Andreas Beck
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Sulaeman, 14. Afghanistan, Maidan Wardak province I’ve taken the “Sheni Sharif ” from the Quran and my prayer stone with me. Both are items that my parents gave me. I was told that it wasn’t possible to buy a prayer stone like my own in Europe so I am happy that I’ve taken it with me. The plan was always to meet my big brother, who lives in Sweden. I travelled alone for the entire journey. So far, I have travelled through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Austria and Denmark. My parents gave me money for the trip. I have not spoken to them yet as my telephone is not working. Today, I have been informed that I can call them from the Red Cross telephone. It will be great to speak to them and let them know where I am. As soon as I experience the society and country that I am in, I will tell my parents.
Jakub, 16. Afghanistan, Ghaznie province When I left, my mum gave me a small bag with soil from Afghanistan. She told me that, whichever country that I ended up in, I should never forget where I came from. I’ve been a refugee for almost my entire life. When I was four years old, I fled from Afghanistan to Iran with my mother, three sisters and three brothers. We were illegal immigrants during all our years in Iran. We had no passport or rights. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always worked hard to earn money, from as early as age 11, when I weaved carpets. The plan was to meet my elder brother in Sweden. He travelled five months before I did. There were many perils on my journey. The boat trip from Turkey to Greece was a difficult voyage, during which I was soaked. My small bag of soil was also drenched. As soon as we came ashore, I opened the bag and made sure that the soil in it was dry before I continued on my journey. When this small bag of soil is with me, I know that my mother is taking care of me. She prays to our God, so that he can take care of me.
Yana, 15. Syria, Aleppo. There are many pictures of my friends at home in Syria on my mobile phone. I would like to see them again. I fled Syria along with my older brother. We ran away because our lives were in constant danger in Syria. If Daesh weren’t trying to kill you then it was Assad’s regime and vice versa. We were in constant danger. After we’d fled to Turkey from Syria and made it to Ankara, we took a bus to Izmir. The plan was to set sail for Greece immediately but the water was way too choppy. We stayed in Izmir for a week before we could sail on to Greece. As we sailed close to the coast, we had to jump out of the boat and swim the rest of the way to the shore. The fact that my telephone was still in my pocket slipped my mind. The Red Cross helped us as soon as we arrived in Greece. We were placed at a centre where we took a bath, had a bed to sleep in and could eat. Our father had been in Denmark for six months and the plan was always to come here. I just learned that it may be possible to get my telephone fixed in the town of Hillerød today and I’d really like to do so.
Maiwand, 14. Afghanistan, Ghaznie province. My little brother was born at the same time my mother died. My aunt was the only person who could help take care of him. She has neither the space nor the money to support me as well. As such, my father and I moved to Iran, to earn money at a construction site. It all went horribly wrong one day. My dad was working on the sixth floor when he fell off and died. This was the same day that I lost my job. The troops at the border between Turkey and Iran took shots at us and 350 people were sent back. Only four of us escaped captivity and made it across. The trip from Turkey to Greece was made in a small inflatable boat. There were many people on board and the waves were big. The engine gave up at one point and we thought that we would die. We used the light on our mobile phones to call for help from the coast. I had the ”Yasin Sharif ” chapter from the Quran with me throughout my entire trip. When I prayed, I also asked God to take care of me during my trip. With this chapter with you, one is much safer. Besides praying, it was nice to have something to read on my way to Denmark. At home in Afghanistan, I was happy to go to school and learn how to read. My reading skills are not the best but I like to read.
Akbar, 15. Afghanistan Herat province My father told me to study English as he wished that I got the chance to see the world. My father supported and voted for a political party that was against the Taleban’s presence in the region. The Taleban are also against people learning English, as they believe it to be a language of infidels. They punished my father by chopping four of his fingers off. All by my self, I helped him bind a bandage around his wounded hand. When my dad lost his fingers, he also lost the ability to find a job, so we decided to move. My father and I were separated as we stood on the coast in Turkey and prepared to sail over to Greece. I sailed together with women and children and my dad sailed with the other men. I have not seen him since. I have had my telephone for five years. It is the world’s best telephone and it never breaks. I can now make calls from it again as I’ve got a SIM card. I have last used my telephone in Afghanistan. I don’t know if my dad has a telephone. If I could choose, I would call some of my friends from my English class. I miss talking to my friends.
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Masih, 16. Afghanistan, Nengarhaa province My father picked me up from school on the day that he gave me the jacket. He said that we needed to go home because The Taleban would not allow me to go to school. We needed to flee. My uncle works for the authorities: they are trying to eliminate The Taleban. However, The Taliban is reluctant and persistent. All of my family were threatened due to my uncle’s job. The trip to Denmark has been long. The boat that I sailed in from Turkey to Greece began to sink in the middle of the ocean. Even though a rescue boat did come from Greece to help us, there were some in the boat who did not make it. At times we hid from the police and slept in the woods. I slept in my jacket and the small branches poked holes in it. The jacket kept me warm throughout the trip from Afghanistan to Denmark. When I look at it, I think of my mum, dad, and four brothers back home in Afghanistan.
Sipan, 16. Kurdish Iranian. A friend of mine gave me a pair of trousers before I left Iran. He was very poor, so I knew how much he had to have worked in order to buy them to me. They mean a great deal to me. I have had them on for the entire journey to Denmark. Everything started after my father was forced to flee after documents that were critical of the regime in power were found in his lorry. The police arrived unannounced after my dad had fled. They threatened to kill my family and I if we did not disclose our father’s whereabouts. I was threatened the most, as I am not a girl. The trip to Denmark has been very difficult. I have seen people die and children separated from their parents. The thought of being killed if I returned home was the only thing that kept me going on my journey. Upon coming ashore after the boat trip from Turkey to Greece, I learned that the boat that took off right after mine had sunk, killing all 74 passengers on board. I knew many of those who had just lost their lives on the open ocean. Now that I am safe, it doesn’t really matter where I am. I had planned on going to Finland, but as long as my life is not in danger, I’m happy.