Life in Dubai

After finishing university in Syria and having two children, Rinaz eventually went on to become a music teacher in Dubai. Dubai offered a safer environment away from the war occurring in Syria, but it did not stop her from feeling stressed and worried for family. She saw Syria on the news as bombings and other violence occurred, yet she had no way of contacting her family. 

Life in Dubai was a special time for Rinaz. She worked at a diverse and inclusive school with 80 different nationalities. She explains that while students would have their arguments on typical things like boyfriends and school work, they never insulted each others background because the school valued diversity so deeply. In fact, they had International Day every year which was a day dedicated to celebrating the schools diversity and sharing various cultures. 

Rinaz was living in Dubai on a work visa, but she could not get it renewed unless she returned to Syria. Unfortunately, her parents had moved to Turkey, and Syria remained unsafe, so her options remained limited, and she couldn't stay in Dubai. Rinaz turned to a family member for advice. Her uncle, a former Kurdish activist who was imprisoned and tortured by the Syrian government, had left Syria in the 1970's and moved to Sweden. She asked him whether she should move to a country in Europe, such as Sweden, or move to the US where her aunt lived. Upon hearing that question, Rinaz's uncle told her "Go to the US because you will never become German, or French, or Italian, or Swedish, but you will always be American." What he meant by this is in order for Rinaz and her children to have the best opportunity to find a place they can truly call home, they had to go to the US, a country built on the foundation of immigration and diversity.