https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv Immersive Story By Julia Talvela en-us 2017-12-01 03:30:08 UTC 2025-12-30 12:07:21 UTC hello@padlet.com jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212139611 You were only 9 when you lost your mother to childbirth, and now that you are 15, you have lost everyone around you. Ever since the war started in 2011 your life has slowly been falling apart. You were on your way home from the grocer on a sunny afternoon in July of 2012. You had recently started to notice the increasing amount of soldiers around you, and you now knew that the war had begun. 1 km from your house you hear a gigantic sound of an explosion. You run. However, as you head nearer and nearer to your apartment building you stop 100 meters away and fall to your knees. Everything is in ruin. A few hours later a man, who has been trying to find any bodies under the mountain of ruins, tells you that the explosion occurred because of the mine explosion and that they found nothing but a small teddy bear. Your shaking as you reach out for the teddy bear, you have seen it before, it was your sisters. You put your head into the embrace of the teddy bear and start crying. Your family is gone forever. 

                                                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~

A week after the explosion you have found a little pack of children around the same age as you, but mostly younger, who you are living with on the streets. If you are lucky you get 1 meal a day and a handful of water. You have heard of people who have fled Syria and crossed oceans to get to Europe. The other children in your group tell you that Europe is a magical place, and that everyone is happy there, but that many people die on the way there because of the dangerous road. You start talking to people about the smuggling process on the streets, you have decided to get out of Syria. You have decided to go to Europe, whatever the cost may be, to a place where you can start a new life, without war,  soldiers, and death.

]]> 2017-12-01 03:32:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212139611 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212139983 In 2011 15 boys were writing graffiti supporting Arab Spring, leading them to be captured and tortured. One of the boys, 13-year-old, was killed in the process. Later that year in March peaceful protest started to occur after the incident. The Syrian government responded by killing hundreds of demonstrators and taking hundreds more as prisoners. Then, in July that year, a group of defectors from the military created a group of rebels which goal was to overthrow the government which started a civil war. This group was called the Free Syrian Army. Now as the war is at its 7th year, statistics report more than 465,000 Syrian who have been killed in the fighting, more than 1 million injured and 6 million Syrian who has been displaced in Syria. Over 5 million Syrian have decided to flee the country, in order to escape the war and all of its effects such as lack of food, lack of shelter, no education, and even death. Most Syrian refugees involuntarily fled to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt. The number of Syrian refugees that residents in these countries are 95%. However, the organization UNHCR(United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees) weren’t ready to support that amount of refugees in the refugee camps which lead to extremely poor living conditions in the camps which lacked the basic human needs, and with no hope of a better future for the refugees. Some refugees chose another option; they flee to Europe. You, like 350,000 other Syrians, has chosen this option and the country that would give you the best chance at starting a new life would be Germany as they have accepted more than 450,000 asylum applications as of 2015, and 1 million into their EASY system. ]]> 2017-12-01 03:37:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212139983 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140412 There are no safe options for traveling to Europe. You just have to go. There is a way up through Turkey, then take a boat to Greece, then go all the way up to Macedonia, then to Serbia, followed by Hungary, then through Austria, and finally, you end up in Germany. You have chosen that way. Even though you have to cross the Mediterranean. “The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,011,700 migrants arrived by sea in 2015, and almost 34,900 by land”(BBC). You finally got enough money to smuggle yourself into Europe, by selling almost everything you had except your sister's teddy bear. Many Syrian have seen Europe as a safer long-term place to be as “In 2015, EU countries offered asylum to 292,540 refugees”(BBC).  You are now waiting to cross the eastern mediterranean sea on the coast of a beach. You are not the only one waiting, 50 other people from all around Syria are waiting too. You look at the mothers hugging their children telling them that everything will be fine, while you can see the tears that they are trying to hold on to. “According to the IOM, more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have died to try to cross the Mediterranean in 2015”(BBC). Most people don’t have anything else than a backpack and what they are wearing. We wait another hour or so before a man tells us to go on a tiny boat. It is not even a boat it is a tiny inflatable boat, and there is only one. Everyone is squishing themselves unto the boat, desperately trying to get a comfortable spot. The man keeps yelling directions at you. "Let the women and children be in the middle", he says. "The men can help control the outer parts of the boat as well as help keep the water out." You are assigned this part. You have not been on the sea for a long time until the waves start to get bigger and water starts to get into the boat. The man tells us we need to lose some of our weight, so most people drop the only items they have into the dark sea. Some of the men also jump out of the boat and swim alongside, everyone else is desperately trying to get water out of the boat. This continues for hours until the waves become smaller. You are sitting in the boat, cold and restless, you are praying to any god out there that you will make it over in one piece, but your hope is small. You cling your teddy bear close to your chest as you fall asleep to the sound of a child screaming. You have been traveling for days without any food or water, without anyone dying. Your prayers have been heard, and you can spot a coast in the distance. You cry with joy. 


