In my culture you help the elderly, just as my cousin now helps my mother in Mogadishu. My ambition is to help elderly people in this country. Luckily in Denmark you have no age. I am 52, my youngest child is 10 and well on the way. The door is open, and I now want to pursue my dream of getting an education.

Jennum Parken in Randers is my heaven. It is also the place where my children grew up. It is the place that they miss when they are away. This is where I over the last 24 years have given birth to and raised eight of our children with just a 4-year break in
Egypt.

I was tired and worn out after the many child births, so with help from my husband and brother in Canada, I took the children to Egypt, where my mother and sister from London also helped me get back on my feet.

It wasn’t just my family but also a pedagogue, who looked after my children, who inspired confidence in me. She opened my eyes to the fact that I myself could take care of and control my life. It has given me the energy to help others and participate in local projects such as Neighbourhood Mums in our area.

A lot of kind people have helped me. The nurse, when I came to Denmark and I was sick, malnourished and pregnant. They got me admitted to hospital for treatment. I am deeply grateful for that. The child I was expecting, my first son, arrived as a healthy baby. Today he studies biology at the University of Aarhus. My eldest daughter is
studying to become a nurse, and my third child studies economics at CBS. They are all well on their way and can contribute to the society. And I am on my way, too.

Hawa Anbure / 52 / female / married / children / attends VUC / Randers / from Somalia / came to Denmark in 1993 / residence permit in 1994

I have just started job training as a pedagogical assistant. In the four years I have been in Denmark, I have had several periods with job training. It is OK, I suppose, but over the years it does seem a bit pointless. When you don’t have a proper job, you feel that you are a nobody. I have a graduate degree in journalism, I have done jobs in the US and the UK, and the last two years in Syria I held a senior
position at the Ministry of Environment. I speak English, Romanian and Arabic, and I have gradually become proficient in Danish.

I am very grateful that I have been allowed to come to Denmark and for getting the opportunity to give my daughter a secure and safe future. As a journalist I could no longer justify staying in Syria. It became dangerous for me. Here in Denmark you have freedom. It is a gift, which I appreciate. But the freedom is not without its limitations.
My education is not recognized. I need a Danish bachelor, and when I suffered a slipped disc and a long-term sick leave, they suspected me of cheating the system, and for a while they stopped my integration benefits.

My dream is to reunite my family in Denmark. I am a single dad because the Danish state does not acknowledge my marriage. But despite having let go of everything, my degree, my job, my wife, my country, Denmark gives me the opportunity to give my daughter a good life, and that means everything
to me.

Randers is a quiet place. When I walk by Gudenåen with my daughter, play, do sports, I have hope for and faith in the future. Maybe one day I can return with her and my wife and resume the life I left behind.

Ayman Ahmad / 39 / male / single / child / degree in journalism / Randers / from Syria / came to Denmark in 2015 / residence permit in 2015

The woman from our contact family stood there holding a young child. It was obvious that the child originated from Sri Lanka. The family became our best friends. From Sandholm the journey went to Hellerup and then on to Juelsminde. We were not familiar with Denmark, and when we had to choose a place to live, we just knew instantly that it had to be Randers, which is where they came from.

For 30 years I have worked as a native language teacher, something which makes me very proud. This kind of education helps the bilingual children
well on their way through school and socially. It warms my heart when I see the books we have made together.

When I was young and living in Sri Lanka, I dreamt of becoming a nurse or a school teacher. And as it turned out, I have been able to work with both here in Denmark. Today I work solely as a social and health worker. Hans Christian Andersen’s many fairy tales have been an inspiration
for the theatre performances I created with the children in Danish and Tamil. From my very early days in Denmark, I took care of the children at the language school where we were and danced, sang, played music and theatre with them. It was in this context that a woman from the school management padded me on the shoulder and asked
if I would like to become a native language teacher. Today I am very grateful for that. In 2003 we took our two children back to Sri Lanka. But it was very sad. Our village was nothing like it used to be, so it was difficult for us to give our children a precise insight into our region and the place
where we had grown up. This was when we realised that Denmark was our future.

