These two young refugees from Myanmar are still adjusting to a new life, a new home, a new language, a new culture, a new city, a new country and a new couch. Furniture is a concept that is relatively new to Judith and Joseph. Options were limited in the countryside where they grew up, and life was tough. They were forced to drop out of school and start farming after 8th grade, their homes were sparse, they sat on the floor, and had no running water or electricity and they cooked on an open, indoor fire with little ventilation. 

“The insides of the homes are all black from the smoke,” Judith recalls. “We had to walk miles to get wood. If there was enough wood left over after cooking, we were able to make a fire to stay warm.”