Written by Leila Leibert
Reading this week’s passages provided a glimpse into the lives of the refugees fleeing Syria and internal political conflicts that persisted within the country. What struck me most was the extraordinary sacrifice these refugees took to reach Europe in the first place, oftentimes having to abandon their family, adapt to new languages, and face the stigmas of their migration. This abandonment, not only of citizenship in their home state, but their communities and professional identities adds another layer of their ability to adapt.
Loubna Mrie’s memoir captured the unavoidable reconciliation with the very structure and government regime that provided her father, an ally of the Assad regime, a life of privilege and corruption. What stood out to me was how her own family, grandmother and her uncles, went silent instead of helping her mother since they were too afraid of what the regime might do. This betrayal made me think of the distance and separation that my own mother endured. More particularly, the sacrifices she made leaving Ethiopia, immigrating to Europe before starting new beginnings and a family in the United States.
Reading Patrick Kingsley’s book reminded me of my mother’s story too. The years of lost connection she had from her own parents and siblings as they exiled to Germany, and her struggle contorting herself to fit in Western society, teaching herself five languages in an effort to get her point across. It made me question the feasibility of reversing migration once someone has established a new identity elsewhere– a question I find myself asking about my own mother.
