Refugee Stories

Here are pieces that some of my Somalian refugee students wrote about their life as a refugee. As they escaped from Somalia’s war zone, they were deceived and lied to and settled in Nepal rather than a developed European country where they would’ve had many more opportunities. Here you will hear them talk about how they are feeling after their previous 4 years in Nepal.

Nepali Life

Living in Nepal is the hardest life I have ever faced. It’s like a jail without doors and I mean by that I am one of the people who has been stuck here for almost four years. In these four years I try to run away from here but I could not so I think about how to survive here if I can’t run. So I tried to start to understand their culture and to understand what is allowed and what is not allowed. So when I start to do that I start to feel 20% that I can live here. Then I start to have friends from this country so I thought that I can live 40% in this place. Then I start to learn their language and start to learn any language that I can communicate with their people here. So I learn Nepali mixed with Hindi language and English. So I think now I can live here for 60% and I think that enough to survive and live in a place you never hear about.

True Story

Love is a word with four letters. We heard it from kids, adult, older people, and also in stories, magazines, newspapers. There are different types of love: loving a mother, loving a teacher, loving a friend, etc. But today I will talk about a different type of love. The kind of love we shortly see because we believe that love is in our heart since we were born. We didn’t need words or action to express. It is a love for a place or for a land you grew up in. I think you know what I’m talking about. It’s the most purse love for our country.
In May 1991 I was born in east Africa in a country called Somalia. Growing up in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world. Since I was born I saw that country in a war for so many reasons and we have see so many presidents for the country but in each and every president we see the country destroyed and in a mess. But the best part is that people were keeping hope and keep living with faith. In December 2006 my mother felt that place is not safe anymore. So she told us to start packing. To leave home was weird. We never think about leaving a place where we have friends, family, and childhood memories. But my mother was searching for a fresh start and a better place, but ended up being refugees. People keep asking us about our country and when they know that we are from the most dangerous country in the world they are surprised and automatically ask other questions that come to their mind, “are you glad you left the country?” Our answer is always no. People look at our faces. They think we are joking but the truth is yes, there is a war. There are people dying everyday, and there are no rules over there, but no matter what happened, one day i will because no one can replace a country or a family. Great moments come from great opportunities. So we have the great moments and we are looking forward for the great opportunity. No matter how bad my country deceived me, I will back for her.

Family

My family contains nine members and they are my lovely mother and my great father, five brothers, and one sister.
Living with my family was everything to me. I count my blessings every day. The most important thing I learned in my family was to help each other all the time. My mother always taught us to care for everyone’s feelings so te others will care for us also. What I leared was how to love yourself is the way you will learn to love the people around you. On the otherhand, my father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me. In my free time I was playing with my brothers especially my young brother, so we were always having quarrel and peace in the same time. My sister is my biggest inspiration in my life. She took care of me and my young brother, even if she went out shopping she brought me a gift every time she got time. She liked to make me the happiest one in the home.
But sometimes if you got angry you thought you hated your family and you don’t want to live with them. But as you leave home and see the need to stay connected you realize you would do anything to return to your family. The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing there is beauty all around you, when you are with your parents.
When i came to Nepal I missed everything, especially my sister’s advice. I call her everyday just to hear her voice and my mother’s voice- I also miss my young brothers’ quarrel. In my conclusion is that family means putting your arms around each other and being with your parents.
One day I hope I will spend more time with my family, talk to them, listen to them, and giving 100% of my time to them, weeping with them, and telling more people to do it.