How to live as a an asylum seeker never occurred to me until I met one. He said he was from A***. I know it used to be turbulent region. Mom and Dad used to live there in the beginning of her marriage. From her window my mom saw an old Chinese got beaten up. I vaguely remember her saying somebody got beheaded. She also mentioned some Javanese ladies got raped. Mom believes the tsunami was a punishment from God. Well, everybody is entitled to believe what they want to believe. So, my knowledge of that area is really limited. I know the national heroes from that area. I heard the ladies used to carry a small knife with them wherever they go, just in case. I was told they add a secret recipe to their dishes (the leaves that can make you go high). I tried A*** noodles at the food court. That’s about it.
And this young man, who was polite and a bit shy but chatty and a lot confused, got me confused too. Didn’t seem like somebody who would get involved in politics. Wasn’t cunning with shifty or nervous eyes. Just a nice village boy with some education. Was a member of a traditional dance group. So, how did he end up like this? I really itched to ask him, but I didn’t. Anyway, the CO came and asked us to follow him. Amir (not real name) got more and more confused because the list of questions included do you own a boat, do you invest in shares, and things that he seemed to find ridiculous. He left everything he owned. His wife and kids were in hiding in the forest and he was worried about them.
Amir was an asylum seeker. He didn’t speak English. Is he still a part of our country folk’s society here? Would he be afraid that somebody would report him to the consulate? Would he get into trouble here because of his status? He seemed like such a nice boy. Did he ever kill anyone or was it just politics? Will he get together with his family again? I’d like to think that he will, and that he will learn English and start a new life here.