Atlanta Journal-Constitution headlines "Baskets full of ambition"

Guest author: Tamar Orvell

Sold! At the Trinity Presbyterian Church
Global Mission Christmas Market,
Bhutanese-woven kudzu basket sales help
weavers' families pay rent, buy food, ride MARTA

Today and next Sunday after morning worship services, Trinity's Global Mission Christmas Market offers parishioners alternative gift giving opportunities. How? By bringing crafts of indigenous artisans in far-flung climes for sale here. The aim in doing this holy work? Benefiting church global mission efforts and relationships in Cuba, Kenya, Zambia, El Salvador, the Middle East and ... our Bhutanese refugee neighbors!

On the long table covered with an array of woven kudzu baskets (with an overflow below and on both sides), is a fresh copy (prominently displayed) of the morning's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, Baskets full of ambition:
 Hard-working refugees weave kudzu into means of supporting families. Reporter Helena Oliviero begins her clear, comprehensive profile of the basket weavers' and their community — their complicated journey and local allies:

When a group of Bhutanese refugees set out to plant a community garden in September, the would-be growers found themselves knee deep in the south's leafy headache: kudzu.

The 12 families ripped, tugged and yanked the pesty vine, but the weed had taken control of the forgotten patch of green behind their apartment complex.

Yet, the newcomers suddenly saw this old problem in a new way: They saw a purpose, even opportunity and beauty in the vine everyone else loves to hate. [Read the rest of the story published December 6, 2009, Living Section, page E13 here, with photos (pdf) or here (text only)].

Update | Saturday, December 19, 2009  Today, last three farmers' markets to buy kudzu baskets before Christmas. Demos and sales all locations. (1) Morningside Farmers' Market at 1393 N. Highland NE 30306. 8-11:30AM. (2) Peachtree Rd. Farmers' Market at Cathedral St. Phillip, 2744 Peachtree Rd. NW 30305. 8:30AM – Noon. (3) Whole Foods Market - Buckhead at 77 W Paces Ferry Rd NW 30305. 1-4PM. Also, buy kudzu basket at these citywide venues until supplies run out this season. For more information, contact Bhutan Baskets.

In the photo
Bishnu Odari records the name of the artisan whose basket is bringing smiles to its purchaser. The tracking system ensures that each of the 50 plus artisans in her Bhutanese community is paid for their baskets sold.

The Druid Hills High School senior helps to support her family while studying hard, playing hard, and planning for a  career in nursing. Bishnu arrived here less than two years ago with her family from United Nations-run refugee camps in eastern Nepal, where they were living nearly 17 years — victims of ethnic cleansing in Bhutan, their homeland. 

Related posts

• Bhutanese Atlantans repurpose "the vine that ate the South (includes video) 
• Weavers at market (photos)
• Weavers at market (more photos)
• Bhutan refugee finds Shangri-La in Atlanta
  

Tulasi Ghimirey's Thanksgiving letter

Guest author: Tulasi Ghimirey

"I have the pictures of all the volunteers
in my memory of my heart."

Editor's Note |  In 2000, Tulasi Ghimirey arrived in the U.S. from United Nations-run refugee camps in southeastern Nepal. Last month,Tulasi's parents joined him in an emotional reunion (photos here) at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport. Thousands in his community are still living in the camps' squalid makeshift huts of bamboo and plastic. These homeless, stateless victims who have been enduring years of struggle and poverty were exiled from Bhutan, their homeland, in an ethnic cleansing, in 1991. 

Dear Friends,

It is a THANKSGIVING time and a happy time. In recent months, many great citizens of this country were involved in helping our Bhutanese people in our transformation process to this new way of life. It is totally different to the way we are brought up and raised.

Take my family, for example. They know manual work, not like high technology work here. We know how to plough the fields using a big bull but not a tractor or the one shown in [children's TV program] Bob the Builder.

We came to this land where human rights and democracy are respected.
After my arrival, I realized that I can wear the clothes of my own choice and can eat the food of my habits. I can speak freely and write freely and can have a lawyer in the court house in one's defense. What a free world.

My dad used to pay fees for having a radio in my house and that was a source of great entertainment. Few lucky ones used to own this, also. Here everyone has their own TV, computer and wristwatch.

We were never exposed to the greater world... and came from a bamboo hut to a beautiful furnished house where heating and cooling device is under your control. No more running to the muddy rivers. Boy! Clothes can be washed within a few hours.

Yet every evening you go and talk to my friends: they are nervous.
Smoke alarm is beeping. Someone tried to  warm a boiled egg in the microwave and there was a big bang. Three people came and robbed our cash, showing a gun. A Bhutanese guy was in a dumpster [to recycle some items], and the pickup truck came. The guy's friend saw [the situation] yet couldn't explain in English to the driver that a man was in the dumpster. The driver kept loading the dumpster until, the friend knocked on the door of the truck and pointed to the dumpster. The driver finally understand, and the man's life was saved.

