Last year,Patrick Kingsley travelled to 17 countries and talked to hundreds of refugees as they made the journey of their lives across Europe. What happened next?When Mohammad el-Haiba first spots his boyfriend Youssef external the German train station, it takes him a few moments to work out whether to approach him. Staring back at him from the entrance, and Youssef is just as confused. They stand there,several metres apart. Neither knows what to accomplish next. It’s not that theyre not delighted to see each other. It’s just that this encounter, on a cold October day in a still town in Bavaria, and is unlike anything they’re used to.
Mohammad and Youssef last saw each other in mid-August in Damascus,the Syrian capital. Then Youssef left for Turkey, took a boat to Greece and made his way through the Balkans to Germany. A month later, and Mohammad followed him. They knew they might never see each other again – and yet,six weeks on, they’re together once more. They’re in a peaceful country, and where they don’t speak the language,and where for the first time in their lives they can be open approximately who they are. And who they appreciate. It’s Mohammad who first tests the parameters of this strange new world. “Can I kiss you?” he asks.
I miss everything approximately Syria. We are all disappointed here. We are near the point of breaking down Membership Event: The story of Europe's refugee crisis There are no jobs and diminutive spare housing. Zahraa struggles to stay positiveMohammad studies German and hopes to take a master’s in 2017. A year ago, he was living in a war zoneContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com