WEBVTT - A Syrian Refugee Fights for Olympic Dreams

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<v Speaker 1>Hushkin, you do hear the bombings all the time when

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<v Speaker 1>you're living in the war zone.

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<v Speaker 2>So me and my.

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<v Speaker 1>Older sister were like, we need to go because it's

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<v Speaker 1>only getting worse. We knew that we're not safe. We

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<v Speaker 1>knew that every day you get out of the apartment

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<v Speaker 1>is a risk and you might never see your family again.

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<v Speaker 3>When Olympic swimmer You Sir Mardini was just a teenager,

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<v Speaker 3>she and her sister fled their homeland of Syria. They

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<v Speaker 3>went on a dangerous journey across Europe before finally seeking

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<v Speaker 3>asylum in Germany.

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<v Speaker 1>I was in a refugee camp when I arrived for

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<v Speaker 1>a few months, and me and my sister and everyone

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<v Speaker 1>else got to Germany. We had so much paperwork to do.

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<v Speaker 1>We sometimes would wait in line from twelve am until

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<v Speaker 1>eight am the next day to have just a number.

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<v Speaker 1>That's how crazy it was at that point, and for me,

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<v Speaker 1>my escape was sports.

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<v Speaker 3>On today's episode, a Syrian refugee fights for her dreams.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm maya Shunker and this is a slight change of plans,

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<v Speaker 3>a show about who we are and who we become

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<v Speaker 3>in the face of a big change. As a teenager

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<v Speaker 3>used her care at about two things, hanging out with

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<v Speaker 3>her friends and swim practice. She was a star on

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<v Speaker 3>the Syrian national swim team and had big dreams of

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<v Speaker 3>one day representing her country at the Olympics. But as

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<v Speaker 3>the Syrian Civil War intensified, even everyday activities like walking

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<v Speaker 3>to school or a friend's house became dangerous.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember one time I was thirteen years old. I

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<v Speaker 1>was walking to see my friends and there was like

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<v Speaker 1>a bomb attack, literally like two hundred meters behind me.

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<v Speaker 1>I look back, I go to the pharmacy. I stand

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<v Speaker 1>there for a few minutes and I continue afterwards. That's

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<v Speaker 1>how normal it became. And I wouldn't tell my mom

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<v Speaker 1>because then I cannot go out. I had a friend

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<v Speaker 1>where she did lose her life while being in her bedroom.

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<v Speaker 1>I heard so many stories about people being in their

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<v Speaker 1>houses and then missile attacks or bomb attacks, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was like, I am risking my life being home or outside.

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<v Speaker 1>So I would rather, you know, try to rebel in

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<v Speaker 1>my own way, to be like you know what we

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<v Speaker 1>need to like try and have a normal life.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, you've mentioned such dangerous circumstances, and I know that

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<v Speaker 3>this danger followed you to the pool. You're one place

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<v Speaker 3>of refuge. So do you mind describing what that was like.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So the pool is a fifty meter pool and the

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<v Speaker 1>building is mostly glass. Sometimes I'd be swimming like backstroke

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll see holes in the roof because of the missiles.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember that day we were practicing, just like any

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<v Speaker 1>other day. You heard something like a really loud knock,

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<v Speaker 1>but you didn't know what was going on. It took

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<v Speaker 1>us a moment to realize that it was literally a

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<v Speaker 1>missile in the water. It did not explode, so the

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<v Speaker 1>coach was shouting at everyone to go hide. Everyone started running.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone's like trying to get out of the pool to

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<v Speaker 1>go and hide. Me and my older sister were like

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for my mom to pick us up. I got

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<v Speaker 1>my mom just shaking and just crying. I couldn't speak,

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<v Speaker 1>and then my mom was just like shouting trying to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that we are okay, and I couldn't respond.

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<v Speaker 1>So I got in the car. I couldn't respond, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was me being in shock. I was terrified,

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<v Speaker 1>but I was also used to it, which is really sad.

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<v Speaker 1>I was sixteen years old and this was normal for me.