Cold was the greatest danger for us.
Back in refugee camps, the temperature was always hot. People reached Atlanta with no warm clothes. Children and older people were the victims, especially. And several HEROS OF MANKIND jumped in and started helping our people. There were child volunteers, young volunteers, old volunteers, female volunteers, male volunteers, and of all colors. No one asked me, What is your race?

There are thousand of such stories and a reality. Now things are getting better. Yet this transformation process definitely will take a long time, and your help and support is always needed.

American citizens are great and now we have to learn this culture too.
I have the pictures of all the volunteers in my memory of my heart. Your love and kindness. Your hard work, time and dedication to improve the living conditions by using your talents is a greatest gift for us. Several projects have began to support us. God, please protect this great people.

Today Tulasi is with his family for Thanksgiving and would like to thank each of you with greatest respect for your support for me, my family and my community.

Wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Namaste [Sanskrit: a friendly greeting meaning, I bow to you].

— Tulasi, Kumari and Ryan

Related posts

• Bhutan refugee finds Shangri-La in Atlanta
• Atlanta’s Bhutanese refugees and their new neighbors
• Maimonides and the Ladder of Charitable Giving
• Day of Interfaith Youth Service: American pluralism in action
• July Fourth picnic with Atlanta's new Bhutanese neighbors (includes video) 

Cross-posted at Only Connect

Blanket Brigade covers neediest families, warms all hearts

Guest author: Tamar Orvell

We were loading and distributing, and we were
like small kids having fun. (Bishnu Odari)

Bishnu Odari
The night before, Birendra and Kamal had made a list of the needy people in each apartment complex. In the morning, I went with Pabitra and other teens to get the 220 blankets that had been delivered to Lisa's and Robert's garage, in Duluth.

The blankets were packed in cartons and stored in one room. We took each carton, opened the top, and separated the blankets by each apartment complex, took the number we needed (using the list), and loaded them into separate cars. We left the cartons there.

Nirmala and I drove with Sanjay to Northchase Apartments in Chamblee. We had seven blankets for them. And we called one woman there, and she knew all the people, and each family came out, and we met them at their apartment. They were excited and so thankful. We gave only to needy people who are new. They don't know how cold it is here. They arrived this summer and fall. It was the first time I met them. I like to work this way, helping people and distributing.

___________________________________

Kamal Dahal
Today's delivery was a great success. It was such great help from all who coordinated to distribute this very basic thing. Your coordination, support, and expense of valuable time is really fascinating. This grand distribution helped needy people who were suffering from cold and lack of resources to get some warmth. This great job obviously gets rewards of blessings from the families who were in trouble. Thank all of you who directly and indirectly helped a lot to get this task done perfectly.

___________________________________

Leslie Sokolow
I was so impressed with how things went. I felt euphoric the rest of the day. Such beautiful blankets will last a lifetime! Pabitra coordinated the deliveries superbly with the cars loaded in less than an hour. Thanks to you, Pabitra, and to everyone else who came and threw their hearts and muscles into making this happen.

DRIVERS
Bill Tynan, Elizabeth Hill, Jeff Sokolow, Jen Murphy, Leslie Sokolow, Mita Patel, Narayan Katel, Pabitra Rizal
, Robert Willis, Sanjay Dahal
, Sarman Samal, Swadesh Katoch, Tek Thapa

TEENS
Bhima Thapa, Birendra Odari, Bishnu Odari, Chakra Subedi, Chandra Neopane (Charlie), Hari Timsina, Kamal Dahal, Lalita Thapa , Nirmala Regmi, Sanita Thapa, Tilchand Mapchhan (Mark), Tula Mapchhan, Yan Neopane

___________________________________

Pabitra Rizal

Hello Atlanta Bhutanese Refugee Support Group,

Kudos to all for making the blanket distribution event a great success! You wholeheartedly helped needy Bhutanese families.

To Lodgian, [hotel owner/operator company] for donating the blankets: You have earned our immense gratitude. Your blankets will definitely keep our people warm even in severe Atlanta winters. May you make continued progress with all our blessings and good wishes.

To CDC volunteers and others, for your generous help to our community: Special thanks. Your initiative to set up the blanket donation campaign is highly appreciated. I have not enough words to express my gratitude adequately. Special thanks to Leslie, Lisa, Robert, and Tamar for meeting our great need at a difficult time. and to Lisa and Robert for providing storage in their home for the blankets until the distribution.

To the volunteer drivers who missed their Sunday leisure to help us to drop the blankets in various apartments: Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

To the volunteer teens from Druid Hills High School and Stone Mountain High School (Lalita): You deserve my deepest appreciation. You guys are awesome. You did a marvelous job beyond our expectation. You took the novel initiative to collect names of blanket recipients from various apartments, loaded the blankets into cars, guided drivers to different apartments, and distributed the blankets. Thanks for being with us till the end.

