Since I cannot focus my attention on completing short stories, I will try to chronicle my experiences as an American refugee. I have not really covered that topic here because most people who have found this blog come here through my facebook profile where I have mentioned my status. I attended a scheduling conference today, to set a date for my refugee hearing. I know that this is not terribly exciting but I was anxious anyway. I barely slept last night, worrying about how much time I would be given to continue my search for a lawyer, to complete assessments that won't even begin until September, and to compile more documents in support of my claim. I also worried about what information would be discussed in order to set a date since I have a young child that I don't want to expose to any additional stressors.
The short answer is: I won't have as much time as I'd hoped for. I have until early August to submit all evidence and in the event that I do find a lawyer during that time, she would have to be available on the date that I've been issued. No personal information was used in the determination of the hearing date, we were simply assigned the next available date. The only plus side to today was that I reconnected with an outreach worker who I met when we first arrived in Canada. She reminded me that she is available to help and we discovered that we live in the same neighborhood so she could drop by at any time.
If I don't post anything else, I will at least add useful books relating to the topics that I discuss here and in my writings. I am working on a website where I explain the information that I will use in my refugee claim. I hope that my experiences help someone else, I hope that they help me and my son too but I am publishing this to help others. If I reach a positive resolution to this situation then I will have more energy and mental focus to work on my writing projects. Being a refugee is a stressful experience, especially while trying to raise a traumatized child. I expect very little advancement in my case until the deadline to submit my documents but I will post updates as available.
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