09/21/2021, 12:24

2020 was a very challenging year for everyone, regardless of birthplace, nationality, passport, race, age, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, life story, level of education, and income. Before the pandemic, words like social distancing and lockdown didn’t exist. All of a sudden, our “normal” world fell apart. Governments, world leaders, and lawmakers made new rules, and we followed them without questioning anything. We had no other choice. We were scared and worried about our lives, health, existence, future, and loved ones. We all were forced to stay at home and distance ourselves from family, relatives, friends, and work colleagues. Home office, social isolation, depression, anxiety, fear of existence, and future had a tremendous impact on people’s private and professional life. Those who lost loved ones will suffer forever, and those who lost their business and income are going through hell.

And we thought it couldn’t get worse, but it has. In 2021 the COVID rules are dividing the population everywhere and on every continent. There are various measures, rules, and bans in place. Positive and negative Covid Tests, the "3G rule" in German - geimpft, genesen, getestet (vaccinated, recovered, tested) is making social life and work more challenging. Traveling has become exhausting. It’s almost like a mission of flying to the moon. Quarantine, Self- Quarantine, vaccinated, not vaccinated, fully vaccinated, and recovered are the new words and unfortunately, there is no ending in sight!

Let’s face it, we can’t sugarcoat it any longer, life has become a nightmare for everyone and normality is nothing but a foreign word and wishful thinking and my reaction to all this mess is:

Good, now everyone finally knows and hopefully understands how refugees, millions of innocent victims of war are suffering for ages. Now everyone knows how it feels like to be helpless and powerless about your own life decisions and choices. Now everyone knows how it is to live day by day, night by night, worrying and not knowing what the next day and the future will bring. Now everyone sees how unhealthy the lack of perspective and uncertainty feels. Now everyone knows how loneliness and social isolation troubles the mind, heart, and soul. Now everyone knows how hard it is to be completely driven and controlled by government’s laws whether they make sense or not! Now everyone knows how it feels to feel trapped!

Now imagine all this living in the most inhuman living conditions, surviving four seasons in tents in refugee camps with absolutely no privacy. Now imagine living in fear, hunger, and the most inhuman, unhygienic, and unsanitary conditions for years. Imagine the entire struggle plus the uncertainty of a “normal” future because of limited access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment, and freedom of movement! Maybe now after almost two years living with a global pandemic, a few people will have a better understanding, compassion, and empathy with refugees!

Back in summer 2015 I gave an interview to the Mirror and said: “Being a refugee is a living hell” and today in 2021 I keep repeating what I said before. It is and will always be a living hell unless we change and fix the broken refugee law!

Read my interview with the Mirror from 12 Aug 2015 here:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/woman-who-left-war-torn-6238806

Get a copy of my memoir “Destination Freedom”, also known as “The Stolen Years In Zurich (The Library Edition)” here:

English: www.amazon.com/dp/1502852241
Library Edition: www.amazon.com/dp/1081112867

German: www.amazon.com/dp/1503154017
Library Edition: www.amazon.de/dp/1075903831

Spanish: www.amazon.com/dp/B089FBS62T