp at that moment. That day, I thought I was going to leave camp with some heroic stories of how hard I worked on my day off helping out during this chaotic event. I ended up having lunch in one of the food trucks outside and walking back home because the volunteers on shift had it covered.

These are just a couple of those things that didn’t quite go as I thought they were supposed to. I learned that there are many things I don’t control and that it is perfectly fine. These were constant reminders that God is in control, always. Even when I thought “I’ve got this,” even on my days off, and even now that I’m on the other side of the world. It is because of Him and not me that so many good things are happening on the island. I’m just a small part of it.

I learned many other things. I learned to be a better listener, and to be slow to speak. To be humble always. To consider others more important than myself. To look out for the interests of others. I learned not to judge. That there’s no way to hide His love. I learned that what comes from Him is so much bigger and stronger than the evilest things in this world. I’ve understood how precious each person that has arrived on the island is. I treasured each and every person I met in camp. I learned that I don’t have the power to change the way things are, and that’s also ok. These lessons are all works in progress in my life, but this experience allowed me to grow loads in those areas.

One of the most important things I learned was that humanitarian aid without God is meaningless. We could provide better housing, give away the best heaters, pairs of shoes, new jackets, blankets, tarps, we could provide anything they need and say yes to all their requests, and that still wouldn’t be enough. It is meaningless if there is no love. Providing temporary relief means nothing if there isn’t something beyond that, like eternal life in Jesus maybe? Now that’s something that will last more than a lifetime.  

I should probably tell you that I’m already planning to go back to Lesvos later this year to keep on working with these amazing people. Again, thank you for contributing one way or another to this extraordinary story. Thanks for your donations, for your prayers, your good vibes, for buying chocolate chip cookies (there will be more of those for sure), and for reading my blog posts thoroughly.

Until next time!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

Our service blogs will continue shortly… click here to read all my posts while in Greece!

Service

Seven Weeks in Gr[a]ce

Posted on February 15, 2019
refugee camp in Greece, Lesvos, mytilene, grace, missionary

My first days here, I was surprised by the welcoming greetings and thankful hearts of most people in camp as they waved and said “hello, my friend”. I didn’t know their names or their stories yet. Now I know many more people thanks to the art of gate guarding. I know their names, their stories, and I have built beautiful relationships with them. Now, as I walk up and down the hill of the refugee camp, it sounds more like “Chetori Lala, Khubi?” (in farsi “How are you Lala, are you fine?”) A couple of my younger friends call me “Abjé” (sister). One of my friends tells her 3-year-old son to call me “Khale Lala” (aunt Lala), and I just love it! I thought that coming here would mean taking a huge step out of my comfort zone, but I feel pretty comfortable here. In Spanish we would say “Estoy en mi salsa”. I know for sure that the hardest part will be leaving.

I’ve made friendships in camp that will not end when I leave Lesvos. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with them, mostly outside of camp. We’ve been out for ice cream, shared many meals and so many teas, gone out for a run, been to church, and sat and talked for a long time. I’m really grateful for all those amazing relationships I got to build during this time.

Grace /ˈgrās/: unmerited assistance given to someone for their regeneration or sanctification.

Before I came here, I was told that the only thing that never changes about camp is that it’s always changing. That’s true. Well, partially true. What I have to do and how I do things is always different but the why always stays the same. So, why am I here?

I came here as a missionary, and by no means did I come to get conversion trophies. I came to accompany people in their suffering. To be a friend for them during these hard times, and share with them the reason for the hope that I have. To share the love and the joy that can only come from above, and let them know that they can also have that. I’m here because there’s a gracious God that loves them and cares for them. His goodness and grace are no secret in this place. It’s so real and so amazing!

I experienced it not long after I arrived in camp.

Olive Grove (AKA ‘the jungle’) is the worst zone in camp according to many people. It may not be a good place to be during the winter, but this place has the best view in camp and witnesses the best sunrises and sunsets.

One of my first days in camp I was up in the jungle, and all I saw was despair. People that were forced out of their countries had to sleep in a place like this. Cold, and sometimes wet. I’m a huge fan of adventure and camping, and have even had my tent flooded before. I even get a little excited when those type of things happen. But I understood that not everyone was like that, and having to sleep in these conditions without even liking the outdoors is not fun. Many agree that there’s absolutely nothing good about the jungle. As I was thinking that, I turned around and I saw the most amazing sunset in the mountains. And then I knew that in the midst of disaster, where nothing good should happen, where even in suffering there is so much evil, where people have no compassion for one another knowing that they have been there themselves, there is grace. I knew then that the hands that hold the universe are also holding this camp, and that God’s abounding grace is always there.

About my Shifts

Morning shifts are a change from day to night. One morning shift could look like this: Arrive in camp at 8am. My friends from new arrivals greet me. Some say “Hola, como estas? Como te fue hoy?” (Yes, in spanish) with their Afghan accent. I census and check where I can house new arrvials. 5 year-old Ahmed finds me, sticks with me for whatever I’m doing. Convince people to make some space in their temporary homes for the new arrivals. Answer many questions. Say “no” to a lot of their requests. Say hello here and there. Insist that if they don’t accept the new family, they will have to sleep outside for the night. Have a meal and tea with a friend. Again, negotiate with the people to make room for the family that just arrived. Help new arrivals move in. Finally.

