People think we can’t have our dreams, but we do have dreams.

All alone here in Turkey, while half of his family is in Malasya, the other half in Syria. Nonetheless this harsh situation, he makes a cheerful appearance and tells me his story. — Lisette Scholtens

My father decided that we were going to move from Aleppo to Damascus. In approximately three or four hours we left. It was so dangerous, there was no time to say goodbye to my family and friends. For about two months we waited for the situation in Aleppo to get better. We stayed in a hotel. But the situation in Aleppo was only getting worse. My father told me and my brothers to leave the country. It was safer, we are young and we should continue our studies somewhere else he said. He sent us to Malaysia, he and my mom stayed in Damascus.

My brothers found a university and received their residence permit. I couldn’t find a suitable university and that’s why I didn’t get a residence permit. The authorities told me I had to leave the country and come back as soon as I have my new visa. By that time my parents had moved to Turkey and I decided to stay with them while waiting for my new visa for Malaysia. My parents left one year later and went back to Damascus. I have been waiting too long for the visa and finally I decided to stay in Turkey. I said to myself that, I am not gonna waste my time, so I will start from the beginning in Turkey.

Unfortunately the public universities didn’t accept me and the private universities were too expensive. Then I decided to start working, I didn’t know what else to do. I learned Turkish by myself, from internet and by practising. After all, two years later I registered in a private university to study electronic engineering. So now, I am a student again.

When I graduate and the situation in Syria gets better, I want to go back there. But before I go back I want to improve myself, that is why I am studying. I want to do something for my country, for my people. I will go back and do whatever is necessary for my country.

What I missed the most is my family. They went back to Aleppo and my mom got pregnant. I have three years old twin brothers and we haven’t seen each other. My family can’t come here and I can’t go there. I see their photo’s, but they don’t know who I am.

There are many nice Turkish people, who are welcoming and supporting. They are so sad and sorry for everything that happens in Syria. But there are also Turkish people who don’t understand us, that makes me feel so sad. They ask us why we came here and why we are not fighting for our country. They tell us we are traitors. Then I answer that we don’t want to fight. We already left our country, we are already sad and lonely, this makes us only more sad. I think that the people who say these kind of things don’t know what’s going on in Syria. Too many people have been killed, we are not traitors.