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<v Speaker 3>What solace, if any did you find in the act

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<v Speaker 3>of swimming, Like, did that help bring structure focus to

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<v Speaker 3>your life during this time? Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I did not want to let it go.

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<v Speaker 1>For me, it was about proving that I am talented

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<v Speaker 1>enough that I you know, I'm always going to be

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<v Speaker 1>the fastest. If I want something in life, I work very,

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<v Speaker 1>very hard to get it. My mom would shout at

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<v Speaker 1>me because I would come back home so tired. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>sleep with my backpack, That's how tired I was.

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<v Speaker 3>When did you and your sister I first realize that

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<v Speaker 3>you might want to try and leave Syria, Because I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>obviously what you've described us is so unimaginably harrowing, but

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<v Speaker 3>it's still so challenging to imagine leaving everyone and everything

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<v Speaker 3>you know and love behind. I mean, it's just hard

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<v Speaker 3>to understate the pull of home.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, me and my older sister were like, we need

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<v Speaker 1>to go because it's only getting worse. We knew that

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<v Speaker 1>we're not safe, we knew that every day you get

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<v Speaker 1>out of the apartment is a risk and you might

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<v Speaker 1>never see your family again.

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<v Speaker 2>So the first conversation.

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<v Speaker 1>That we had was with my dad. We were like,

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<v Speaker 1>we need to go to Germany. They were just welcoming refugees,

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<v Speaker 1>and he said no. My mom said no. For my parents,

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<v Speaker 1>the conversation was not even on the table. For us

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<v Speaker 1>to leave two girls living alone, that's insane. And my

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<v Speaker 1>dad was like, find me someone I could trust. And

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<v Speaker 1>then our cousin came by and he was going with

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<v Speaker 1>his uncle. So then we opened the conversation with my

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<v Speaker 1>family again. And then it took ten days for us

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<v Speaker 1>to leave. My mom was crying every day for ten

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<v Speaker 1>days straight. They booked the flights from Libanon to Turkey.

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<v Speaker 1>We got to the airport and I remember we got

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<v Speaker 1>on the plane and the flight attendant was like, please

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<v Speaker 1>do not steal the life jackets.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow. Yeah, they said that on the plane.

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<v Speaker 3>Because they knew so many people were headed down the

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<v Speaker 3>same yeah, towards the same machine.

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<v Speaker 2>They knew.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they knew there were thousands of people trying to

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<v Speaker 1>escape Syria.

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<v Speaker 3>Were you scared, you, Sarah? You say everything is so

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<v Speaker 3>matter of factly, and so I'm just so curious, like,

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<v Speaker 3>and you're seventeen years old at this time, right, Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this part I'm thankful for my parents for

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<v Speaker 1>because they raised us to be ready for everything, and

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<v Speaker 1>every time I doubted anything I was like, my sister's here.

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<v Speaker 2>She's here.

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<v Speaker 1>I used to like beg her for like sleepover in

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<v Speaker 1>her bed, even though like we're in the same room.

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<v Speaker 1>So she gives me sort of some type of peace,

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<v Speaker 1>even though we're very different. Me and my sister were

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<v Speaker 1>very different, but whenever she's there, she was like a

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<v Speaker 1>parent for me too, how much older three years So

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<v Speaker 1>I was like, Okay, my sister's here, and for me,

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<v Speaker 1>I knew that this was my last chance to survive

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<v Speaker 1>and try to survive and fight for everything. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>human instinct in the end. Absolutely, it's just I want

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<v Speaker 1>to live.

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<v Speaker 3>You say, there's so many parts of your harrowing journey.

