Again and again, I was surprised and moved by the strength of these people, and by many others. Some surprised me with their relentless optimism in the face of a difficult legal struggle and a society that often appears to be trying to cast them away. Others surprised me with their patriotism and love for a country which had not yet even agreed to allow them to make a home here. Still others moved me with their strength to simply keep trying despite having overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles only to be faced with more.