Syrian – A Million Stories

“Together against racism”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:18:05 +0000

My name is Raja and comes from Palestine but born in Syria. I have lived 1 year in Sweden. Together against racism.

Svenska: Jag heter Raja och kommer från Palestina men född i Syrien. Jag har bott 1 år i Sverige. Tillsammans mot rasism.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Palestine, Syria

“Human rights are the biggest lie”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:14:32 +0000

My name is Ayad, and is from Syria. I came to Sweden 2015. I am currently studying Swedish. The Employment Service does not help finding jobs. We want jobs that do not need Swedish. Sweden sells weapons to fighting parties in Syria. We die from these weapons. Human rights are the biggest lie.

Svenska: Jag heter Ayad, och kommer från Syrien. Jag kom till Sverige 2015. Jag studerar just nu svenska. Arbetsförmedlingen hjälper inte till att hitta jobb. Vi vill ha jobb som inte behöver svenska. Sverige säljer vapen till stridande partier i Syrien. Vi dör med vapnen. Mänskliga rättigheter är den största lögn.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“We have suffered here in Sweden”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 14:07:44 +0000

My name is Maram, I come from Syria and came to Sweden 2 years and 6 months ago. Since the war in Syria we have suffered here in Sweden. It’s hard to get a job in his education. It is also difficult to get an apartment.

Svenska: Jag heter Maram, jag kommer från Syrien och kom till Sverige för 2 år och 6 månader sedan. Sedan kriget i Syrien har vi lidit här i Sverige. Det är svårt att få ett jobb i sin utbildning. Det är också svårt att få en lägenhet.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“This is society right now”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 14:01:02 +0000

Marwan and coming from Syria, I came to Sweden 4 years ago. I have drawn a boy representing Syria and the man who has his head under the sand represents the EU. This is society right now.

Svenska: Marwan och kommer från Syrien, jag kom till Sverige för 4 år sedan. Jag har ritat en pojke som representerar Syrien och mannen som har sitt huvud under sanden representerar EU. Detta är samhället just nu.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“It was not as I thought”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 13:32:06 +0000

My name is Aya and I’m from Syria, I came to Sweden 7 months ago. I studied 8 years in my home country at the university. I thought I only needed to study Swedish to be able to work with my education but it was not as I thought.

Svenska: Jag heter Aya och kommer från Syrien, jag kom till Sverige för 7 månader sedan. Jag studerade 8 år i mitt hemland på universitetet. Jag trodde att jag behövde bara studera svenska för att kunna arbeta med min utbildning men det var inte som jag trodde.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“My dream is to work as an architect”

AMSsweden — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 13:19:58 +0000

My name is Jasmin and comes from Syria. I have lived in Sweden for 2 years. It’s hard to get a job in Sweden, employers prefer Swedish people than bring others. It also takes a long time to get an apartment. My dream is to work as an architect and an apartment.

Svenska: Jag heter Jasmin och kommer från Syrien. Jag har bott i Sverige i 2 år. Det är svårt att få jobb i Sverige, arbetsgivare föredrar svenskar föra andra. Det tar även lång tid att få en lägenhet. Min dröm är att ett jobb som arkitekt och en lägenhet.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv, eng Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“Left everything”

AMSsweden — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 10:06:28 +0000

My name is Samah and are Palestinians from Syria. I came to Sweden 3 years ago.

Svenska: Jag heter Samah och är palestinier från Syrien. Jag kom till Sverige för 3 år sedan.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: swe Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Palestine

“Stop supporting the war”

AMSsweden — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 09:16:32 +0000

My name is Eyad and comes from Syria. I came to Sweden 2015. Stop supporting the war.

Svenska: Jag heter Eyad och kommer från Syrien. Jag kom till Sverige 2015. Sluta stödja kriget.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: sv Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“My feelings came all over me”

AMSsweden — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 12:59:15 +0000

My name is Kamar and I come from Aleppo in Syria.

I lived in Aleppo for 17 years. I graduated from high school and then moved to Sweida, a city in southern Syria, because I was admitted to the university with a focus on decoration.

When I had finished my second year, my mother decided that we could flee from Syria. This because of the war or rather the revolution. My mother and dad decided we should go to Sweden. I called my mom one day and talked to her as I usually do, but all of a sudden she told me that they would sell the house. Then I understood that they were serious.