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<v Speaker 3>It took twenty five days, but I want to focus

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<v Speaker 3>in on one part of the journey, which is when

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<v Speaker 3>you found a smuggler to help you take a small

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<v Speaker 3>boat across the sea in order to get to Greece.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, we found these smugglers and yeah they were like, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>you have to pay thy five hundred euros for each

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<v Speaker 1>person for the sea journey, and you're gonna come tomorrow

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<v Speaker 1>to this place again at five pm. It was to

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<v Speaker 1>take us to the island, one of the closest islands

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<v Speaker 1>in Turkey to Greece. So we all pack this one

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<v Speaker 1>pack pack that we had from Syria. We didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>anything else. Anyway, you sit in the bus, you close

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<v Speaker 1>the curtain. That was four hours. So when we got there,

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<v Speaker 1>we waited for four days to be able to get

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<v Speaker 1>on the boat. No water, no connection, no food, You

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<v Speaker 1>are not allowed to talk to anyone.

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<v Speaker 3>So what was it like finally getting into this little

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<v Speaker 3>I mean when I say boat, I mean literally like

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<v Speaker 3>it's a small rapper boat.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's very inhumane.

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<v Speaker 1>So the dinghy like fits usually like if you want

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<v Speaker 1>to be comfortable for like five six people, and we

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<v Speaker 1>were twenty people and one child that was six years old.

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<v Speaker 1>So the smugglers take people, let them on the boat,

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<v Speaker 1>they start the motor for you, and they let you go.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever happens afterwards, that's it. So usually the trip does

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<v Speaker 1>not take more than like forty five minutes because obviously

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<v Speaker 1>the islands are so close. So we got on the

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<v Speaker 1>boat and then the motor stops after like fifteen minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>The whole journey, the motor keeps working and stopping the

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<v Speaker 1>whole time. It's an experience where I'm a swimmer and

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<v Speaker 1>I was terrified of the water. All of us on

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<v Speaker 1>the boat, we were praying in one voice as they'll

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<v Speaker 1>remember that. Some people were taking the water out of

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<v Speaker 1>the boat. Some people were like trying to steer it.

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<v Speaker 1>Someone was calling the coastguards saying please save us, and

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<v Speaker 1>they were like turn and go back. So that was

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<v Speaker 1>a moment for me where I was like, there is

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<v Speaker 1>no humanity. So the first thing that we did is

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<v Speaker 1>throw everything we had, all the belongings. There was a

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<v Speaker 1>friend of my dad that was also with us, so

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<v Speaker 1>he stands up, he jumps in the water to stabilize

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<v Speaker 1>the boat to try and save everyone. And then the

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<v Speaker 1>next person to stand up and jump in the water

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<v Speaker 1>was my sister, and then I stood up. I went

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<v Speaker 1>from the other side, and she was furious and I

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<v Speaker 1>was like, I'm a swimmer too. There was a rope

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<v Speaker 1>around the dinghy, so me and my sister we tried

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<v Speaker 1>to grab one rope and then tried to swim. It

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<v Speaker 1>took us three hours and a half to get to

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<v Speaker 1>that shore. It was really cold, but we couldn't just

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<v Speaker 1>let go and leave.

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<v Speaker 3>You had confidence that you and your older sister would

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<v Speaker 3>survive this because you're swimmers. But what was painful for

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<v Speaker 3>you is the idea that maybe everyone else might not.

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<v Speaker 1>Me and my sister, we could have swum it. We

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<v Speaker 1>swum open water before ninety percent of the people on

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<v Speaker 1>the boat did not know how to swim. I also

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<v Speaker 1>remember doing like smiley faces for the kid, like staying

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<v Speaker 1>my tongue out because I didn't want him to feel

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<v Speaker 1>like we were drowning.

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<v Speaker 3>What was it like on an emotional level to share

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<v Speaker 3>in an experience like this with a group of strangers,

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, people you didn't even know days prior.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though the strip was horrible in every aspect, the

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<v Speaker 1>inhumane way we were treated, I think we were very,

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<v Speaker 1>very lucky to have those people on the boat because

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<v Speaker 1>we all worked together to save each other's lives. You

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<v Speaker 1>can make it in life on your own, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>not as beautiful as when everyone makes it.

