Tutoring Update: In Which Things Get Really Real

Heading over to Laith and Aseel's apartment in a couple of hours, and I have to admit, part of me dreads it. As much as I care about their family, and about the subject matter they're learning, my visits are becoming increasingly emotionally difficult.

The way the refugee process works - at least, through World Relief, the organization that's been helping them - is that their family receives money for their first three months in the U.S. After that, they're on their own. World Relief helped Laith find a job, but the results are far less than what they'd hoped for.

The job is in a factory near O'Hare airport. From what I've gathered, Laith packages vegetables and food products for four hours a day - not even a full-time job. Half his day is spent commuting: A trip that would take half an hour by car turns into a 2.5-hour journey by public transport, two buses and a train. He leaves around 5 a.m. and is home by 3.

Last week when I arrived at 3:30, Laith was too tired for any lesson. I talked with Aseel, who was very frustrated - "This is not a good job," she kept repeating while the three children ran around screaming, more feral than usual. So we didn't get much done.

So what I'm concerned about, going forward, is how to achieve these things:
- how to have a productive session when Laith is burnt out from work
- how to work with information toward an actual goal - not just various rules of language, but how they can actually be used
- how to wade through my own discomfort about their situation, keeping a motivated spirit

Ok, let's do it.