During a recent business transaction,
I had the good fortune to meet a refugee from Cuba. My client was beautiful in appearance and
mannerisms. Her language to her
daughter reflected a refined element not often heard in our country. Even though she was not regarded as elite in
our country, she carried dignity in her actions.
As we talked, I found out that she
had come to the US under the “one dry foot,” asylum policy, meaning that all
the refugee’s had to do was get one dry foot onto US soil and they were given
asylum. When they landed in Florida, she
immediately went to Catholic Charities who placed her in our neighborhood.
When I asked how long it had taken
her to find work, she told me it had taken her two weeks. “Two weeks I said, that is not long at all,
how did you find work so fast?” She
said, “In Cuba, I was a doctor with a full medical education, here, they don’t
recognize my education so I must start over.”
“So, I went to an employment agency and they asked me, “What do you do,
what do you have training in.” “I told
them, what do you need? If you have
dishes that need to be done, I’m a dishwasher, if you have floors that need to
be cleaned, I’m a custodian, whatever you need done, I will do it.”
What an incredible attitude! We struggle here with our rights, and will
not work beneath what we feel we are worth.
We insist on our employers making us comfortable, giving us the benefits
we deserve, respecting us, and making sure our “rights” are not violated or
infringed on. Yet, less than five
decades ago, that work ethic was common, even standard for employees. God
uses others coming into our lives to rub off the rough edges, to remind us of
higher standards, to bring us back to a memory of ethics and character.
Thank you my friend from Cuba. Welcome to America where you have already
started to improve us with your attitude and your presence.
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