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<v Speaker 3>We'll be back in a moment with a slight change

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<v Speaker 3>of plans. Everyone in Eusra's boat made it safely across

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<v Speaker 3>the sea to Greece. After they arrived, User and her

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<v Speaker 3>sister continued their journey, mostly by foot, through four more

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<v Speaker 3>countries before finally reaching Berlin. They were accepted into refugee housing,

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<v Speaker 3>where they found safety but little privacy. Eustra spent her

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<v Speaker 3>days filling out mountains of paperwork to seek asylum. She

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<v Speaker 3>missed her family in swim practice and the warm weather

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<v Speaker 3>back home.

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<v Speaker 1>The moment I got to Germany, it was gray and cold,

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<v Speaker 1>and I did not like it at all. I was saying,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to go back home soon. This is temporary.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't want to give up on going back to

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<v Speaker 1>my country. I was, of course thankful to be in

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<v Speaker 1>a country where they took us in as refugees, but

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<v Speaker 1>it is not that simple or easy. I know refugees

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<v Speaker 1>that do not feel like they fit in until today

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<v Speaker 1>and it's eight years since they left Syria.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not that they're.

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<v Speaker 1>Not trying, but the trauma and to process everything they

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<v Speaker 1>went through is not easy. Not everyone's welcoming. Me and

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<v Speaker 1>my sister were very, very lucky to meet incredible people

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<v Speaker 1>that wanted to help. But not everyone meets people that

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<v Speaker 1>want to help and want to make them feel at home.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So I was in a refugee camp when I arrived

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<v Speaker 1>for a few months, and me and my sister and

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<v Speaker 1>everyone else that got to Germany, we had so much

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<v Speaker 1>paperwork to do. We sometimes would wait in line from

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<v Speaker 1>twelve am until eight am the next day to have

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<v Speaker 1>just a number. That's how crazy it was at that point.

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<v Speaker 1>And for me, my escape was sports. I think after

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<v Speaker 1>three months of getting to Germany, we made an appointment

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<v Speaker 1>with a swimming club and the coach goes, okay, can

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<v Speaker 1>you go change and jump in the pool. I want

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<v Speaker 1>to see your skills. We go, there's one problem, we

0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:18.960
<v Speaker 1>don't have swimming suits. Can you give us swimming suit? Right?

0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:23.200
<v Speaker 1>So he goes and grabs swimming suits and we swim.

0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:27.160
<v Speaker 1>I think, yeah, he was really surprised by the skills

0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.160
<v Speaker 1>and level of US swimming.

0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.960
<v Speaker 2>And after that, yeah, I went back to practice.

0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.360
<v Speaker 3>Wow. Wow, Yeah, you go back to practice and you're

0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:40.200
<v Speaker 3>in the pool again. So yeah, walk me through what

0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:41.280
<v Speaker 3>that evolution was like.

0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:42.400
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.840
<v Speaker 1>So I met Sven, which was my coach at the time.

0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 1>I sat down with him and he said, what are

0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:51.360
<v Speaker 1>your goals? And I said, I want to go to

0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:56.680
<v Speaker 1>the Olympics. And it was twenty fifteen, so my goal

0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.960
<v Speaker 1>and his goal was that I participate at the Tokyo

0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:01.480
<v Speaker 1>Olympics twenty twenty.

0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:06.000
<v Speaker 2>Then there was an announcement.

0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:10.440
<v Speaker 1>That the creation of the first ever refugee Olympic team

0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:14.280
<v Speaker 1>will happen in Rio twenty sixteen that I did not

0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.840
<v Speaker 1>consider going as a refugee. At that point, I did

0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:25.400
<v Speaker 1>not want to. I was struggling because where I come from,

0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:28.680
<v Speaker 1>a refugee wasn't something great like being like, oh, yeah,

0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:31.080
<v Speaker 1>I'm a refugee I left, I'll be like, no, I'm Syrian.

0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:32.840
<v Speaker 2>I want to earn my spot.

