By Paula Day

For newly arrived refugees from the troubled areas of the world, resettlement, especially at this time of year, can be a bleak experience.

Uprooted from home and familiar surroundings, they arrive in Atlanta with minimal or no English language skills and only those possessions they can carry.

As part of this resettlement program, the Refugee and Migration Office of Catholic Social Services welcomed 34 families from Somalia and Vietnam in December. With the generosity of several parishes in the archdiocese and CSS staff members, the refugee office was able to supplement its ordinary assistance to the newcomers with Christmas gifts.

Nintendos and Barbie dolls were not among the items. Instead necessities -- clothing, canned food, rice and beans -- made up director Bui Can Tam's Christmas wish list. Simple children's toys were scattered among the staples brought to the Catholic Center for delivery Dec. 15.

St. Andrew's parish in Roswell, Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, and the CSS staff, through variations on The Giving Tree theme, had gathered the gifts. On seeing the boxes piled on the refugee office floor, Pam Buckmaster, executive director of CSS commented ruefully, "I wish this could happen more than once a year."

In addition to deliveries to recently resettled families, Mr. Tam will distribute gifts from the three parishes and the agency to children during the Christmas Eve celebration of the Vietnamese community at St. Pius X High School gymnasium.

The Refugee and Migration Office has resettled 255 families this year. Although most have sponsors, CSS' resettlement program provides initial housing, furnishings, clothing and food for the families. It tends to their health and educational needs and investigates available employment opportunities.

In the cold drizzle of a mid-December afternoon, Mr. Tam's van pulled in front of Building F in an apartment complex on Indian Creek Way in Clarkston. The area is a promising site for relocation. Nearby elementary, secondary and vocational schools and DeKalb College central campus offer ready access to education. Public transportation literally comes to the front door of the complex.

Businesses in the area, such as the DeKalb Farmers Market, provide unskilled labor opportunities. The van's arrival coincided with school dismissal for the day and children from a rainbow of ethnic backgrounds streamed down the sidewalks.

Ardo Essa Mohammed and his family of 14 arrived from Somalia in early December. Refugee case worker Bob Kamack had hurriedly gathered a couple of sofas, some straight back chairs and a table to furnish the meager apartment. The family had to be split between two apartment complexes to meet occupancy restrictions.

Slowly family members emerged from the apartment, forewarned of the visit but uncertain about the reason. As Muslims, they are unfamiliar with the custom of Christmas gift-giving. Adan Ahmed Asad, the four-year-old son, was pushed forward to receive a box of gifts. His dazed expression revealed his vulnerability in this uprooted existence. With a questioning look at his father he took the box of gifts.

Two Somali preteens, flowing scarves draped over their heads, stood bashfully in the background. Through an interpreter they were urged to come forward and claim a box. There were no squeals of delight or jostling for gifts, just bewilderment at one more unfamiliar experience in a strange land.

Later, Bui Van Tam explained that though the family seems overwhelmed by the differences in culture, he knows from years' experience in six months they will be self-supporting and successful in school.

"This family can look forward to having their own home. They have more advantages than some. They can speak some English and they have relatives already here in Atlanta. (On the basis of) my work I know they will be successful."