“This Is My True Home”

In October 2016, Omar Hussin was the new kid in town in Silver Spring, Maryland. Aside from his family, the 11-year-old didn’t know anyone. Plus, he didn’t speak or understand English. Omar was worried about going to a new school where he had no friends.

But Omar had already faced much bigger challenges. Three years earlier, he and his family had escaped a civil war in their home country of Syria. The Hussins are among the more than 5 million refugees who have fled from Syria since the war started in 2011. Like most refugees, Omar was uncertain about what his future would hold. But he had only one thought when he arrived in the United States. 

“I kept thinking, ‘I’m safe, I’m finally safe,’” he recalls. (Omar spoke through an interpreter in his native language, Arabic.)

It was October 2016. Omar Hussin was the new kid in town. He had just moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. Aside from his family, the 11-year-old didn’t know anyone. Plus, he didn’t speak or understand English. Omar was worried about going to a new school where he had no friends.

But Omar had already faced much bigger challenges. Omar and his family are from Syria. Three years earlier, they had escaped a civil war there. The Hussins are refugees. They are among the more than 5 million people who have left Syria since the war started in 2011. Like most refugees, Omar was uncertain about what his future would hold. But he had only one thought when he arrived in the United States.

“I kept thinking, ‘I’m safe, I’m finally safe,’” he recalls. (Omar spoke through an interpreter in his native language, Arabic.)

Omar was born in Daraa, Syria, in 2005. His earliest memories are of a peaceful life with his parents and older brother and sister. But life in Daraa changed forever in 2011.

That year, Syrians began holding protests. Many Syrians suffered under the rule of the nation’s leader, Bashar al-Assad. They were protesting for more freedoms. On March 18, Syrian police shot and killed several protesters in Daraa. The protests soon grew larger and spread to other cities. Assad’s forces continued to use violence to try to silence the protesters. Thousands of soldiers quit the Syrian army and joined up with groups of protesters. Together, these rebels began fighting Assad’s army for control of Syria. 

Many Syrians, including the Hussins, were caught in the middle. Omar was nearly shot while playing in a schoolyard.

“There was a battle going on in the street,” he remembers. “Bullets came and killed a boy from my school.” 

The Hussins stayed in Daraa for more than two years after the fighting began. But when the house next to theirs was bombed, Omar’s father knew it was time to leave. In May 2013, the Hussins left for Jordan, Syria’s neighbor to the south.

Omar was born in Daraa, Syria, in 2005. He lived there with his parents and older brother and sister. His earliest memories are of a peaceful life in the city. But life in Daraa changed forever in 2011.

That year, Syrians began holding protests. Many Syrians suffered under the rule of the nation’s leader, Bashar al-Assad. They were protesting for more freedoms. On March 18, Syrian police shot at protesters in Daraa. Several people were killed.

The protests soon grew larger and spread to other cities. Assad’s forces continued to use violence against the protesters. Thousands of soldiers quit the Syrian army. They joined up with groups of protesters. Together, these rebels began fighting Assad’s army for control of Syria.

Many Syrians, including the Hussins, were caught in the middle. Omar was nearly shot while playing in a schoolyard.

“There was a battle going on in the street,” he remembers. “Bullets came and killed a boy from my school.”

The Hussins stayed in Daraa for more than two years after the fighting began. But then the house next to theirs was bombed. Omar’s father knew it was time to leave. In May 2013, the Hussins left for Jordan, Syria’s neighbor to the south. 

Omar and his family arrived in the U.S. in October 2016. A group called the International Rescue Committee helped them settle into their new home. The organization also helped enroll Omar and his siblings in school and helped his father find a job.

Moving to the U.S. was a big adjustment for Omar. Because he didn’t speak English, it was hard at first to make friends. He also had trouble understanding his teachers in school. 

But Omar started taking English language lessons. He also joined the local soccer team. He soon found that the kids in Silver Spring were more welcoming than those in Jordan. 

“During recess, some random students came up and said hello,” he says. “I felt so happy that I finally had friends.”

Omar is now a teenager. He feels lucky to have arrived in the U.S. when he did. In 2016, the U.S. admitted more than 95,000 refugees from dozens of countries. But the U.S. government has since greatly reduced the number of refugees it allows to enter the country. Still, Omar hopes other Syrian refugees will get the same chance he did.

“America is a land built by immigrants and gives people a second opportunity,” he says. “I consider this my true home.”

Omar and his family arrived in the U.S. in October 2016. A group called the International Rescue Committee helped them settle into their new home. The organization also helped enroll Omar and his siblings in school. And the group helped Omar’s father find a job.

Moving to the U.S. was a big adjustment for Omar. He didn’t speak English. That made it hard for him to make friends at first. He also had trouble understanding his teachers in school.

But Omar started taking English language lessons. He also joined the local soccer team. He soon found that the kids in Silver Spring were more welcoming than those in Jordan.

“During recess, some random students came up and said hello,” he says. “I felt so happy that I finally had friends.”

Omar is now a teenager. He feels lucky to have arrived in the U.S. when he did. In 2016, the U.S. let in more than 95,000 refugees from dozens of countries. But the U.S. government has since greatly reduced the number of refugees it allows to enter the country. Still, Omar hopes other Syrian refugees will get the same chance he did.

“America is a land built by immigrants and gives people a second opportunity,” he says. “I consider this my true home.”