0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.320
<v Speaker 1>I want to prove that I belong at the Olympics,

0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.520
<v Speaker 1>that I did everything I could in my life for

0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:41.800
<v Speaker 1>the sport. When I did not want to go to

0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.200
<v Speaker 1>the Olympics as a refugee, my mom was like, if

0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:49.640
<v Speaker 1>you don't remember how hard you worked, remember the hours

0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:53.240
<v Speaker 1>I was waiting for you and driving you to practice

0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 1>and drying your hair, making your sandwiches.

0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.400
<v Speaker 3>I love how they said, like, if you don't remember

0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:01.480
<v Speaker 3>how hard you were, remember how hard we worked.

0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:03.080
<v Speaker 2>Oh. Absolutely.

0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.680
<v Speaker 1>And then my dad, I remember him coaching me all

0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:10.160
<v Speaker 1>the time. Yeah, my sister being my biggest supporter and competitor.

0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:13.840
<v Speaker 1>At the same time, they all told me sometimes there

0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.360
<v Speaker 1>are opportunities in life that you will never have again,

0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:20.360
<v Speaker 1>and we know how hard you worked and how much

0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:24.440
<v Speaker 1>you deserve that you should go. I went back to

0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:26.760
<v Speaker 1>swim and I told him I want to go to

0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:29.880
<v Speaker 1>the Olympics. But I was still not okay, like not

0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.760
<v Speaker 1>one hundred percent sure about what is this refugee Olympic team.

0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.280
<v Speaker 1>It's going to happen for the first time in history?

0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:40.560
<v Speaker 1>Will people be okay with it? Will people will? Will

0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:45.360
<v Speaker 1>they welcome it? There's another announcement a few months later

0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:51.160
<v Speaker 1>that three athletes made it on the team basically, and

0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:54.240
<v Speaker 1>one of them is a Syrian swimmer that's based in Germany,

0:16:55.600 --> 0:17:00.000
<v Speaker 1>and the media goes crazy. We got three hundred plus

0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:06.040
<v Speaker 1>emails that day. The story goes viral and everyone's like, oh,

0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:09.960
<v Speaker 1>from refugee to an Olympian. The face of the refuge

0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:14.560
<v Speaker 1>Olympic team. She speaks amazing English. I was like, oh, God, like,

0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.880
<v Speaker 1>come on, yeah, a lot of Syrians speak at English.

0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.480
<v Speaker 1>You know. I won my heat when I swam, so

0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:27.840
<v Speaker 1>that was also really insane. I met the athletes on

0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.960
<v Speaker 1>the refuge Olympic team, so many people that showed me

0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:33.920
<v Speaker 1>so much love that I was not expecting in my life.

0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.040
<v Speaker 2>But the moment that everything changed.

0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.520
<v Speaker 1>For me about who I am, about what a refugee

0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.920
<v Speaker 1>is is the moment I stepped foot in the Olympic stadium.

0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:47.040
<v Speaker 1>In the opening ceremony, I realized that every person in

0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:51.080
<v Speaker 1>that stadium stood up for the team. I met the team,

0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:57.639
<v Speaker 1>and I realized that this team is just about to

0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:01.119
<v Speaker 1>give the world a very strong message. We do not

0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:06.000
<v Speaker 1>come from the same countries, yet we are forming this

0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:09.280
<v Speaker 1>team that sends a message of hope to the world.

0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:14.480
<v Speaker 1>It was an incredible time for me and that's where

0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:15.560
<v Speaker 1>everything started.

0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:21.480
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, your experience in the twenty sixteen Olympics changed you

0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:23.480
<v Speaker 3>so much that you opted to be part of the

0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:26.520
<v Speaker 3>Olympic refugee team in twenty twenty. Right, that was a

0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.480
<v Speaker 3>proactive choice. Tell me a bit more about that.

