Imagining Syria away

“I like only gardens in the camp. I don’t like caravans or this heat at all,” said one of my Syrian friends.
His talks later made me to believe that Syria has fertile soil. I tried googling “Syria”, looking for beautiful Syria, but it was only guns, tanks, destroyed towns and people stupefied with grief that came up. It was as if the word “Syria” itself shouldered all tragedies in them. Then, I googled “Syria towns”, still looking for an “original” Syria, but I just found a heap of rubble. All I can do is imagining in order to know how beautiful and magnificent Syria is, Syria shown by children’s paint and my friends talk.

[Children’s painting activity]

When I watch the north from the camp which is just 15km away, I can see the pale pink hazy horizon which is different from the view in Japan. That is the place. I wonder when they will be able to return to their loved place in peace and what I can do with them and learn from them by spending a spare moment here. I would like to note my idea as it has been about a month since I began my intern and today is just the end of Ramadan.
I join the projects for the magazine “Al Tariq”, which JEN publishes monthly with the refugees, and for the handicrafts in which women in the camp make using donated but damaged clothes. What I have thought through these activities for one month as the intern in JEN Jordan office is that I want to be a clown one way or another.

[Za-Atari monthly magazine “Al Tariq”]

The reason is because Syrian refugees in the camp seemed to enjoy when I used my poor Arabic, when we talked about Japan and Syria and did some activities together. It is my desire that they find something delightful here even a little bit during activities with me. So, I have thought how I can be a funny clown for them.
I saw magazine members willingly go to conduct an interview for articles in the next magazine as usual. Whenever I accompany them, even I don’t understand the Arabic,  I always find something new. I’m sharing the time with them, leaning from them and cheering them up. And at the same time, I want to suggest some small ideas that shall bring pleasures to them.

[Magazine members conducting interview]

I was suffering from the heat in the camp but I found that it was a bit comfortable when I go into a caravan, lay on an Arabic mat and feel the wind shaking the plants in gardens. With the wind fanning me, I can imagine Syria again a little bit easier. As I dream beautiful Syria, I will try my best to be a funny clown.

Intern in JEN Jordan office

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