IT HAS been 10 years since Tarek Hamdi first arrived in Ireland after leaving his home in Syria. He misses his home in Idlib, the bustling Damascus, with its historical landmarks around every corner, and Aleppo with its taste-of-home cuisine.
Tarek first arrived in Ireland in June 2015, placed with his family in the Balseskin Reception Centre in Dublin. Now, after living in Ireland for a decade, setting up roots for himself in Limerick and gaining his education at the University of Limerick (UL), the Syrian native is now torn between the delight of having two places to call home and the sadness of them being 4,000 kilometres apart.
“It’s difficult to decide whether I’d want to go back and live in Syria. My life has changed so much, I’ve grown used to living here, surrounded by friends and the people I know,” he says.
Culture shock was a challenge for Tarek during his early days in Ireland, when everything was different and alien. He says that his family were among the first Syrian refugees to arrive in Ireland, and that “when we arrived in Dublin, my mother was in tears, and we were scared because we had never heard of Ireland before and didn’t know anyone here”.
The family did not know enough English to even write their names.
Despite this, they persisted, and Tarek says “Ireland taught me the importance of helping others, just as the Irish government helped us when we needed it most”. He thinks the kindness people showed his family was crucial to them adjusting on a foreign soil.
Tarek quickly realised he wanted pave the same welcome for other refugees coming to Ireland, from helping with paperwork to doing the shopping.
The helpful Syrian has taken part in many campaigns to raise awareness and combat stereotypes about refugees, work he says is “definitely necessary to foster understanding and empathy”.
He notes he himself has been the victim of stereotype on occasion, recalling incidents in school when he was accused of being a terrorist or being involved with from ISIS.
He says he was also asked demeaning questions about his home, whether it had electricity, microwaves, television.
“They had no idea that Damascus, our capital, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, and that Syria was a fully developed country with things some other places here don’t even have,” he says.
In the face of discrimination early on, he feels that living in Ireland has opened his mind and encouraged him “to be a more peaceful person and to respect and accept others, no matter where they come from. It’s shown me the value of kindness and understanding in building connections with people”.
After graduating from UL with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Tarek has become fully independent. He secured a job is renting his own home in Limerick. He says he feels settled in Ireland and loves the simple, warm, and welcoming nature of the Irish people, the beauty of the green countryside, and the fullness of energy and tradition that Irish dance and music show.
However Tarek still dreams of going back to a “truly free Syria”, where he can re-connect with his roots and contribute to rebuilding the country. If he ever returns, he says, he will remember the lessons Ireland taught him to help Syria recover and grow.
This story is part of the Tell Your Own Story (TYOS) project. Published monthly, in collaboration with the Limerick Post, TYOS shares the stories of Limerick people of all backgrounds and abilities in the hopes of encouraging unity in diversity. For more information, visit tyos.ie.