It wasn’t all morning shifts after my last post. I still worked many nights, but it was not bad at all. It was fun going back to the gates and being with my friends. I heard so many stories, had so many funny moments, saw many fights, so much sorrow, and witnessed so many good things.

I’ve treasured every minute I’m here. My team just left, and things will look a little different for me on these last days. For now, all I can say is that I’ll be staying on a boat in Mytilene! Who would’ve thought?

Stay tuned…I’ll tell you all about it!

You can read all the posts from my time in this refugee camp in Greece here!

Service

They’re All Worth It

Posted on January 17, 2019
guarding gates at camp during the night in Lesbos Greece, volunteering, social service, adventure, God's love, refugee camp, life vests

Am I happy, shocked, angry, sad? It’s not possible to choose one when there are so many things happening in one night. It’s been almost three weeks of guarding gates at camp during the night. It’s been almost three weeks of standing in front of a gate making sure the right people go in. Layered up in the cold, in this rainy season, I get to accompany so many people through these hard times. Many have told me: “What are you doing here?” “Just go home and sleep!” “Don’t you have anything better to do?” but someone’s got to do the job! And if I can do anything that helps prevent bad things from happening and keep people safe at night, I will. Sometimes it may seem dull to be in the same two square meters for 8 hours, checking police papers and controlling the entrance, but these people are completely worth it.

A summary of one night can look like this: Arrive in camp at 4:00pm and go to the gate. I get good news from my 12-year-old friend from Yemen saying that he got a blue stamp and a transfer to Athens. He and his family finally get asylum after 5 months in camp. There are electricity problems. I hear over the walkie that there’s a fight in a certain place and that I can´t let anyone in or out for a while. Good news about the boy that got stabbed the other night, he is recovering fast. More electricity problems. Terrible news about a young man’s death in camp. My 11-year-old Afghan friend comes visit me at the gate. It rains. My Somali friend brings me tea. People complain and fight about the electricity problems. An Afghan woman (I like to say she’s my mother here) brings me a blanket and rubs my cold hands like a good Colombian mom would. A couple of teenage boys test me on my Farsi skills making sure that I haven’t forgotten what I learned the night before. My 13-year-old friend who speaks as much English as I speak Farsi sits next to me and tells me about his day. Another fight breaks out.

So many bad things happen in camp.

Some say this camp is like hell. It is normal to hear at least once a day “This place is no good”. I don’t know about so many of the bad things that happen in camp. But I do know that while something bad is happening in one part of camp, there is redemption going on in another. I may sound cold-hearted, in denial, blind, or too optimistic, but when I take a look at camp, I see fighters and survivors, and hope; and I feel peace. It’s so amazing to feel peace in a place like this, it really is a peace that surpasses understanding.

I see new families arriving in camp waiting for a space where they can sleep that night. While volunteers try to make some more space in the big tent where it seems impossible to fit one more person, I feel hopeful. I am happy that they survived that tough trip all the way here and I feel happy for them. And if I ever get to cross paths with them again, I’ll make sure to love them so much and do all I can to help them so that they get a taste of God’s love. Being here is an amazing opportunity to show and explain God to all through serving. It has been so great to use this time to make friends and show them genuine compassion.

About my first winter…

I have to say that the toughest thing about these weeks has been the cold. For me, and for camp. These have been the coldest nights I’ve ever experienced, and since electricity has been a big problem in camp, many people are also freezing in their tents. I have tried all sorts of tricks to keep my feet warm during the night but the piercing cold always finds its way to my toes. I tried wearing two layers of socks. Didn’t work. I heard that sweat makes you cold so I tried only wearing one. It was worse. I read that putting plastic bags on your feet helps isolate the heat. Didn’t work. I tried putting paper instead. Did the trick…until about 9pm. I really never found a way to keep my toes warm during the entire night that didn’t require me buying something on Amazon. But I learned to be strong and knew that no matter how numb my feet were, I was not going to lose a toe that night. Today is the end of a series of night shifts. I am thankful for every second I’ve spent in camp, and excited for what’s coming.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which suprasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you want to check out all my blog posts of my time in Greece until now, click here!

Service

No Place I’d Rather Be

Posted on January 7, 2019
no place i'd rather be, shocking, mitilini, greece, volunteer, volunteering, lesbos, lesvos

There really is no place I’d rather start this year in. My heart is so happy to be here. Yes, conditions are tough and precarious, but people here are really warm, welcoming, and thankful with what we do.

It’s been a week since I got here, and I’ve loved every second of it. I was exactly where I was supposed to be to receive the new year: sitting on a bench, making a new friend, guarding the gate of my so-far favorite section in camp, where the single girls are at. At 11pm my Somali friends came out to sing and dance to celebrate this new year. It was a beautiful scene. I was caught in between their excitement and the complaints of those who don’t celebrate new year’s that were trying to sleep. There were fireworks too.

