The book A Refugee Story, by Samuel Sheehy ( Burlington Books, 2017 ) includes a

number of activities to help the students understand the text, and also activities to
make them reflect on different aspects of refugees’ lives. One of these activities listed a
number of difficulties that refugees have to go through, and asked the students to
order them according to how demanding they were.
We have taken one more step and asked our students to choose the three most
demanding situations, and explain why they have chosen them. Here are some of their
comments:

The first thing I chose was trying to find my family members who got lost on thr
journey because, maybe in that situation it isn’t the most important thing but I think
that I couldn’t move on without my family or without have tried to find my family.
The second one I chose was getting food for me or my family because after a long
and a difficult travel I would like my family and I to eat something to recover energy.
The third thing I chose was to find a place to live for me and my family so we don’t
be cold and be safer than in the street.

Ángela Peso

I think that the most important thing is to find your family because when you arrive
at a completely new place for you, I think that adapting to this place would be very
difficult if you are alone, it would be a little easier if you are accompanied by the
most important people for you.
Finding food seems very important because although we see it as a normal thing, for
them it is very necessary that can help them a lot
And finally, I think that finding a place to live is essential to save yourself from the
cold or heat or just to have a small place to rest after all because of what they had
been through.

Cristina Pulido

➢“Trying to find family members who fot lost on a long journey” If I were a refugee
without thinking, the first thing I would do would be to find my family. The truth is
that I would prefer to stay in my country with my family even if there was war than
to go to a country without war in which I am not accepted without my family.

➢“Getting food for your family “ I have chosen this second because without food we
can not survive, it is difficult to get food without a job but I would try to do
everything possible to get it.
➢“Finding a place to live “ I think this is not as important as food but you always
have to have a place to take shelter from the rain and a place to rest even if it is
difficult to find a roof when you have no job or find people who let you be at home.

Francis Lincan

"I chose options c, d and e because I think that they are the most important things to
stay healthy. You need a place to live and food to survive and if you don't have your
family with you, you miss them and you start getting sad. To get food you have to get
a job to earn money but to get a job you should have clean clothes. In conclusion, it's
difficult to choose because almost all options are important"

José García

I chose first “finding a place to live”, next I chose “food for my family” and then
“finding lost family members”.
I chose “finding a place to live” the first because I think that without a place to live
you can’t find a steady job or you can’t have a steady life and without a place to live
you are in danger.
I chose “food for my family” in second place because food is a very important thing
that is necessary to survive and I don’t want that my family have health problems.
In third place I chose “finding lost family members” because I think that the family is
an important part of our lifes and they can support you in difficult moments. I chose
it in third place because first I want to keep my actual family members and then I
find my other family members.

Ignacio Morales

I think that the most important things for a refugee are:

1. Getting food for your family. I have chosen this sentence as the first because food
it’s vital to survive, you can only live few days without food.
2. Finding a place to live. I have chosen this one as the second because I think that is
another essential thing to survive. Everyone needs a place to sleep, toileting and
have a shower.
3. Find family members who got lost on a long journey. I think this is also important
because we all need our loved ones, they are the only ones who support you
unconditionally, and especially in a foreign country.
There will always be people who think differently because each one appreciates one
thing more.
 Valdo Durán

For me the three most important things I would do if I were a refugee and came to a
new country would be: find a new job to earn money so that you can rent a house
where you can live for a few months and buy some clothes if mine is too broken. And
after, looking for my relatives who have been lost during the trip. I think that first is
essential to cover  basic needs as are for example food.
Cristina Ortega

For me the 3 most important things are finding a place to live, finding a job and
getting food for your family because it is the necessary thing that I would need since
without food I could not continue living, I also need a place to live, and not be in the
street with nothing and also a worker to earn money and buy basic needs. When I
have achieved that I would worry about clothes and language if it is different.

Daniela Sánchez

-Finding a place to live: Because you come into a new country where you don't have
place to sleep and rest. In my opinion I think it is the main because finding a place to
sleep and rest is too important. 

-Learning the language of the country: because I think it is one of the most
important because if you come into a new country you have to learn the language of
the country to communicate or to find a job

-Finding a job: Finding a job is too important because you need money to buy food
mainly, clothes or to buy a car you need money to keep your family fine or to
improve life quality

Diego Romero

In my opinion, the most important thing for a refugee is to look for a place to live.
The refugee needs a place to be safe, where he can sleeps, takes refuge from the
cold, the storms… Once he has a place to live, the next thing is to find a mobile
phone with which he can contact his family. I think it’s really important because
when you arrive to a new country, you usually don’t know anyone, and you want to
locate where your family is and know if they are alive. It is also very important to find
some food to eat since without it you probably won’t survive long.
Finally, from my point of view the least important thing for a refugee is to find a
group of refugees. I think it is not necessary to survive in a new country. You can be
in contact with other people who aren’t refugees.

