Refugees are regular people forced to flee from their home country because of the fear of persecution for many different reasons such as war and natural disasters. While fleeing home, their lives turn inside out because of many reasons. Some are war, the fear of persecution, and natural disasters. While finding a home, their lives turn back again because of resettling in a new country, adapting to their environment, and moving on to the present to try and make the best of it. Ha is a 10-year-old girl who lives in Saigon. Ha is a fictional character with a stubborn and defiant personality, who learns to listen as well as stay calm as time goes on. Ha's life is turned inside because the North Vietnam communists took over Saigon. Ha and her family had to leave her beloved papaya tree, their home, and her captured father as she fled on a boat to go escape Saigon. Ha's life turns back again when they moved to Alabama and Ha was able to make two friends and her family had gotten a letter from her father. No matter who refugees are, where they are from, or why they flee, all the experience can be pain/suffering, relief, and death or loss. In the end, refugees do find some solace if they can find shelter such as refugee camps so refugees can find a happy ending in the next page of their lives.
The lives of refugees turn ‘inside out’ when fleeing home because of death/loss, war/danger, and homelessness. Ha experiences loss and/or separation from her family when her father was captured during the war. Like Ha, some refugees experience loss and death while fleeing their homes. In the poem ‘Inside Out & Back Again’, on page 12, it states “Father left home on a navy mission on this day nine years ago when I was almost one. He was captured on Route 1 an hour south of the city by moped.” This quote shows how refugees can be separated from family and friends such as Ha’s father and his family. In the informational text, ‘Children of War’, refugees experience danger. In the informational text, ‘Childrens of war,’ it states “After the war started, you could not even go out of your house. I had to crawl through my apartment on my hands and knees or risk getting shot.” This quote shows how some avoid dangers in their country but sometimes it’s not enough to avoid danger. In the informational text, ‘Refugees: Who, Where, Why’, refugees experience homelessness. In the informational text, ‘Refugees: Who, Where, Why,’ it states, “Some refugees cannot return home, nor can they stay in their country of asylum. They must resettle in an unfamiliar country.” This quote shows that refugees sometimes can’t return home and must resettle elsewhere. The lives of refugees can also turn ‘inside out’ when finding home because they might get bullied or alienated when they start to resettle in an unfamiliar place. In the poem, ‘Inside Out & Back Again,’ it states, “By the end of the school, he yells an answer: She should be a pancake. She has a pancake face.” This shows that Ha, a refugee, doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the children and they aren’t exactly trying to show some sympathy for what she has gone through but hopefully, it will get better.
The lives of refugees turn ‘back again’ finding home because of resettling, adapting to their new environment (comprehending the language, fitting in, making friends, etc.), and moving on to the present to achieve the best of the future. Ha, experiences begin to brighten when she definitely starts to be accepted by two classmates at school and make friends with them. In the poem, ‘Inside Out & Back Again,’ Ha states, “So someone is always saving lunch seats for me, Pem, and SSti-Ti-Van;” This quote shows how she is definitely beginning to get accepted at school instead of being laughed at the entire time. In the informational text, ‘Children of War’, refugees experience peace and asylum as it is stated that it’s “better than being a refugee in Croatia. Here people don’t judge you by your religion.” This excerpt shows that even though refugees flee their homes, they can nevertheless find asylum somewhere else and start fresh. In the informational text, ‘Refugees: Who, Where, Why’, refugees experience resettling in places such as the United States as it states “The United States has traditionally been a sanctuary for refugees.” This shows that refugees have resettled in places such as the United States while additionally providing a place that some refugees flee to as well. When refugees finally find a home, their new life is different, but still, they discover ways to make the best of their situation and be thankful for what they have now as well as a fresh start to life.
On the journey fleeing home, refugees experience death/loss, war/danger and homelessness. These challenges impact their lives because they have to adjust. Some learn to adjust from losing/being separated from their loved ones, and the dangers of being killed. They also might have to adjust to losing their homes which means they might not be able to go back home. On the journey to finding a home, refugees experience not fitting in/adjusting to their unfamiliar surroundings. Although many encounters affect their lives forever, their lives eventually begin to turn back. When the lives of refugees turn ‘back again,’ they begin to feel more at home from adjusting to their surroundings, comprehending the language, and making friends. These solutions aid refugees because it makes them feel not so alienated from their new surroundings anymore and it would allow them to look into the future and make a better future for them and their loved ones.