In this installment of “A home far from home” we bring you the Sharaflis, who come from Syria. The father, Abdul Ahed, clings to the hope that one day he will be able to take his family back to his country, but while he is in Bulgaria, together with his wife Meriam and their four children, he greets each new day with a smile. He says he loves Bulgarian cheese and honey and promises that when the time comes to go back to Syria, his family will take some back with them.

“I came to Bulgaria from Syria with my whole family, and the reason is that we were fleeing from the war. I very much hope that things will get better and that one day we shall go back there,” says Abdul Ahed.

He is grateful to the Bulgarian state for the assistance with all the papers, and for having accepted his family as refugees. The Sharaflis have also been given assistance by various institutions and organizations which have helped the family with medicines, consultations, clothes and everything they need.

“Our life in Syria was different,” says Abdul Ahed, and goes on to explain that there he had had everything he needed until the war came. “In Bulgaria we found peace and calm, something that is, unfortunately, lacking in our country at the moment, and we discovered many things in culture and tradition which are alike, and also Bulgarians treat us very well.”

The obstacles they have encountered in Bulgaria are connected with the fact that they have moved a lot, and their landlords have not wanted to register them at the respective addresses, something that is an important requirement for their refugee status in Bulgaria. If one day they leave Bulgaria, the Sharaflis say they would like to take their Bulgarian friends with them, as well as the kindness they have been treated with.