0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:31.240
<v Speaker 1>Yes, I decided to go to Tokyo again and I

0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:34.560
<v Speaker 1>was working really hard to be there, and the Syrian

0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:39.280
<v Speaker 1>team reached out and told me you qualified for us

0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:43.920
<v Speaker 1>and you can go with Syria, and I respected that

0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:47.040
<v Speaker 1>and that was very a happy moment for me because

0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.280
<v Speaker 1>it was something that I wanted to know that I've

0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.560
<v Speaker 1>done in life. But I chose to compete for the

0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.199
<v Speaker 1>refugee Olympic team because of what I am trying to

0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:00.960
<v Speaker 1>do in life right now, which is change the people's

0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:05.919
<v Speaker 1>perspective and ideas about refugees and what can we do

0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:09.320
<v Speaker 1>and what can we not? So yeah, I competed again

0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:13.359
<v Speaker 1>for the Refugee Olympic team. I loved every moment of it.

0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:18.399
<v Speaker 1>To be honest, I would not change anything about both experiences, Like, yeah,

0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:19.280
<v Speaker 1>the dream.

0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.480
<v Speaker 3>Wow, that's amazing. You Srah, can you tell me to

0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:25.200
<v Speaker 3>bring me after speed on present day? I mean, you

0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:29.399
<v Speaker 3>since retired from swimming, you built this foundation. Tell me

0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:31.520
<v Speaker 3>a bit more about the foundation and what your goals

0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:33.440
<v Speaker 3>are for how you spend the rest of your life.

0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.800
<v Speaker 1>I decided that it was time to move on from

0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.320
<v Speaker 1>swimming and it's time for studying. I study film and

0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:45.000
<v Speaker 1>TV production because I'm a storyteller and I want to

0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:48.800
<v Speaker 1>be able to tell other people's stories, not just mine.

0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:51.320
<v Speaker 1>I know that the events that happen in my life

0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:55.240
<v Speaker 1>are so insane, but I am so thankful because now

0:19:56.040 --> 0:19:59.720
<v Speaker 1>I get to say I know that I can help people,

0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.800
<v Speaker 1>and I know that I can tell people that they

0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:10.480
<v Speaker 1>can help others and that coexistence is really beautiful. Last year,

0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:14.160
<v Speaker 1>in June, I decided to launch my own foundation, and

0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:19.159
<v Speaker 1>it is a nonprofit foundation that is focusing on helping

0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:22.760
<v Speaker 1>refugees through education in sports. Because I felt like my

0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:27.560
<v Speaker 1>education and access to sport helped me become who I

0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:31.199
<v Speaker 1>am today. For me, sports was my home for the

0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.480
<v Speaker 1>longest time and it will always be and it helped

0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:38.280
<v Speaker 1>me with my mental health and struggling a lot in life.

0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:41.480
<v Speaker 1>So I want to give that opportunity to refugees that

0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.560
<v Speaker 1>are still in camps, that are still trying to figure

0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.560
<v Speaker 1>out what are they going to do in their lives.

0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:50.440
<v Speaker 3>And then tell me about your family. Estra, your parents

0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:54.120
<v Speaker 3>and your little sister were also able to successfully make

0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:58.480
<v Speaker 3>it to Germany, and I'm wondering how your whole family

0:20:58.560 --> 0:20:59.880
<v Speaker 3>is doing today.

0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.440
<v Speaker 1>So pretty well, all of them live in Berlin, Germany.

0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:07.760
<v Speaker 1>My dad is still swimming coach, lifeguard, and my mom

0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:13.560
<v Speaker 1>does a physical therapy now. My little sister is super smart.

0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:14.719
<v Speaker 2>I love talking to her.

0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:19.000
<v Speaker 1>She's so driven and smart that I cannot wait to

0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:21.720
<v Speaker 1>see what she's going to do in the future. And

0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:26.399
<v Speaker 1>my older sister, yeah, Sarah, still does advocacy work and

0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:30.240
<v Speaker 1>is still based in Berlin, USA.

0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:33.560
<v Speaker 3>I'm curious to know what you wish people better understood

0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.080
<v Speaker 3>about your experience as a refugee.

