Waiting Period

Stage 2

Most of your life has been waiting, since the moment you came into the world. You were already waiting for the moment to be picked by a country that would allow you to rebuild your life. You are not like other people, who deal with losing everything when going to a refugee camp. You don't know anything other than life in a refugee camp.

Your family was moved from one refugee camp to another until you got to Nyarugusu. This camp was created by the UNHCR and the Tanzanian government in November 1996, after an estimated 150,000 Congolese refugees from the eastern Sud-Kivu region of DRC crossed the border into Tanzania, escaping civil war. Right now, it hosts more than 130,000 refugees, almost three times its original capacity.

Anna: Living in a refugee camp is not easy. The way you eat, the clothes you wear, your house. We have to fight against every stereotype. My sister and I like fashion. And feeling clean and pretty. I don't remember how often I heard, “you don't look like a refugee.” Just because I liked to look as good as possible with what we had. After all, it is just a matter of accepting the situation.

On a normal day, I would wake up at 5 a.m., walk a long way to fetch water, come home, clean and cook breakfast. We had morning and afternoon school, so it was my job to cook lunch. I cooked in the morning for my sister to come home and eat, as she had afternoon school. When she got home, she was responsible for cooking for the family.

Meanwhile, my mom was trying to make money by trading some goods that we would get in the refugee camp. Let's say we received corn for food from the camp. Well, we saved some of that and my mom would trade that to stores or to other people, trade it for other goods or for money. That was great because they never changed the food they gave to us. And eating corn every day was not our first choice.

You see a lot in a refugee camp. You understand life differently. Even poverty has levels. Some people have nothing. Some people have a little. And others have a little bit more. The community becomes your priority. The larger your family is, the better your quality of life could be.

Me and my sister always had hope that we would be picked one day. Normally in the camps, there's a list posted every month to see which ones have been picked for resettlement. My camp was huge, so we received news every week. And each week, you'd feel disappointed if you weren't chosen. But we always had hope.

The day I found out our case was approved, I was so excited. I screamed so loud. Oh my God, I could not believe it was time!

I had some problems, though, because I was away from the camp spending some time with my boyfriend. And once your name was on the list, you had to go immediately to the city to change your status with the UNHCR and then go to the refugee clinic for all the vaccines you must take before traveling to your new country. When I say it was far, it really was far. I had to take a plane to get to the city. My family was so upset with me, and I was so desperate. I ended up taking a plane, different motorcycles, a bus and then another motorcycle just to make it to my destination.

I made it. I got there. They put us in a hotel, but we missed our first appointment.