Podcast
Questions and Answers
Where did Ahmed and Ibrahim initially meet and form a bond?
Where did Ahmed and Ibrahim initially meet and form a bond?
- At a refugee registration office
- Treading water after a disaster (correct)
- While traveling by boat
- In a park in Brussels
What was the decision made by the Belgian Office of Foreigners regarding Ibrahim and his family?
What was the decision made by the Belgian Office of Foreigners regarding Ibrahim and his family?
- They were asked to return to their home country (correct)
- They were offered housing in Brussels
- They were granted refugee status immediately
- They were given temporary residency permits
In which city were Ahmed and Ibrahim staying in a tent?
In which city were Ahmed and Ibrahim staying in a tent?
- Brussels (correct)
- Berlin
- Paris
- Rome
Why were refugees in Parc Maximilien forced to live in tents?
Why were refugees in Parc Maximilien forced to live in tents?
Who provided aid and support to the refugees in the park?
Who provided aid and support to the refugees in the park?
What was the main reason cited for the planned closure of the Red Cross camp in Parc Maximilien?
What was the main reason cited for the planned closure of the Red Cross camp in Parc Maximilien?
Where did Ibrahim's wife, Zainab, mention they might stay while appealing the refugee status decision?
Where did Ibrahim's wife, Zainab, mention they might stay while appealing the refugee status decision?
What is Ahmed's status as a refugee?
What is Ahmed's status as a refugee?
According to Zainab, where would Ahmed need to go while his case was being processed?
According to Zainab, where would Ahmed need to go while his case was being processed?
What was Ahmed's immediate emotional reaction to the idea of state custody?
What was Ahmed's immediate emotional reaction to the idea of state custody?
How old is Ahmed?
How old is Ahmed?
What was Ahmed's father's name?
What was Ahmed's father's name?
What is the name of the goalkeeper Ahmed admires?
What is the name of the goalkeeper Ahmed admires?
What is the name of the city Ahmed needs to travel through to have the best chance of getting to England?
What is the name of the city Ahmed needs to travel through to have the best chance of getting to England?
In which country is the 'Jungle' refugee camp located?
In which country is the 'Jungle' refugee camp located?
What is the name of the park where smugglers offer rides to France?
What is the name of the park where smugglers offer rides to France?
How much time does Ahmed have to make a life-changing decision?
How much time does Ahmed have to make a life-changing decision?
What item does Ahmed stroke as he wonders what to do?
What item does Ahmed stroke as he wonders what to do?
What does Ahmed do to distract himself?
What does Ahmed do to distract himself?
What fear did Ahmed notice in many European eyes?
What fear did Ahmed notice in many European eyes?
Why were some individuals, like Ahmed, orphans or separated from their families?
Why were some individuals, like Ahmed, orphans or separated from their families?
What was Ahmed's initial expectation regarding his stay in Belgium?
What was Ahmed's initial expectation regarding his stay in Belgium?
Why did Ibrahim believe Ahmed would have a 'better outcome' without them?
Why did Ibrahim believe Ahmed would have a 'better outcome' without them?
Where did Ahmed's father originally plan to go, before Belgium?
Where did Ahmed's father originally plan to go, before Belgium?
What was the primary reason Ahmed ended up going to Belgium?
What was the primary reason Ahmed ended up going to Belgium?
Where did Ibrahim suggest Ahmed should go for shelter in Belgium?
Where did Ibrahim suggest Ahmed should go for shelter in Belgium?
What was Ahmed's past experience with reception centers in Greece and Hungary?
What was Ahmed's past experience with reception centers in Greece and Hungary?
What was one of Ahmed's fears about staying in a reception center in Belgium?
What was one of Ahmed's fears about staying in a reception center in Belgium?
What promise did Zainab make to Ahmed?
What promise did Zainab make to Ahmed?
What was Ahmed's 'even worse fear' regarding his Syrian identity?
What was Ahmed's 'even worse fear' regarding his Syrian identity?
Flashcards
Unaccompanied Minor
Unaccompanied Minor
An individual under the legal age of adulthood (usually 18) who is traveling without parents or a legal guardian.
Seeking Refugee Status
Seeking Refugee Status
The process of formally requesting protection in another country due to fear of persecution in one's home country.
Refugee Status Refusal
Refugee Status Refusal
The official rejection of a refugee status application by a government.
