He is Samer.. he is my son

I met Samer on my second day in Northern Greece.  At first I thought he was American, he speaks great English with a twang of an American accent.  I have waited a few days to write about Samer, I needed some space and quiet to gather my thoughts and emotions.

Within minutes of meeting Samer, you know that he is a very special person, he has an aura of kindness and warmth.  Of course it helps that you can talk to him on an emotional level due to his language skills, but it is not just this… it’s much more than this.

Samer is 22 years old, a couple of years older than my eldest son (Joseph) and a few months older than my nephew (Matty).  He is generally full of smiles with a dry sense of humour that a Scouser would be proud of.

 Samer is in Northern Greece on his own, his parents died when he was young and he was raised in an SOS Childrens Village in Syria.  He has an older brother, who is in Germany .. but due to the crazy asylum registration rules, for now he is stuck in the camp.

Samer spends his time at the camp working with the volunteer groups and helping with translations.  Believe me, he is always there to help and works for many hours each day.  One night when I was on tent duty a fight broke out, nothing serious – these things are to be expected when people are living in such stressful and uncertain situations.  Samer was first there on the scene to break up the fight, he spoke calmly as he held one of the people involved in the fight – calmed the situation and after a few minutes everyone dispersed and went back to their tents.  After this he told me; “I really hate fights”.  Samer fights darkness with light – that is one of his special qualities.

Samer was at University in Damascus studying English, but due to the war he was forced to leave.  In a dark moment, he asked me “what future do I have mum – stuck here living like an animal?” What could I say…. ? .. “the borders are closed, the Politicians are self-serving, we try with demonstrations and we march to try change their minds – but they don’t listen, the media won’t even tell your story.…?”

My husband and I have worked hard to provide opportunities for our 3 sons.  The older two; Joe and Ben (18 and 16) – they have chosen the paths they want to walk – we are immensely proud of their achievements so far.  They have had choices and they have had the freedom to develop and grow.  Samer deserves at least this, he deserves some choices – I know in my heart that he would grasp any opportunity to develop, grow and learn with both hands – and never let go.

Samer is not alone, there are many young people trapped in Europe right now with massive potential to be successful (however you want to define successful) .. they deserve a chance.. These young adults will enhance our society in so many ways – I wish the media and the self-serving Politicians would open their eyes and see this.

He is Samer… He is my son