MAHAMAD (IRAQ)

JANUARY 2020 TO MAY 2021

Hello to everyone! My name is Mohamad. I am twenty years old and I am from Iraq. I was taking English classes in Habibi Center for one and a half year. I learned about Habibi Center while I was living in the “Orion” shelter for refugees. After I came from my country of origin, I was hosted in this shelter for many months and the staff proposed to me to begin English lessons there to improve my skills. The truth is that when I entered Greece I could speak only Arabic and it was very difficult for me to communicate with everyone around me. Furthermore, English is the international language and I thought that it would be challenging for me to study it. Apart from the educational level, Habibi Center was a nice opportunity for me to socialize and meet new people, considering the fact that I had just come to Greece and I needed social network and support in every level. The first days in Habibi Center were challenging and difficult for me. I felt a little bit lost and nervous being in a new place with new people. Also, I was feeling very shy at the beginning and I wanted to avoid the interpersonal contacts, because I could not communicate with them. However, the teacher made me feel comfortable and quickly I started enjoying learning the language. He was very talented in what he was doing and he always found the way to help us. Week by week, I started improving the level of the language and I was finally able to both understand the others and express myself at the same time. I started feeling more self confident and that helped me to come closer to people and make many friends. Habibi Center was not only a chance for me to learn a new language. It was also a reason, as I mentioned above, to meet new people and become more sociable. The most important thing, though, is that I had the opportunity to meet teachers who taught me important values in life. Only the fact that they were all working voluntarily and at the same time they were enjoying themselves it was very enlightening for me. Furthermore, each of them had different country of origin and we all had the chance to exchange information and enrich our way of thinking by accepting the diversity. Staying in Greece was very difficult and stressful for me, especially in the beginning. It was a whole new experience for me. Also, I was looking forward to reunify with my brother in Germany and the legal procedures made me very nervous. Habibi Center helped me during all this procedure. I learned how to be patient and living in the moment, although I was thinking all the time about my future. I really improved my social skills, as I said before, because I could finally communicate with others without looking strange to them. The most important thing, though, was that my education there gave me a sense of independence. I could finally move outside alone in the center of Athens, without needing anyone to translate for me or talk instead of me. I could read, I could ask for whatever I needed and for sure I could live better in the shelter, as I started communicating more efficiently with the staff. Of course what I gave to Habibi Center is nothing comparing to what the people from there gave to me. To be honest, I gave my teachers gratitude and kindness because they deserved it after all those things they offered to all of us. I really felt grateful for the skills I obtained, the human values I was taught, the people I met and the whole experience I had the chance to live. They helped me to grow up and feel more mature in many levels and they made my stay in Greece more interesting, fun and enriching. I hope one day I will be able to work in a place like this and have the chance to offer the same things to other refugees or minorities who need them. Mohamad.