Update

I have not written on here in a very long time. So here goes an update for you:
I have not been to Calais for quite a while. I think the last trip was in April. I searched for months trying to find a way to help refugees closer to home. Not that I don't want to go to Calais but going every month is a lot. So after searching and searching, I came across a new charity in my own county that is specifically for welcoming Syrian families. I could not believe it. Working directly with Syrians has been my dream. I sadly, never met any Syrians in Calais in all the times I volunteered there. So I signed up with the charity and became a member. They immediately paired me up with a family with 4 daughters from Syria who has been here since April. The mother does not speak any English and they want me to help her learn some. So I went to a training two weeks ago in London on teaching English to adult refugees. It was helpful but actually what will be more helpful is knowing what I have done in all my Arabic lessons over the past 3 years - just reverse them to English. Two days ago, I went to finally meet the family who only lives 10-15 minutes from my house. The mother and her 4 daughters were there with her brand new baby boy (born 25 days ago). She spoke very little English and seem so happy to be able to speak to an English speaking person in her native language. I thoroughly enjoyed myself speaking to her in Arabic. She told me that were in a refugee camp for a few years in Jordan before moving here. Her husband takes English classes and her children are all going to school here and slowly learning English. I felt like we could be friends. I know she is very tired from having just had a new baby and taking care of 4 other children. She told me her children's school is a half hour walk from their house, which means an hour round trip. That is very difficult for her. I was with them for only an hour but found it difficult to tear myself away. I wasn't nervous about speaking Arabic with them at all, like I thought I would be. All the recent years of study really paid off for me. When I went to bed that night, I fell asleep immediately, only to wake up at 1am having Arabic conversations in my head for two hours and not able to sleep. I guess it really got the juices flowing. I loved it.