For  refugees used to living off the land and being in close contact with nature, city life can be a difficult adjustment. Spending time in the forest is a way to relieve stress, renew self-confidence,  and reconnect with essential elements of life.

ILC students and their families had several opportunities to explore the outdoors this spring. Field trips to Devil’s Lake for hiking and birding (part of a free monthly Family Adventures series), and to the Neighborhood House Nature Center in Dodge County for maple sugaring and garlic mustard picking were popular and well attended.

Interpreter Nang Kham provided key language support for speakers of Burmese, Karen, and other Myanmar languages, while Nature Center educators Christina Hill and Niki Espy interpreted what the birds and squirrels were saying and doing.