Refugee Camp
Refugee Camp
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Refugee Volunteers
Refugee Volunteers
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Molenbeek
Molenbeek
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Office of Foreigners
Office of Foreigners
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State Custody
State Custody
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Smugglers
Smugglers
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Brussels
Brussels
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Reception Centers
Reception Centers
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Asylum
Asylum
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Forged Passport
Forged Passport
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Asylum Rules
Asylum Rules
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Feeling Trapped
Feeling Trapped
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Belgium
Belgium
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Refugee
Refugee
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Wince
Wince
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Who is Ahmed?
Who is Ahmed?
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Ahmed's fear of police?
Ahmed's fear of police?
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Ahmed's dream in England
Ahmed's dream in England
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Route to England
Route to England
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What is 'The Jungle'?
What is 'The Jungle'?
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Smugglers' location
Smugglers' location
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Decision Time
Decision Time
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Father's Advice
Father's Advice
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Current Location
Current Location
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Moment of Joy
Moment of Joy
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Study Notes
- Ahmed finds it easier to listen to Ibrahim Malaki without looking at him to conceal his feelings about the bad news.
- Ahmed no longer considers Ibrahim as just an Iraqi, but as his father's friend due to a bond formed when they were in a dangerous situation at sea.
- Ibrahim reveals that the Belgian Office of Foreigners has denied him and his family refugee status and is pressuring them to return to Iraq.
- Refugees had to wait days or weeks to register at the Office of Foreigners and had no choice but to sleep in the Red Cross camp in the park.
- Ahmed appreciated the volunteers at the camp who provided necessities like clothes, blankets, hot meals, and diapers, and even set up a small school where he learned French phrases with Ibrahim's daughter, Bana.
- The interior ministry decided to close the camp due to the end of summer, but Ahmed suspected there were other reasons related to the unsettling contrast between the camp and the surrounding office towers.
- Ibrahim's wife, Zainab, suggests that Ahmed seek state custody as an unaccompanied minor while Ibrahim appeals the decision regarding their refugee status..
- Ahmed is terrified at the thought of being alone and remembers his rescue in Lesbos.
- Thousands of child refugees travel in Europe alone, trading information about smugglers and routes.
- Some are orphans, sent ahead by their families, or separated during the journey.
- Ahmed assumed he would stay with Ibrahim in Belgium until he finished high school and never considered that Ibrahim and his family might not be allowed to stay.
- Ibrahim believes Ahmed will have a better chance as a Syrian refugee because Belgium is accepting Syrians.
- Ahmed wanted to live in England, not Belgium.
- Ahmed's father wanted them to go to England or Canada, where they could speak the language and Ahmed only went to Belgium because Ibrahim was going there.
- Ahmed is afraid of being placed in a reception center for unaccompanied minors, based on his experiences in Greece and Hungary, where the conditions were poor.
- Ahmed fears the fights, nightmares, overwhelmed adults, strange food, medical exams, and language classes that he would face in a reception center.
- Ahmed knows it will take months to figure out what to do with him.
- Ahmed fears that he won't find another family.
- Ahmed knows plenty of kind Belgians volunteered a few hours.
- Ahmed realizes he will end up in state custody until he comes of age.
- Ibrahim and Zainab promise to stay in touch and help Ahmed if he has any trouble.
- Ahmed knows they won't be able to help from Iraq.
- Once he registers in Belgium, he cannot apply for asylum in England or elsewhere.
- Ahmed fears he will be trapped in Belgium forever.
- Ahmed's anxiety is that he had a forged passport.
- Authorities may not believe that Ahmed is Syrian, his only proof is a forged passport.
- Ahmed would have been better off travelling alone rather than with an Iraqi family..
- Ahmed worries that he will not be viewed as a boy.
- Police might see a sullen young man, a possible terrorist.
- He fears being sent back to Turkey and the long, hard-earned kilometers would have been in vain, including his father's death.
- Ahmed remembers the life he had imagined with Baba in England: going to school in a language he could at least partially understand, playing on a football club team, eating fish and chips while watching David De Gea's brilliant goalkeeping for Manchester United.
- Ahmed considers going to Calais and trying to get to England via the Jungle camp.
- Smugglers at Parc Maximilien offer rides to France.
- Ahmed must decide whether to go to Calais and take his chances or stay in Belgium.
- Ahmed has less than 48 hours to decide a decision to shape his immediate future.
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Description
Ahmed conceals his feelings from Ibrahim upon hearing the news that the Belgian Office of Foreigners denied Ibrahim and his family refugee status. Ahmed reflects on their bond and the harsh realities of camp life while awaiting registration. He recalls volunteers providing essential support and teaching French to children like Bana.
