The Things They Carry

one refugee's diary                                                                          Sima Diab

If you had to leave your home, probably forever, and travel, you're not quite sure how, to somewhere, you're not quite sure where, what would you take with you? It really does give one pause for thought. Because for everything you're taking, you're leaving so much more behind. But this is survival. So, a couple of special photographs? your computer? or what about a laser pointer so rescuers can find you in the dark? Here, four Syrians who will be boarding boats ~ a former army officer, an electrician, a cook, and a shop assistant ~ explain what they took with them and why: http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2015/sep/04/syrian-refugees-pack-for-the-crossing-to-europe-crisis
   What is it like to be a refugee on the run? A team of journalists follows one group on their harrowing journey over the Balkan migrant route: "Like characters in a real-life video game, they raced against time -- pumped with Red Bull to evade border police and mafia baddies while fighting exhaustion to make it through the next level, or else face going back to square one" (story, videos, links to more diary entries covering other sections of the route) : http://blogs.afp.com/correspondent/?post/no-passport-no-rights-along-the-balkan-migrant-route