Estela León

FIRST: Find a place to live, I think that this is the most important thing to do when
you arrive into a new country because it essential to sleep in a save place, and also
have a shower, take a nap, and try to improve your live and being well physically.
SECOND:From my point of view you have to learn the language of the country to be
able to communicate and find help and also a job. If you learn well the language you
can study and this is easily to find a new and better life.
THIRD: Find a job is also an important thing because you can earn money and buy
food and new clothes , find new people and enjoy a better life.

Although there are many ways to improve a life of a refugee , I think that these three
are the most important and essential.

Juan Manuel Barrera

If I were a refugee, the first thing I would do is to search my lost family to check if
they are safe and also because bad situations sometimes are more easy if you are
with your family. After that I would find something to eat because after a long trip it
is important to eat and drink for recovering. Finally, the third thing that I would do is
to search a job for earning money to buy basic things such as clothes and a place to
live.

Luis Ostos

I think that the most important things for a refugee is a place to live because they
will need a place where they can feel confortable and where they can sleep. 
The second thing is a mobile phone to contact their relatives because if they go to a
new country and they are alone they want to know how my family are because there
is a war there.
And finally, the third thing is a job, because if they work they will earn money so
they'll be able to buy necessary things like clothes, food…

Luisa Almenara
I think that the three most important ideas are to look for a place to sleep because
when you know nothing, it is convenient to have a place to spend the night. Then, I
would choose to find a mobile phone with which you can contact your family since
you must be worried about them. It is also important to look for food because
without it, you won´t be able to survive for a long time. Finally, the least important is
to make a refugee community despite the fact that it is good to help each other, but
you have less possibilities to get help

Luz María Ardanuy

From my point of view, the most important things for a refugee are:  finding food, a
place to live and job.

The way I see it, the food is the most important, since a person needs food to keep
his body functioning. And in the case of a refugee, to continue on his way and try to
make a new life.
The refugees may find a place to place because they need a home to find a job later.
And it is also  inhumane that a person lives on the street.
They must find job to earn money to buy clothes and food and try to contact with
their relatives through a mobile phone. Also, they need to make a new life, and work
is the best option for that.

Natalia Domínguez

1º finding a job.
2º finding a place to live.
3º learning the language of the country.

I think those three things are the most important if you're a refugee.
1º: find a job; it's important because when you've left the country you need to stay
and buy the main basic needs to survive, which are eating and dressing.
2º: find a place to live; it is also important because if not they would have nothing,
no place to sleep, or shower or even eat.
3º: learning the language of that country, it's also very important even though there
are people who doubt, because if you can't understand other people, you couldn't
find a job and you couldn't defend yourself, because language is the fundamental
thing.

Nuria Pulido
1- Finding a place to live: it's more important to find a place to live because one of
our needs is to have a shelter. So they can be safe, not go cold and be safe.

2- Learning the language of the country: in order to communicate you need to know
the language spoken by the people you live in. This will also make it easier for you to
find a job, because if you don’t understand them you can’t work.

3- Finding a job: in order to survive you also need a job, where you get money in
return so you can buy new food and pay for the house where you live.

Paula Jiménez

In my opinion if I were a refugee, the three most important things that I would need
to survive would be for first, to find food, because after  a long and hard journey I
would not endure long without eating.
Then I would look for a place to live, at least to be able to sleep at night.
the third most important thing for me would be to find a phone or any object with
which to communicate with my family and know how and where they are.

José León

I think that having food is the most important thing to survive, because if you don`t
have it, your health would get worse and you could die. So eating is essential for
your life. In second place, if you get a job, you will earn money to buy clothes and
food, that means that you could start a new life. In my opinion, in the third place, it is
necessary a home to live. Instead of this, you could get sick by sleeping on the
street. 

Rocío Corral

I believe that if I were a refugee, the most important thing would be:
The first would be to find a place to live to feel sage until I find my family and be able
to rebuild my life again, and it is also a right that corresponds to me.
The second would be getting new clothes to replace those that got ruined on the
way to make a good impression because today, unfortunately, looking good is one of
the most important things. Finally, having got new clothes, it is easier and more likely
to be hired for that job. Therefore, with the salary they give me, the first thing would
be to get basic necessities, such as food.

Sara Li Corredera