Tiger Lily from the ESL Institute, UNH

Students at the ESL Institute at the University of New Hampshire presented a conference on June 19 to recognize World Refugee Day.   ESL Lecturer Meaghan Dunn and her students had read The Good Braider and invited me to come and speak.  I did, and went early to see the students’ poster presentations. They each focused on a refugee group and told the story in images and words.  Some told of refugees coming to their home country. Students from Indonesia reported  the news-breaking story of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar that

have been given haven in Indonesia.  Other students spoke about their own countries where people have been forced to escape.  A young woman from Iraq said she is here on a student visa. She hopes at the end of her education, she can return to her home.  I wish all the world could have heard these students speak.

After I spoke about the courage of a girl from Sudan, two students brought me an armful of flowers.  The stunning center flower was a tiger lily.  I found this about tiger lilies. “An Asian legend says a hermit once assisted a tiger by removing an arrow from its injured body, giving rise to a belief the tiger lily is symbolic of friendship.” Thank you, all the students and teachers at the ESL Institute.  I was your student.