Maisaa arrived in the UK 11 years ago with her husband to further their education. She was born and grew up in Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast of Syria but moved to Damascus after her degree to work in the Ministry of Education. She married 18 days before moving to Exeter, where she and her husband still live with their sons. Maisaa has many beautiful memories of growing up in Syria and spending time with her family and friends visiting beaches and swimming in the sea. Having moved to England she found that she really missed their support and closeness, however, she enjoyed going back to visit them in Syria and then returning to Exeter where she was building her life and trying out new experiences that hadn’t always been accessible before. After the start of the war in Syria, Maisaa, her husband, and their boys were unable to go back to visit their families as the situation became too dangerous. Since then, Maisaa worries about her family living in difficult circumstances there, often lacking the daily necessities such as water and electricity. She keeps in touch with them, though is careful not to share her difficulties or loneliness in case it worries her mother.
Initially, Maisaa struggled to make connections with people, because of prejudices. She says that people were initially confused when she said she was from Syria, but after the war, she found that people began to react differently and instantly feel sorry for her. As a result, Maisaa worked hard to promote a truer version of Syria within her community through informative family events, and often shares stories and cultural practices with her sons and neighbours.
Maisaa now works as a community builder, encouraging people locally to form friendships and work together to build strong and supportive communities, something that she really missed when she first moved to the UK. Although she still lives in Exeter, she sees her future as open to change. She has never felt settled, so feels ready to move wherever life takes her, now being resilient as a result of her past experiences.
Initially, Maisaa struggled to make connections with people, because of prejudices. She says that people were initially confused when she said she was from Syria, but after the war, she found that people began to react differently and instantly feel sorry for her. As a result, Maisaa worked hard to promote a truer version of Syria within her community through informative family events, and often shares stories and cultural practices with her sons and neighbours.
Maisaa now works as a community builder, encouraging people locally to form friendships and work together to build strong and supportive communities, something that she really missed when she first moved to the UK. Although she still lives in Exeter, she sees her future as open to change. She has never felt settled, so feels ready to move wherever life takes her, now being resilient as a result of her past experiences.