Syrian Refugees- Part 1

I loved the shift of focus to Syrian refugees. The post below was published on September 27, 2015, which preceded the December photo shoots of Syrian refugees. 

“After one month, I arrived in Austria. The first day I was there, I walked into a bakery and met a man named Fritz Hummel. He told me that forty years ago he had visited Syria and he’d been treated well. So he gave me clothes, food, everything. He became like a father to me. He took me to the Rotary Club and introduced me to the entire group. He told them my story and asked: ‘How can we help him?’ I found a church, and they gave me a place to live. Right away I committed myself to learning the language. I practiced German for 17 hours a day. I read children’s stories all day long. I watched television. I tried to meet as many Austrians as possible. After seven months, it was time to meet with a judge to determine my status. I could speak so well at this point, that I asked the judge if we could conduct the interview in German. He couldn’t believe it. He was so impressed that I’d already learned German, that he interviewed me for only ten minutes. Then he pointed at my Syrian ID card and said: ‘Muhammad, you will never need this again. You are now an Austrian!’” (Kos, Greece)

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This man embodies the essence and definition of true grit. I am grateful for his story because it makes me want to do better. Better at what? Better at living and learning! I am grateful for the compassion of others and hope to be just as hospitable as Fritz Hummel and friends.