#1 video; @waltz

[enveloped]

[The video starts with a tall, bearded man wearing a tailored suit sitting on the edge of a very executive looking desk in an equally executive looking office.

He smiles before speaking in a low, steady voice, his arms by his sides. Purposely left uncrossed. No fidgeting. He's comfortable in front of a camera, but not without practice.]

To be forcibly removed from our homes, support networks, and everything we’ve ever known is no small matter. For some, the experience can be traumatic. You may struggle with day to day life, or find yourself feeling unsafe in your new home. Holding down a job or making connections with other people can feel difficult, or even impossible, when you're uncertain of your environment and place within it. Everyone copes differently.

Very few of us asked to be here, and it's necessary the city is prepared to deal with the very real problems experienced by its displaced citizens, and accommodate their needs as efficiently and empathetically as possible in order to create and maintain a happy, healthy society. My name is Cameron Waltz, I'm a negotiator and cultural mediator from Earth, and I've been appointed the role of public representative to present our needs to the city council, and ensure our voices are being heard.

I'm looking for feedback on how your life has changed for the better or the worse since your arrival. I'll start with a few questions, none of which you have to answer, but would be very helpful in solidifying the case I'm building.

Please answer as honestly as you're comfortable. Anonymous commentary is allowed on this post, and you're welcome to be as vague or as specific as you'd like, without fear of discrimination.

I greatly appreciate any and all responses. With your help, we can find the holes in the existing social services system and work together to close them.

Thank you for your time.

--text attachment

-Have you felt adequately supported by the city, and its representatives?

-Do you struggle mentally or emotionally with your expatriation on a day to day basis?

-Are there aspects of life in Riverview you find more difficult than others?

-If you’re a minor, or know a minor, have you found the social services offered adequate?

-Are you satisfied or dissatisfied in the career provided for you? Do you find yourself changing jobs often?

-Do you struggle to make ends meet?

-If there's any one thing the city could do to improve your life, what would it be?

Comments

[enveloped]

That's a good question.

[Cam takes a sip from a glass of water before answering this one.]

A cultural mediator facilitates mutual understanding between peoples by providing two-way verbal translation, and helps to overcome cultural barriers by interpreting not only language, but cultural differences, attitudes, and behaviours, so all parties are able to communicate in a respectful and empathetic fashion.

A translator can translate a conversation word for word, but may not understand the cultural context of those words, which can greatly change the meaning of what is being said, and why.

My work was mostly in areas of conflict or crises, where people often feel most vulnerable, or defensive, and must be listened and spoken to very carefully in order to avoid needless bloodshed or trauma. A lot of the people I worked with were at some of the lowest, or most vulnerable points of their lives. Many of them had very little reason to trust help from foreign aid workers, and were at high risk of being exploited.

It was integral to understand their needs, and how to administer treatment without trampling on their personal boundaries, which for women in many countries can involve very specific protocol in regards to men, and require female doctors, or entirely separate facilities, to be assisted in a way that isn't detrimental to their emotional state or mental health.

I hope that makes sense, and I apologize if I went on for too long.

[A slightly sheepish smirk as he takes another sip.]

I'm very passionate about my line of work.

[billyrocks]

[From the moment, Cam took a sip of water, Billy knew he was in for a quite an answer. He listens raptly the entire time.]

Not at all, I thought it was really interesting. Makes me wish there were people with your profession in my time, because I don't think we had anyone like that. I'm also from Earth, but during a time that's considered the distant past to most people here.

[By now, Billy's learned that the world he lived in had a formal name, Earth.]

It was 1879 for me back home.

[enveloped]

1879?

[He almost whistles, but stops himself. It's difficult to be neutral when everything is so... like something out of a science fiction movie.

He's not going to comment specifically on what must have been a difficult existence as a person of Asian descent at that time. Billy knows far better than he does.]

Yes, the world was definitely in need of cultural mediators around that time. Colonization. Racism. Sexism. Those issues still exist in 2018, but we've made a lot of progress in a hundred or so years.

I give it another fifty until we're done obsessing over what makes people different and start really embracing what makes us the same. We'll have to if we're going to survive as a species.

[billyrocks]

It only took people a few hundred years to start realizing that, but it's better than nothing, I guess.

What are the other languages you've learned in your line of work?

[Being multilingual in Billy's time wasn't that rare, but he's still curious. Besides himself, Goody, Sam, Vasquez, and Red Harvest could also speak more than one language.]

[enveloped]

Anything is better than nothing.

Well, I know over thirty different languages if that tells you anything.

My favourites are Arabic, Oromo, Tatar, and...

[He smiles, more than a little sheepish.]

Well, the list goes on. And on. There's something to love about every language, and learning the local dialect is always fun.

How about you, do you have a favourite? You don't need to understand a language to enjoy the way it sounds.