blue, crystalline eyes stare up at me as i walk towards my cubicle, and she points half a chocolate bar in my general direction. surrounded by legos and toy cars, in a mid-town office at the International Rescue Committee Refugee Resettlement Office, i've come across a girl of 4 or 5, whose father, mother, or maybe grandmother, and younger brother with those same blue eyes, are our clients. i think they're from kazakhstan.

i've only been here three days, of which i have spent three of in training. this has consisted of learning the process of how refugees and asylees get here, and what we do when they come to our office. for the past three days, this has mainly consisted of lots of forms and data bases. but now there's a set of eyes and a quad of handshakes that seem to have welcomed the work to begin!