My siblings moved to me in Sweida. First my mother fled in December 2012. She fled across the ocean, with the help of a smuggler,. We are five children and I am the oldest. Everyone moved to me and I became a mother, sister, student, teacher and everything. My dad also moved, but it took a bit longer before he had moved all the furniture and sold the house. Then my mother got a residence permit in Sweden and decided to reunite the family. She sent a request to the Migration Board.

Actually, I did’nt want to leave my studies. I was on my last year and hade the possiblility to work in decoration, as I wanted. But I had to leave everything, I had no choice. The police came to my university, I was persecuted and they interrogated me several times. I had no choice to stay in Sweida and my parents had left. I had to leave the country.

We arrived in Turkey. We were interviewed at Ankara embassy after 1.5 years. After the interview, I was not approved because I was over 18 years old. Then my father and siblings traveled to Sweden. I took them to the airport and took good care of the family.

I stayed in Turkey for 1.5 years without being able to return, leave the country, study or work. I did not know what to do. After 1,5 years I called to Mom and told her to either fly on or I will return to Syria. I told her it did’nt matter what happened, I wanted to return to my studies, my classmates continue with my studies. Mom said I had to wait a little bit for her to send me some money, so I could go to Sweden.

Mom did’nt want me to travel through the ocean with a rubber boat. She herself had tried to travel through the sea five times. One of the times she and my brother Rami were almost drowning. After that she decided not to risk her son and sent him back to me in Sweida. Then she succeded.

I told my mother to take a regular boat from port to port. But I lied. Instead I went to Izmir and got in touch with a smuggler. I paid half of the sum it would have cost for a regular boat.

The rubber boat was three meters long and we were 25 people. The smugglers told us to throw away all our bags. But I didn’t want to, because my mom bought the bag for me during high school. The boat went out to sea and then it took in water. After a while the water reached the stomach. Then the rubber boat stopped and we started to drain the water with our hands and shoes. The boat stopped three times along the way.

One of the people in the boat had tried to flee five times. Suddenly he saw a light and shouted: police! The boat rolled over and everyone ended up in the ocean. Then my feelings came all over me. How could I not have told my mother? Imagine if I die now! I prayed to God: please don’t let me die! I have lied to mom. Last I talked to her every day before. I told you I was going tomorrow but the battery was over. After three hours in the ocean, the light approached and it turns out to be a fishing boat. They picked us up. We were lucky we were in the Greek part of the sea and not in the Turkish. The Greek ships came and picked us up.

When I came to Sweden, I started with SFI. In February, I had an interview with the Migration Board. In May, I got a residence permit. In Mars I had an exhibition and started learning the language. Then I was adopted at the Österlen Art School for Art and Design in Simrishamn. I graduated in two years.

I learned a lot during the education and developed my Swedish. I gained many new contacts and it helped me to choose the right way in the new country. During these two years I worked in a retirement home. School time was from 9-16 and then I worked from kl. 16-22 and weekends with people with Alzheimer’s. I learned to play the cello. Then I continued with Swedish at a distance course. I finished with Swedish 1 but not with the rest.

I finished my education and wanted to go to a university, but I still had Swedish and English left. So instead I searched for Malmö University of Applied Sciences. I studied “content producer”. I started last year and graduated on November 25th. As I am ambitious I found a course called “content manager”. I did’ nt want to lose that course as it complements my education. So I started studying two courses at the same time. I worked at the MAFF Malmö Arab Film Festival at the same time and I worked with them again this year. I also practiced in two departments on SVT, the children’s channel with a program called summer holidays, as a graphic assistant and on SVT design. Yes, things are happening!

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: swe Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria

“Different countries”

AMSsweden — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 11:45:57 +0000

My name is Sham and I’m 12 years old. I come from Aleppo and came to Sweden a week ago. I have drawn my family that is in different countries.

Svenska: Jag heter Sham och är 12 år gammal. Jag kommer från Aleppo och kom till Sverige för en vecka sedan. Jag har ritat min familj som är utspridda i olika länder.

A Million Stories Sweden: Nizar Keblawi, Nina Olsson, Sara Sarabi, Malin Gillberg, Daniel Björklund, Mats Nordström.

A Million Stories Sweden volunteers: Fariborz Ghadir, Mohamad Mohsin, Yazan Saad, Tarek Aloudallah, Dalia Saleem, Yara Ali, Ahmad Younes, Chaimae Hamri.

In association with

Dublin Core: Language: swe Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden, Syria