To everyone: Your work was appreciated by everyone. I got many calls from many people. I anticipate your generous support in the days to come. I hope we all will be together for a cause like this again. Together we can make a difference.

Thank you on behalf of the Bhutanese Community of Georgia.

Bhutanese Atlantans repurpose "the vine that ate the south"

Guest author: Tamar Orvell

Atlanta Bhutanese Refugee Support Group volunteers and friends have been promoting our new Bhutanese neighbors in a collective enterprise that helps them to feed their families. Here’s the recipe.

• Step 1. Harvest local scourge, kudzu, growing around their apartment complexes.
• Step 2. Using ancient artisan techniques, weave the vines into one-of-a-kind baskets, wreaths, and custom-ordered products.
• Step 3. Sell the products at the Morningside Farmers' Market and other markets, fairs, houses of worship, community events, and shops.
  

Watch the video (4:31 minutes).



More information
See photos here and here of kudzu basket weaving demos and sales at the Morningside Farmers' Market. For basket orders and inquiries, send an email. For background on Bhutanese refugees in Atlanta, visit the links in the right column of this site, Bhutan > Atlanta. 

Related posts and news articles

• The Support Group: Our Story
• Bhutan refugee finds Shangri-La in Atlanta
• Teen rises up as go-to guide for refugees from Bhutan
  
• Atlanta’s Bhutanese refugees and their new neighbors
• Maimonides and the Ladder of Charitable Giving

Cross-posted at Only Connect.

Tutoring Bhutanese Teens: Study Resources

Welcome! Please check this section regularly for updates. To suggest study resources, please contact us.

• Weekly Words (Appelrouth Tutoring Services)
• The Official SAT Question of the Day
• Help with your college plans
  
• Test Prep Review SAT (Practice questions for different sections)
• Two free SAT tests
• ACT official website practice questions (At the top, click English, math, and so on)
• Test Prep Review ACT (Practice questions for different sections)
  

Related posts

• Tutoring Bhutanese Teens: Project Launched
• The Support Group: Our Story
• Teen rises up as go-to guide for refugees from Bhutan
  

Tutoring Bhutanese Teens: Project Launched

Seven teens and three Emory College students met today to explore the teens' learning needs and ways to address them through tutoring resources.

Twins Bishnu and Birendra Odari hosted teens from Birch Grove and Valley Brook Apartments and their Emory tutors: Billy Zhang, Cherylene Ng, and Ying Long. We welcome more teens at our next engagement, Sunday, October 25, 3:45 pm, at the Odari home.

Working in small focus groups, areas of specific needs surfaced:

• SAT preparations
• Vocabulary building
  
• Reading comprehension
• American literature, specifically Arthur Miller's The Crucible
• College: preparing, researching, applying
  

Everyone was excited to begin to identify the issues formally and to tackle them systematically with the guidance of exceptional and charming volunteer tutors.

See Study Resources for practical tools and reference materials that the tutors, teens, and others suggest.

For more information, contact Tamar Orvell.

The Support Group: Our Story

We are volunteers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Druid Hills High School, and Emory University; and from the Indian, Nepali, and Jewish communities; and others.

A teacher's emergency call to aid newly arrived Bhutanese students lacking adequate clothing and supplies triggered our grassroots effort of steadily widening response.

We seek solutions, and there's much to do:

• Troubleshoot employment, housing, and transportation issues 
• Promote collective enterprises to help feed their families
• Manage special medical cases
• Help navigating bureaucracies
• Run a tutoring program for high school students
• Obtain and deliver clothing and household items
• Join in cultural events and celebrate U.S. holidays together
• Partner with organizations to build community gardens and to organize focus groups to learn about pressing issues for women
• Arrange field trips to museums, theaters, landmarks, and nature preserves

We also get out the word on community needs, accomplishments, and individual profiles through the media, workplaces, houses of worship, and friends, neighbors, and family.

About our new Bhutanese neighbors
Theirs is an ancient rich heritage infused with sterling values — respect for hard work, education, self-reliance, elders, and community. A recent history of trauma, endurance, and survival exiled these resilient, patient, and gentle people to U.N. refugee camps in Nepal, where they were living nearly 20 years — victims of ethnic cleansing in Bhutan, their homeland.

Now in the U.S., thanks to American policies, programs, opportunities, and personal acts of kinship and kindness, they are moving forward in our nation of immigrants.

Learn more. Get involved. Contact us.

Related stories

• Bhutanese Atlantans repurpose "the vine that ate the South"
  
• Bhutan refugee finds Shangri-La in Atlanta
• Son of Bhutan: a Georgia first
• Link to more "Facts" and "Atlanta Success Stories" (on the right)