Kelsey's Story
My name is Kelsey, and I’m studying International Relations at Ohio Wesleyan University. During my junior year, I began looking for internship opportunities to further my experience in my area of study. I was happy to hear that CRIS would be interested in having me and I anxiously awaited what the summer had in store for me.I will never forget that first Monday morning when I walked in the office door. The noisy foreign chatter, the Somali women in their hijabs, the Nepali men wearing their traditional topi hats and the occasional whiff of incense lingering on someone’s clothes. All of my senses were stimulated; a feeling quite similar to walking down a busy street in a medina of Morocco, or sitting in a dusty cafe on a hot afternoon in Kenya.I never would have guessed that my craving to travel once more would be fixed by walking through that office door in Columbus, Ohio. Every day became an adventure. I soon got used to leaving the back room around 2:00 prayer time or having a client pass their phone around to anyone with them who spoke English any time I called. There were times I was frustrated, but I always reminded myself that resettlement is easy for no one. There were times I was saddened to hear someone’s story of loss and struggle during their years in the camps, but I was astounded by the hope and courage each storyteller finished with. But most of the time, I was beyond happy. Happy to be given this experience to work in such a diverse and unique little niche of this city. Happy to be able to meet these people and, if only through body language and hand signals, hear their stories. Happy to learn new things about the cultures of home and the process of resettlement to a new one. And happy to be an apprentice to the CRIS staff - people who have an admirable passion for their work. I am truly grateful to CRIS for helping to enrich my college experience in this way and shaping my vision of my nearing post-graduate future.Kelsey Ullom spent the summer as the CRIS Resettlement Intern. Best wishes for a great senior year!