The other night our class attended a showing of “The Jungle” at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The play completely exceeded my expectations. The performance space was transformed into a representation of the former refugee camp The Jungle located in Calais, France. The former encampment housed refugees primarily from countries in North Africa and the Middle East (i.e.: Sudan, Afghanistan, Palestine). The show was an overall captivating performance that represented both the hardships and the joys found within the camp environment.
One moment that stood out to me the most during the show was the restaurant birthday scene. In this scene, the Afghan restaurant owner Salar reflects on how much of an overwhelming experience it is to be celebrating a birthday with so many different strangers. Despite their different backgrounds, they can all come together to celebrate something universal. Salar makes these remarks as he blows out the candles to the birthday cake. Even in a struggle for survival the camp members could have time to enjoy themselves. It didn’t matter where everyone was from, what mattered was that they were there. Despite their differences, everyone could come together. The question that followed this scene was “When does a place become a home?”. This scene served as an answer to this question.
What made this scene so moving was the very nature in which the celebration was conducted, and what it means for me personally. I feel many of us take our own homes for granted. We view gatherings such as birthdays as commonplace in our American society. However, for people in such unfortunate positions, it is not always possible. Perhaps it is the celebratory nature of birthdays that make them so worthwhile. For the refugees, a day of survival may be enough to “celebrate.” The scene marked the very point in which the place (The Jungle) became a home. The camp was more than just a shelter for various refugees, it was now a family, a family where things such as birthdays become the norm. The fact that Salar felt so comfortable to be with everyone from different origins made it truly remarkable. This sense of comfort is what made Salar feel so at home, in addition to making everyone else present so comfortable to be with him too. The scene also removed from the stereotypical image of a refugee camp of utter hopelessness and despair.
This scene was proof that there is always a home away from home, even under the least desirable conditions. A place becomes a home when the people make it so. It is the common feeling of family and openness that accomplishes this. Although we may take our own homes for granted, this scene was a testament as to what truly defines home. Home is not just a place of leisure, it is a place of comfort, comfort from the people we may least expect to receive it from.
Hi Nick,
I am so happy that I got to read your post from the play, especially because you talked about a scene from Act One, the act that I missed. This scene sounds very moving and I can understand why you chose to talk about it. I am someone who loves my birthday and like you say, it seems as something so common for me to celebrate my birthday. You brought profound insight on the idea that not everyone has the ability to celebrate as big as I can and that is eyeopening.
I like what you said, “This scene was proof that there is always a home away from home, even under the least desirable conditions.” I believe that home is a place where you are surrounded by people that you love and that care for you. I don’t know what the scene exactly played out like, but I am happy that I can get an idea of it from your blog post! Thank you!
Hello Nick,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post as it spoke about the true meaning of home. I loved how you spoke about how it’s the people who define a home, not the physical nature of a home. This is very apparent in this scene. Refugees from all different countries are at this camp, and although they may not get along on the best of terms at times, they do come together to celebrate Salar’s birthday–something that is so universal, everyone can relate to.
I also liked how you addressed the way this scene addressed the removal of the stereotype of hopelessness and despair at a refugee camp. In essence, these people at refugee camps are all united under a single hope of reaching a better life through immigrating to another country.
Karina Chiqui