Lisa Karrer (b. 1957)

Station 5 Ceramic Forms: In ghetto cities such as Gaza, “temporary” refugee camps have devolved into destitute slums housing nearly two million Palestinians, whose homes and neighborhoods are under threat, in constant danger of being bombed and destroyed.

Hser Htee Paw

Burma / Language: Karen

My name is Hser Htee Paw and I’m 32 years old and I was born in Burma. I came from a village in Burma. The town’s name is Hpa Pun. Our house in Burma was made of bamboo, and the roof was made out of leaves. I have eight siblings, 10 together with our parents. When we were in Burma, we planted banana trees. We had animals, mostly farming every day at the plantation.

What I miss most about living in Burma is that once a year we would have Thanksgiving celebration, as well as celebrating Christmas with friends and family and people from church. That’s what I miss most about it. I also miss the summer in Burma because we would go and swim in the river, we would also go fishing. I miss those moments a lot.

In Burma we had to keep moving because of the situation. Whenever the Burmese Army came into the village, we would have to run into the forest to hide between the stones, just so we could hide from the soldiers.

I left my hometown and moved to the refugee camp (in Thailand), March 10, 2007. But when I moved to the refugee camp, I did not get the chance to leave, because we weren’t allowed to go outside the camp. They gave us a monthly food ration, for things such as salt, rice, chilies, and fish paste. The only good thing about living in a refugee camp is that we felt more safe, and we could escape the torture of the Burmese army. We didn’t have to run like we did in Burma, and we got to stay in a warm place, that’s the only good thing for us living in a refugee camp. It’s a little freedom, compared to life in Burma. When we were in our village in Burma, we always had to flee because of the Burmese army. Sometimes it was so difficult for us, sometimes it was raining and there was no food, and we had to flee. But in the refugee camp, we didn’t have that kind of problem. I lived in the refugee camp for six years.

Not all of my family members could escape from Burma. Some are still in the refugee camp. My parents didn’t like living in the refugee camp, because wanted to stay in the place where their mother gave birth to them, in Burma. They didn’t want to leave everything behind. So they sacrificed themselves, and went back to live in the jungle in Burma, near their old village.

My home in Buffalo is just like everybody else’s home. My daily routine is usually cooking, doing the laundry, cleaning, doing the house chores. Going to my kid’s appointments. I also go do work each day.

I enjoy listening to music when I’m home. Mostly the Christian gospel songs, and I love listening to the preachers. I feel better when I listen to that music.

**Please note: Hser’s narrative continues at Station #7

Mohammed
Syria / Language: Arabic

Hello, my name is Mohammed, I’m from Syria. We had a very simple life there. I used to work in printing. I lived in Syria with my family.

I’m married and have two kids, a boy and a girl. We were comfortable (in Syria), and did not have as many responsibilities as we have currently. I did not know how it felt to have too many responsibilities until I immigrated. I lived my life normally; I would work, and not pay attention to the news. We were happy!! thanks to Allah, until all those problems started. We remained in this bad situation for about 10 or 11 months, and we couldn’t tell who was with us or against us anymore, even those closest to us, family and relatives. Nobody could tell how or where things were going to end up.

Suddenly one day when I arrived at work, I was told that I had to leave within 24 hours. Considering the nature of my position at work and the fact that I was close to the general intelligence department, my name was on the list. I moved accordingly; within twelve hours I was out of Syria, leaving everything behind. That first week felt like seven years, not seven days. It was very hard and difficult, for myself and my family. I moved by myself to Libya, then I started recalling memories with my family, how we were before, and what we had we become. I wasn’t financially rich or poor - I was right in the middle - but I had everything I needed in Syria. Thank Allah, I had everything I needed. I had a house, and I had my family.

I stayed in Libya for ten months, and I could not tolerate it anymore. My family couldn’t tolerate it either, so they first moved to Egypt in order to come to Libya. However, they could not get into Libya because the situation there was not stable either. After nine months I sent my Family (my wife, Abdulrahman and Alaa) to Egypt and followed them the next month. We were together in Egypt but it wasn’t like Syria; we were all scattered everywhere, we stayed in rental places, it was like a new life. Listening to the bad daily news, phone calls about people dying, and that caused a lot of stress and anxiety.

We stayed in Egypt for one month, and then we moved to Jordan, to a secured house. I entered Jordan to visit, not to reside. I arrived on June 8th, 2016 as a visitor and on the 9th the revolution started in Egypt. The border was closed and I thought things would get better, because my intention was to go back to Libya, but it did not happen. I didn’t go back to Libya. It wasn’t only that the border was closed, I was trying to cross the border illegally. I stayed in Jordan for the first month, second month, and third month in the secured house and I started to give up, there was no solution, then I considered the idea of traveling. I went to different embassies and I wasn’t welcomed at their doors, all embassies said NO. We tried to talk to the United Nations Office that provided us with nutrition coupons about traveling, but they told us that they would call us if we were eligible. I stayed like this from 2013 to…four years in Jordan.

**Please note: Mohammed’s narrative continues at Station #7

Zubaida
Iraq / Language: Arabic

The interviewer asks Zubaida: Now that you are here, what do you consider your real home?

This is a difficult question, and more difficult to answer. I love them both (Iraq and America), I consider them both my homeland. Iraq is where I grew up and I cannot deny what it offered me and how it built my personality since I was very young. Iraq gave me love and peace, taught me morals and principles, and I cannot deny that. And when I moved here I felt safe and loved and I learned to be strong. I learned how to work, and if anything happens to me the government will support me, I have a backup and they will not leave me alone, and I thank God that I’m here now. It’s safe, there’s goodness, there’s love, and that’s always the place I dream of.

I hope Iraq will be like this one day. I consider them both my home and I will be probably in the front lines to defend this country if {god forbid} something happens to America, because I consider it my home country. I won’t forget what they offered me and how they saved me, because I could have possibly been dead. They saved and secured me. I found a job thank God. There is a job to do, and a house, and here is life. This is my homeland too.

Zubaida goes on to say:
Regardless of the circumstances that forced us to leave, including the war and sectarian conflicts, of course the war has a very big impact in our lives, but homeland is still priceless and this is what I was taught, that I should always value, appreciate and be grateful to everything given to me from my home country. And so when I moved over here I am very grateful to the United States and I consider it like my home country, there’s no difference, and I wish peace and good for the whole world and my beloved homeland Iraq. I wish good for the whole world.

**Please note: Zubaida’s English narrative continues at Station #4

Baseera
Afghanistan / Language: Dari and English

Baseera speaks English here, telling the story of life with her family in Afghanistan.

**Please note: Baseera’s narratives continue at Station #1, Station #3 and Station #4

Zubaida
Iraq / Language: Arabic

Zubaida sings the national anthem of Iraq, from a popular poem written by the Palestinian poet Ibrahim Touqan in 1934.

**Please note: As with most national anthems, this song is usually sung strongly, with spirit. Zubaida’s haunting version here is tender and sorrowful.

My homeland!
My homeland!
Glory and beauty,
Sublimity and splendor,
Grace and majesty
Are in your hills, in your hills

Life and deliverance,
Pleasure and hope
Are in your air, in your love

Shall I see you, will I see you
Safely comforted, blessed,
Victorious and honored
Shall I see you in your eminence?

Reaching to the stars,
Reaching the stars!
My homeland!
My homeland!

**Please note: Zubaida’s narrative continues at Station #4