After getting picked up by coastguards a week ago in Greece, a man in a uniform speaks to you in another mother tongue than your own and you don't understand a thing. The only thing you understand is that he is pointing toward a truck, and because you can see that other people are going that way, you decide to follow his directions. Some are from Syria too and you start to have a small conversation. They have parents who understood the man in the uniform, and they tell you that you will go to another country, and it will be a long journey with countless of train rides and bus rides. 
You meet a guy called Ali, and you become friends quickly. He also fled Syria alone, because his father was killed by a shooting, and his mother had fled without telling him. He hopes he can find her in Germany. German people are kind, when you jumped out of the truck you saw many signs with flowers saying  Welcome to Germany, and a little girl came over and gave you something to drink. It tasted sweet and bitter, different if so to say. Just like this new place called Germany.     

]]> 2017-12-01 03:40:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140412 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140579 Germany is the country in Europe with the highest number of refugees, have seen some effects on their human characteristics. People in Germany have started to open up to the refugees as human beings rather than the “burden” of refugees. She has been open-minded to the possibilities that refugees can give the country. “At the same, time life expectancy is soaring -- 84 for women and 88 for men -- and Germany is desperate for workers to boost its aging and shrinking population”(CNN’S How Germany Rose to The Occasion).  You have been in Germany for about a year, and you couldn’t be happier. You have been given so much kindness and support in order to get the best transition into the German culture and language. You are currently taken German lessons, and going to school to continue your education.  You are grateful for the kindness that you have received, but something is not quite right. In everyday situations, you feel out of place. People sometimes stare if you do something “out of place” just because you don’t understand how this community is connected. However, the worst of all, you miss your family. The truth that you will never see their smiles again is a constant rock in front of you blocking your path to move forward. You know that you will first have to get past that stone before you can truly accept your new life, and by that, you have realized that you have a lot to learn. Everything is so much different here.  There is no war, and soldiers don’t walk around the streets with guns around their waist. When you enter a bus people don’t scowl at you, but rather smile and give you a quick nod. You must confess you are still a bit uncomfortable about being so open when you come from a country where that, at the moment, is not proper. However, you are starting to like this new approach to things, and overall the new culture that you have migrated into even though the ways of this culture is so must differ from the one that you are used to. You know you will like it here in Germany, and that you will face many obstacles before making this your home. And hopefully, one day when the war is over, you will have the education and knowledge to help pull your country out of its misery once and for all.  ]]> 2017-12-01 03:42:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140579 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140693 Malaysia not being part of the UNHCR regards refugees is illegal immigrants. This implies that if you are a refugee in Malaysia you are not allowed to get a working permit as well as receiving an education which restricts your requirement for your basic human needs.  In order to help these refugees get a stable income as well as raising their dignity, a local organization called the Picha Project provides refugees with the opportunity to cook their own food, and then sell it for parties and so on. The project has 10 families involved at the moment, and these families have received 350,000 RM in return for their hard work. These families have now found a way to take care of themselves in a way that gives them the dignity they deserve from hard work. Globally this idea of preserving the dignity of refugees is a key point. Refugee camps around the world have tried to create work in the camps that require refugees to work while getting an income, and small groceries and other offices where refugees are able to buy food by using the money they have earned. Again, this gives refugees their dignity back in small portions as they have the ability to work hard for their money. If now you would like to do your part in this crisis, donations are also highly needed. Even though donations don’t have as much dignity in them, they could provide resources that might help build places where work is needed, like a local hair salon.    

]]> 2017-12-01 03:43:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212140693 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156269 2017-12-01 07:09:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156269 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156319 2017-12-01 07:10:18 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156319 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156405 2017-12-01 07:11:02 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156405 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156794 2017-12-01 07:14:41 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212156794 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212158892 2017-12-01 07:27:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212158892 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159227 2017-12-01 07:29:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159227 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159510 2017-12-01 07:31:03 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159510 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159661 2017-12-01 07:31:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212159661 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212160036 2017-12-01 07:34:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212160036 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212161077 2017-12-01 07:39:31 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212161077 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212161288 2017-12-01 07:40:32 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/212161288 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261101 You have now experienced the journey of a refugee. How do you feel? Knowledgeable? Scared? Determined? Or maybe you are just shocked, on the other hand, just that you are feeling something is what is important. Because it can be hard to turn sympathy into action when we represent casualties in gigantic numerals. This immersive story was a collection of data of multiple journeys into one. They were turned into your story. A story you might remember to contribute to, so maybe another person experiencing a similar story won't have to see the same effects you experienced, in real life.]]> 2017-12-12 01:22:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261101 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261598 2017-12-12 01:28:41 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261598 jtalvela22 https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261660 2017-12-12 01:29:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jtalvela22/id03edf7rciv/wish/215261660