My family’s from Kirkuk in Iraq, and we came to the Czech Republic because we didn’t feel good in our own country and because my parents didn’t agree with a lot of things which were happening there.
The trip here was horrible. We had to flee, and so we didn’t have much stuff, only a bit of money and a few items of clothing. It was horrible, my mum was constantly crying and dad was really ill. We paid people who promised to take us to Germany, but they turfed us out in the Czech Republic near the German border, which was the end of the road for us because we didn’t have any money.
We’ve been living here for 4 years now. My mum studied at university in Baghdad, she’s a paediatrician, but now she doesn’t work. She doesn’t speak Czech very well, and if she wants work as a doctor she’d have to get nostrification. Yeah, it’s an awful word, but mum explained it to me. Basically it means that she would have to study for another two years here before she could work…
My sister is 4 years older than me and my parents are really concerned about her, so whenever I go somewhere she tags along.
My name is a bit of a tongue twister for people in your country. It’s pronounced “Jar-mal”, which means beautiful.
My dad has successfully acquired asylum here, which means that we should have the same rights as you, but my parents can’t vote, for instance. We would like to apply for Czech citizenship, because if things don’t change for the better in Iraq we won’t be returning.
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I’m Jamal’s father and I’m 56 years old. I really apologise for my Czech, but I haven’t really learnt a lot, even though Jami tries to teach us. I was really ill when were arrived here, and the camp was not a happy place: We were homesick and everything was strange.
In the end I met some people from Iraq and they helped a lot with everything. We also found accommodation and I became healthy again. My wife is a doctor and so she knew what my problem was.
And then I opened a shop, and things started to get better, and I still have the place. I like it in the Czech Republic. It’s good here, but I would like to return to Iraq. There’s no place like home. |
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