It was shocking to know that some of the girls were shaken by that sound since it reminded them so much of the explosions they had escaped from. Most of my friends come from Afghanistan, and it has been really sweet to get to know their culture, language, and their stories. They are good Farsi teachers and some happen to love sports and outdoors as much as I do! Language hasn’t been the hardest part about being here, on the contrary, it’s the perfect excuse to make new friends.

So what is it that I do?

If you read the last post, you know that I had no idea what my job in camp was going to be. Now I understand why I hadn’t been told a straight answer. There are so many things to do in camp! In this week, I have cleaned and re-arranged rooms, I have taken shelters down, helped people move in and out, answered questions (which is hard when you have so many yourself and don’t know how it all works yet), solved problems, done censuses (censi?), guarded doors, gotten to know my friends, and learned some Farsi while I’m at it.

Working in housing is tiring but rewarding. It is always very gratifying to see their happy faces when you give them good news, show them the new place where they will live, or hand them a new blanket. It’s tough to give the bad news, but in most cases they learn to accept them and move on.

Volunteers have to wear bright orange vests in camp, and that makes it easy for everyone to identify us. A lot of them might not speak English, but they all surely know the words “hello” and “my friend.” Everywhere we go, people shout “Hello, my friend!” and we answer back. Hearing that always puts a smile on my face, and since it happens so often, I smile a lot! This is why I refer to people in camp as my friends.

There are many children too. They make my days! Whenever they see us volunteers, they run toward us and hug us, of course saying “Hello, my friend!” These people are precious, and even though they’re still going through hard times, I’m glad they’ve been able to overcome, and made it all the way here. Now we can love and serve them, and I just love to be a part of it.

You can read my last post by clicking here!

Service

I’m Leaving Today!

Posted on December 25, 2018
serve in a refugee camp, lesbos, greece, adventure, social service, raising funds

I’m leaving today!

First of all, thanks to all of you who have supported me during this time. I’ve raised all the funds I need to stay in Lesbos for the next two months! I’m getting ready to go serve in a refugee camp as I write. I wouldn’t have been able to get here without your help! Raising $4 thousand dollars in just one month was an enormous challenge, but it was amazing relying on God and waiting for him to do his thing. Now, I’m one day away from this life changing adventure.

This will be a trip of many firsts: it’s the first time I’m travelling alone for over a month and will be my first winter outside of Colombia… ok, it’ll be my first winter, period.

Something I keep on hearing is that the only thing that doesn’t change in this refugee camp is that everything is always changing. I have no idea what to expect from the next couple of months. I know they need a lot of help and work, but, at this moment, I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing. I don’t speak the local language, I don’t know where I’m going to stay and I haven’t met the people with whom I’ll be serving. There are so many things I won’t know until I set foot in the refugee camp. It’s pretty crazy… I love it!

Right now, I’m nervous, excited and open to anything that may happen and the people I’ll be running into. But I’m also very calm and full of a peace I hope I can share with all these people.

I’ll certainly be updating you on how all these “unknowns” unfold. So pray for me, wish me luck, send me good vibes, or whatever you want to call it. I appreciate you all! Merry Christmas and until next time!

Read my previous post!

Service

My Need to Help the Needy

Posted on November 18, 2018
need to help the needy, volunteering with refugees from the middle east, challenging, growth

My Need to Help the Needy

I love traveling; it’s one of my greatest passions. And so is serving and helping others. I have a need to help the needy. About six months ago I decided I would leave and focus on serving people in need. I came across a team that travels to volunteer with refugees from the Middle East every year. They just so happen to go around the time I want to leave. So it’s happening! I’m going to get out there and serve these refugees who need it so badly.

This refuge camp is in Lesbos, Greece. Right now there are about 8,000 refugees in the camp, which is only suited for 3,000 people. Their situation is precarious at best. There are also less volunteers in the winter, so there’s going to be a lot of work and not many hands.

You know, usually when you volunteer there’s a reward, like free lodging, free food, traveling; but that’s not the case here. Since resources are so scarce, I have to raise funds for all my expenses: from my airfare to my toilet paper. A lot of people have told me this doesn’t make sense. Spending my savings and asking friends and family for financial support to go suffer in a camp where life is extremely difficult is crazy.

So… why?

I precisely want to do this because of the fact that there are so many people going through rough times. I just can’t afford to sit around and not do anything for them. I need to get up and out of my comfort zone to accompany these people in their suffering and do my best to make their environment a little more humane.

During this time, my team and I will mainly serve at the camp by helping out with housing refugees and setting up tents for the new and most vulnerable. We will pretty much be doing everything we can to help.

I realize that this time volunteering won’t be all rainbows and butterflies. It’s going to be a challenging and humbling experience for me. I know it will give me and my team countless opportunities to grow; but most importantly, the refugees will receive the help they desperately need.

I still need to raise $2,615 USD to pay for my expenses. If you want to partner with me and join me in this mission, you can help by donating through this PayPal link: https://paypal.me/laladventures.

If you have any questions or concerns, e-mail me at lala.quinones@outlook.com.

Thanks for taking the time to read! I’ll be updating you on my need to help the needy every week!

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