Simon Bremer had never seen snow until he arrived in Boise five months ago.
Beyond that, Bremer said he never saw a place that wasn’t plagued by violence or disease.
“I have survived many things in my life, but I did not think that weather would be one of them,” Bremer said. “Yet, here I am.”
Bremer and his family settled in Idaho as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country dealing with political unrest and war.
Refugees and community members talk and tell stories during Breaking Bread with Refugees Tuesday evening at St. Augustine Catholic Church.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) Executive Director Julianne Donnelly Tzul said Bremer is one of more than 1,000 refugees that the Boise IRC office has helped settle into life in the United States since opening in 2006.
Bremer, Tzul and many other Idaho refugees, traveled to Moscow Tuesday to meet with local community members as a part of the University of Idaho’s 70th annual Borah Symposium event, Breaking Bread with Refugees.
The event focused on opening dialogue between residents and refugees.
“You can give statistics, you can give pie charts and you can give demographic data until the sun comes down, but it doesn’t really make a huge difference until someone meets another human being face-to-face and learns a little of what they have to share,” Tzul said. “I think that’s when levels of fear start to dissolve — the more human contact, the more powerful the story is.”
Tzul said refugees are heavily scrutinized when entering the U.S. and undergo an extreme vetting process because of the many misconceptions surrounding them, which have led to unwarranted panic and prejudice.
“These refugees have been exposed to so much suffering from such a young age that they deserve to experience some semblance of peace at least once in their lives, if not for the rest of it, and that can be found right here in the U.S., and more specifically, in Idaho,” Tzul said.
Tzul said she hopes the event left people with a better understanding of refugees and their plight, as well as a desire to advocate on their behalf at whatever level they choose by continuing the conversation with family or legislators.
Bremer said although he enjoyed the snow, he might have enjoyed Moscow a bit more, but not quite as much as he enjoys pizza.
“I like this place. People are so friendly, I didn’t expect that,” Bremer said.
Bremer said he had the opportunity to explore the campus before the event and was amazed at the size and the variety of courses that are offered. He hopes to visit again sometime in the future.
“When I get back to Boise, I’m going to tell my two boys that (UI) is where they need to be,” Bremer said. “I think they would love it here. I know I do.”
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia