About Refugees, By Refugees

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story

“When you leave your place […] you lose something […] the warmth,” says Wasee

m X (31), a Syrian-born architect now living and working in Edinburgh. “So my dream is to kind of try to find this while living abroad.” He initially emigrated for advanced education in architectural preservation, but ongoing conflict made returning impossible and dangerous. He has seen his family once in seven years, when they all flew to Malaysia (the only country for which they could all get a visa). He feels this loss has increased his sense of alienation from his host country: “Sometimes being asked, ‘Are you going home for Christmas?’ […] You feel like, okay, these people don’t know anything about what you’re going through.” He has felt survivor’s guilt and even berated himself: “Why am I not feeling okay? […] I am not in a war zone.” Despite missing the support of home, he relies on creativity, empathy, and sociability. In the end, he believes, he has developed new strengths and independence. Full Story