Sumathy Thiruravichandran / 53 / female / married / children / SOSU assistant and native language teacher / Randers / from Sri Lanka / came to Denmark in 1986 / residence permit in 1986

I am not Danish and I am not Afghan. Maybe that is why I have the wanderlust gene. I want to do something, I want to be someone. When I am with other Danes, they ask “where are you from?”. I say “Bjerregrav”. And when I am with Afghans, they may comment on my clothes. “Why do you wear trousers and not a dress?” I was the only one in my class to be given “Tortilla Flat” by John Steinbeck, an American novel, by my English teacher in the 3rd grade. I was proud and spent all weekend spelling my way through
the book. Yet, it wasn’t till I re-read it at the age of 18 that I really grasped the story. She is probably the reason why I now study English at the university.

Good integration does not come from pointing out our differences. We must be more patient, try to reach out and understand one another. You can’t see eye to eye with everyone, but you can try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. We should be hosts to strangers, to one another. It will make a large difference in the effort to connect different people and create new relations. Patience is part of the
package. For instance, my dad loves buying old junk and restore it.

Often the process will drag out because he is a perfectionist. And this is when I get out a hammer and other tools and patiently help him achieve what he set out to do. Sometimes you just have to take your time when you help others.

My dream is to go to Korea. A dream I share with my sister, who is four years older, maybe because the Korean culture has so many similarities with
the Afghan, like respect for the elderly, the way you address people, and concepts.

Zulaika Popal / 22 / female / single / studying English and Anthropology / Randers / from Afghanistan / came to Denmark in 2001 / residence permit in 2001

A ghetto in Aalborg became the first home for my then 11-year old daughter, 7-year old son and myself. Living there was ghastly, and I asked them to attend Salling Efterskole, where I picked them up when I had finished at the language centre. It was my own choice to move to Løgstør, even if it did cost 840 kr. for a monthly bus pass. A wise decision, because we were the only foreigners in town, and the
locals quickly got to know me and my children.

I was 44, a qualified lawyer, and I had always been accustomed to managing on my own. The language was difficult, so I had to use a lot of effort to understand it and the culture as well. Once I was pretty offended when my bank advisor told me to open up a budget account, which would remind me of my mortgage payments due
every three months. Honestly, what did he think of me? That I had no control of my own economy?

On another occasion I turned up dressed up with high heels, when the local plumber held “Open house – everybody welcome” – to great surprise and amusement of the other guests, who actually knew the man.

Mrs. Simonsen from Løgstør became my first close friend here in Denmark. She took me to the Housewives Association. I didn’t understand a word, but before I could count to three, I was elected a deputy member. Later I also became chairman of the board. I have washed stairs, had my own ice cream shop, worked for the tax department, at a post office and a lot of other things. I have worked
as interpreter and still do. I travel whenever possible and meet with Iranian colleagues in Italy, France, Germany and the UK.

I have a
good life, but when I am under pressure, I walk along the dikes in Fladbro or go to Sct. Clemens Church with the fantastic views across everywhere. It gives me peace.

Mali Ahsani / 70 / female / divorced / children / lawyer / Randers / from Iran / came to Denmark in 1992 / residence permit in 1992

When I was 18, I rode nine kilometers on bike from Ranum to Løgstør, where I met up with other youngsters. I had already been to Birkerød (Sandholmlejren), Kalundborg and Holbæk, where I learned to say “hello” in Danish, quickly followed by “goodbye”. Fortunately, I have
always been good at creating relations with new people.
Hospitality and helpfulness are fundamental to the Albanians. Values
which are deeply rooted in the Albanian culture. They are the core of Besa, our code of honour, which our family is a product of. It is important for me to pass it on to my daughters and through my job in social psychiatry.

Denmark is the best country in the world. Here you are free and safe. Because of my desire to fight and move forward, I have created a good life. I have come almost full circle. I married the woman I love. We have three daughters. And I am in a job where I can make a difference for others. It is my hope that my effort can contribute to helping people with pain in their lives get the courage to live rather
than survive.

The scent of resin evokes memories of my home town Pejë, which is surrounded by tree-covered mountains. This is where I spent summers with
my grandparents. In Fussingø outside Randers I reclaim the resources and some of the tranquility only this kind of nature can provide.

Luan Haskaj / 45 / male / married / children / social pedagogue and shocktrauma psychotherapist / Gimming, Randers / from Kosovo / came to Denmark in April 1991 / residence permit in 1992