Alexandra Hootnick

Stories: Laya Al-Khazam's Adventures in Sweden

Laya Al-Khazam's Adventures in Sweden

 

  • Crows cut out and colored by Laya Al-Khazam and her classmates. Image of migratory birds, Oskarström, Sweden.
  • Halland, Sweden.
  • Migrationsverket Refugee Center. Halland, Sweden.Laya Al-Khazam is 9 years old. Her favorite animal is the gazelle, her favorite colors are pink and magenta and she loves princesses, especially Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Drawing and playing are Laya’s favorite things to do and she helps take care of her younger sister, Lara.
  • The Shape and Color of Dreams
  • When Laya's family arrived in Sweden, people were very kind to them. One of these kind people, a pastor, helped them find an apartment in a small village. And in this apartment in a small village is where Laya’s adventures in Sweden began.
  • Laya's parents had heard about Sweden before. The country was the home of a famous band called ABBA, which many people listened to in Syria. They had also heard that people in Sweden were nice to refugees from Syria. One of Laya’s uncles, Uncle Eyad, had already left for Sweden, and he encouraged their family to meet him there.
  • Laya's School. Halland,Sweden
  • The Al-Khazam family on the boat from Egypt to Italy, under a new moon. Drawing by Laya Al-Khazam.On a week when the weather was good and the seas were calm, Laya’s parents decided it was the safest time to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. It was December of 2014 and the beginning of winter. Laya’s family left from the shores of Alexandria, Egypt under the cover of a new moon, when the sky was clear and dark, so that others wouldn’t see them. They were scared because they knew that the journey was dangerous. They traveled on the sea for a week. There was only one bathroom for 400 people. At times, Laya wanted to get up and run around. But the boat was crowded, and people were not in a playful mood. So instead, Laya sat quietly. She looked up at the sky and dreamed about reaching Sweden.By the seventh and final day of the journey, there was no food or water left. Lots of children cried and people got sick. But Khaled and Rana--Laya’s parents--were surprised. None of their children—eight-year-old Laya, ten-year-old Waled or even four-year-old Lara—cried or complained the entire week they were on the boat. Finally, after what felt like forever, the Al-Khazam’s boat reached the shores of Italy. They finally had made it to Europe. When all of their family was off the boat, they stood on the beach and hugged for a long time.
  • Once they had arrived in Europe, it was not so difficult for Laya’s family to travel. They spent the next week journeying north towards Sweden, where Laya’s uncle had arrived the week before. He was waiting for them there. This trip felt easy compared to the Al-Khazam's voyage across the Mediterranean. The trains and buses they took were much more comfortable than the boat. In Europe, things looked, sounded and smelled differently than they did in Syria and Egypt.
  • Winter morning in Halland, Sweden.
  • Drawing of Laya and her friend from Syria, by Laya Al-Khazam.Image of a snowy beach. Halland, Sweden.
  • Cultural exchange visit with a Swedish family in their home. Halland, Sweden.
  • Imagination and Heart, by Laya Al-Khazam. Image of Laya and her little sister Lara.Laya says this picture is drawn from her imagination. It shows some of her and her little sister Lara's favorite things—a heart, the stars, the moon, her and Lara's favorite colors. The brown is the color of the mountains in Syria.
  • Halland, Sweden
  • Halland, Sweden.
  • Drawing of the schoolyard during recess, by Laya Al-Khazam.Free run. Oskarström, Sweden.
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    • Laya Al-Khazam's Adventures in Sweden
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