0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:39.440
<v Speaker 1>It took me a while to fit in in Germany

0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:43.200
<v Speaker 1>so and I was seventeen. It took my parents way

0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.080
<v Speaker 1>longer than me to feel comfortable, to feel like they

0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.479
<v Speaker 1>fit in, to feel like they can feel like they

0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:51.960
<v Speaker 1>are a part of the society. But I'm going to

0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:54.480
<v Speaker 1>tell you one thing that is actually really sad. But

0:21:54.560 --> 0:21:59.320
<v Speaker 1>this is the reality of life. We as refugees sometimes

0:21:59.440 --> 0:22:04.080
<v Speaker 1>feel detached from where we come from and we don't

0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:07.719
<v Speaker 1>feel like we fit in. And then you society, so

0:22:07.840 --> 0:22:11.280
<v Speaker 1>no matter, I have a German passport, but still I

0:22:11.320 --> 0:22:14.480
<v Speaker 1>cannot say I am one hundred percent German, and I

0:22:14.480 --> 0:22:18.400
<v Speaker 1>cannot say I'm one hundred percent Syrian, and I cannot

0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:22.040
<v Speaker 1>be like I'm Syrian and German. There is something, there's

0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:25.520
<v Speaker 1>like a piece, like a small piece that's gonna always

0:22:25.520 --> 0:22:27.160
<v Speaker 1>be missing somehow.

0:22:27.359 --> 0:22:28.159
<v Speaker 2>And this is a.

0:22:29.520 --> 0:22:33.760
<v Speaker 1>Pain that refugees have. They that they're gonna have for

0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:38.040
<v Speaker 1>a very long time. And that's okay and that's normal.

0:23:15.520 --> 0:23:18.760
<v Speaker 3>Hey, thanks so much for listening. Be sure to check

0:23:18.800 --> 0:23:21.000
<v Speaker 3>out the other two stories in this series if you

0:23:21.040 --> 0:23:24.680
<v Speaker 3>haven't heard them yet, with Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin

0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:29.480
<v Speaker 3>and Paralympic gold medalist Brad Snyder. And next week join

0:23:29.560 --> 0:23:33.320
<v Speaker 3>me for a conversation with doctor Molly Millwood, a therapist

0:23:33.359 --> 0:23:36.600
<v Speaker 3>who's honest writing about motherhood has changed how so many

0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:40.480
<v Speaker 3>people think about this major life transition. And if you

0:23:40.560 --> 0:23:43.800
<v Speaker 3>enjoyed this conversation, we on the Slight Change team would

0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:46.080
<v Speaker 3>be so grateful if you could share the episode with

0:23:46.160 --> 0:23:48.920
<v Speaker 3>someone you know. It helps us get the word out

0:23:48.960 --> 0:23:52.040
<v Speaker 3>so we can keep making more episodes for you. Thank

0:23:52.080 --> 0:24:04.280
<v Speaker 3>you so much and see you next week. A Slight

0:24:04.359 --> 0:24:07.600
<v Speaker 3>Change of Plans is created, written, and executive produced by

0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:11.639
<v Speaker 3>me Maya Shunker. The Slight Change family includes our showrunner

0:24:11.760 --> 0:24:16.240
<v Speaker 3>Tyler Green, our senior editor Kate Parkinson Morgan, our senior

0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:21.240
<v Speaker 3>producer Trisha Bobida, and our engineer Eric o'kwang. Luis Scara

0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:24.560
<v Speaker 3>wrote our delightful theme song, and Ginger Smith helped arrange

0:24:24.600 --> 0:24:27.760
<v Speaker 3>the vocals. A Slight Change of Plans is a production

0:24:27.840 --> 0:24:30.840
<v Speaker 3>of Pushkin Industries, so a big thanks to everyone there,

0:24:31.400 --> 0:24:34.679
<v Speaker 3>and of course a very special thanks to Jimmy Lee.

0:24:35.200 --> 0:24:37.640
<v Speaker 3>You can follow A Slight Change of Plans on Instagram

0:24:37.680 --> 0:25:00.080
<v Speaker 3>at doctor Maya Shunker. See you next week and