Maha Karamahad
Maha Karamahad left Syria in 2013 when the conflict there made it too dangerous to raise her two daughters. They fled to Egypt, where her son was born, and she worked as an English teacher and translator. She applied for resettlement through the United Nations and came to the United States in 2016. A group of volunteers helped her to settle into a new life in Greenwich, and she now works for a nonprofit organization in Fairfield.
Choosing to leave home with one bag:
It was always there next to the door. And you would have your passport, your, like, official documents, with you. And depends how dangerous the situation is, I was so lucky to have some of my pictures, my kids’ pictures with me, I could save some of them. And, so the last time was in 2012, was I don’t remember the month, but that was the last time and it was all of a sudden. We fled in 45 minutes and that was the last time I saw my house.
Rebuilding in America:
And again, I’m lucky. I’m lucky because I speak English, and for other refugees there’s this challenge. Like, I speak English and I love the American, I grew up watching “Friends” and you know, “Gray’s Anatomy” is one of my favorites, I mean I love the American culture, I respect it. But for other refugees, when I think...no English, a whole different culture, a whole different tradition, it’s not easy. A lot of challenges. And in three months you have to find a job. [exclaims] There is a gap here. There is a gap in the whole system, like yes, I keep saying, I’m so grateful for being here, I’m so grateful for having this, a chance to rebuild my life. And I am in the land of opportunities. But it’s hard when you don’t have time to start an opportunity.
Reflections on education, understanding, and paying it forward:
And I started to like, to speak in some events, to just raise the awareness about the refugees and what’s happening around, because it’s kind of shocking that a lot people don’t know what’s happening, what is a refugee? And what does it mean? …It’s really great that we can speak more, and let them, you know, refugees are like, nice people, they’re people who went through a lot, number one, and it’s a new thing for them so they need any kind of help.
It just tells who I am again. It tells, OK, I'm Muslim, you know, it's about being honest, it just, I like that it reflects both who I am, and what Islam is, and giving people, I hope that I can give people, that we are hard workers, we are honest, we are like, compassionate, we love to help others. And all this, it comes between Islam and my personality, and I hope that at some point people can mix both, and accept both.
I think hijab gives the whole story about my culture, my religion, it gives me the strength to be the person I am, it tells who, it's just part of my identity. And I think by time, when people really get to know someone, they don't care about what they're wearing. They're just like, they know them, and that's it.
I think we’re safe from the crisis that drove us from our country. I miss my country, I miss my family. I don’t like to think that I won’t see them anymore, I’ve been asked this question before, saying, like, would you like to go back? I love that I had this chance to start again, my kids are so happy, my kids, they feel safe, they’re back to normal.