Homesickness: A Refugee's Struggle

If people are forced to flee their homes for the fear of being persecuted, they are labeled as refugees. Many of these refugees will go through a stage of homesickness as they began to adjust to their new community. Ha also experiences this hardship when she flees from Saigon to Alabama. When refugees first arrive in their new country, like Ha, they are often troubled with homesickness until they make new friends and acquire new possessions.

Once refugees resettle in their new country, they will most likely have to deal with the problem of homesickness. First of all, in the article, Children of War, by Arthur Brice, a refugee teen says, “...I wish I’d stayed there, watching the war, rather than being here, safe, but without friends.”(Brice) This shows that refugee children want to be back with their friends, even if it would mean living in a war-torn

First off, in the article, Children of War, by Arthur Brice, Amela says, “Some people don’t even know where Bosnia is, but they’re really nice and try to help.”(Brice) This pertains to Ha and Mrs. Washington, when Ha says, “I don’t believe her, but it feels good that someone knows.”(Lai 182) Ha, like other refugees, is consoled by the thought that another person knows what she is going through. It is helpful to have someone that they can depend on and trust. Lastly, Ha says, “I almost scream because the doll with long black hair is so beautiful.”(Lai 239) When Ha receives a new doll from Pem, she is overjoyed. This shows that possessions can help Ha and other displaced people to think less and less about what they used to have, and slowly began to adapt to their new lifestyle. Even though refugees struggle with the problem of homesickness, new friends and possessions help them to be accustomed to their new