We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe

Egypt, First Impressions

Very common83.4%

I wrote down my first impressions as soon as my plane landed in Egypt.

Different Payment Standards in the Smuggling Business

Common55.8%

The methods to calculate smugglers’ rates in Africa deserve a scientific paper. Or maybe a whole dissertation.

The Arab Spring

Common50.7%

The refugees viewed the Arab Spring from many different perspectives.

African Mafia Wars

Common49.4%

A crime syndicate operates just like any big business. The difference is the mafia can’t be bothered to pretend.

The Refugees’ Routines

Common48.2%

In the smuggler’s hideout, the refugees developed new rituals.

The Last Goodbyes Before the Crossing

Common45.5%

People were saying their goodbyes to loved ones before we set sail. Was this the last time they ever talked?

Small Talk Brings a Respite From Stories of Trauma

Common42.8%

That was incredible. I’d never thought I would get the opportunity to just have some light-hearted conversations with refugees.

Hotel Food

Common41.3%

A few mouth-watering paragraphs about the gastronomic sensations offered by the chef in my hotel’s conjure the taste of the dish.

The Joys of Manual Labour

Common40.3%

After several hours of physical work at the Home of Hope, I had an existential epiphany.

Outside of Time at Sea

Uncommon37.4%

The sea seems eternal and unchanging. Time gets dissolved in the inky waters.

Wahid, Origin Story

Uncommon37.0%

I summarized Wahid’s story in a few paragraphs.

The American Dream in Egypt

Uncommon36.6%

U.S. pop-culture is omnipresent. My taxi driver idolized fiscally irresponsible American rappers.

A Night in the Desert

Uncommon30.6%

I’d never seen this many stars.

The Refugees’ Dreams of Europe

Uncommon29.5%

The refugees imagined Europe in a naively idealized fashion.

Feeling Lost in a Foreign Culture

Uncommon28.7%

I feel so lost. I don’t understand so many contexts, words and terms. Will this ever change?

Infinity of the Desert

Uncommon28.1%

The desert didn’t seem to end. I was slowly starting to believe there was no world beyond it.

Egyptian Cuisine

Uncommon27.9%

This delicious note on the diversity of Egyptian cuisine makes my mouth water.

The Refugees’ Drawings

Uncommon27.9%

I didn’t expect to find real works of art in the stairwell of a dilapidated block in the suburbs. I was wrong.

Routines on Board

Uncommon26.6%

I had plenty of time for writing detailed descriptions of the refugees’ routines on board the smuggling trawler.

A New Idea of Space

Uncommon25.1%

Planes and airports are a little magical. Like portals leading to foreign worlds.

Koshary

Uncommon25.0%

I would highly recommend this local dish from a street stall. I would not recommend the shits that followed.

Home of Hope, A Natural High

Uncommon20.7%

I felt surprisingly at ease at the Home of Hope, and wrote a few words about it.

Being Part of Something Greater

Uncommon20.3%

After several weeks spent with the refugees, I’ve formed a bond with them. I feel part of something greater. It’s a new feeling.

Bored to Death

Uncommon20.3%

Boredom can be deadly. Why is it so rarely mentioned in the context of the refugees’ plight?

It’s Odd to Be an Expert

Uncommon19.4%

It felt really awkward to pose as an expert after just a couple of days spent in Alexandria. Is that all it takes?

Alexandria, A City of Concrete

Uncommon18.6%

Alexandria is a city of concrete. I can only imagine how hot it gets in the summer.

Humanitarian Stereotypes

Uncommon17.8%

The Dunant–Nightingale dilemma summarizes the debate on the moral quandaries of humanitarianism.

ISIS Propaganda

Uncommon16.5%

The Islamic States quite deliberately uses various propaganda techniques.

The Polisario Front

Uncommon16.5%

This independence movement operated in Western Sahara for several decades.

Francesco: Inconvenient Questions

Uncommon15.5%

Francesco’s inconvenient questions still ring in my ears. He forced me to look at the refugees from a different perspective.

Francesco’s View on the Refugees

Uncommon15.5%

Francesco laid out some solid arguments against welcoming refugees.

The Gordian Knot of Syria

Uncommon15.3%

Sure, all wars are complicated. But I can’t even begin to fathom the nuances of the conflict in Syria.

A Casual Conversation with Kassim

Uncommon13.3%

The casual conversation with Kassim gave me a temporary reprieve. It felt like I was back in college.

The Jihadi’s Hypocrisy

Uncommon12.6%

Anna called jihadis hypocrites. They fight against Western culture, yet wallow in lavish consumerism.

The Refugees’ Unfathomable Desperation

Uncommon12.6%

The Egyptian beach prompted a few thoughts.

Moria Camp

Uncommon10.7%

I stayed at the Moria refugee camp in the Greek island of Lesbos and described my experience.

Prohibition in Egypt

Uncommon10.5%

I mean, I had known about Egypt’s radical anti-alcohol policy before I got there, but it still felt weird.

The History of Humanitarian Aid

Uncommon10.4%

I made some notes as Erik lectured me on the history of humanitarianism. Aren’t they too academic?

War Can Be Ordinary

Uncommon10.4%

I remember the casual tone with which the smoking Syrians spoke about war.

Humanitarian Fraud

Uncommon10.2%

I would like to believe that all NGO employees are idealists. But every herd harbors some black sheep.

Daily Life with the Refugees

Uncommon10.1%

Sometimes, the greatest epiphanies come to you in the most mundane situations. Ordinary life with the refugees has taught me the most about them.

Anna: A Reverse Odyssey

Rare9.8%

Most people were running from the Islamic State, and she was headed right for the heart of darkness...

How the Aging Casanovas Party

Rare9.8%

Who were these day-drinking, chest-bumping, obnoxious passengers?

Perpetual Outsider

Rare9.1%

I’ve spent a few weeks among the refugees and I still feel like an outsider. Do I need more time? Or is it not a matter of time?

A Friendly God

Rare8.9%

Battuta relayed a vision of a friendly relationship between man and God.

Moria: Hundreds of Tents, Thousands of Stories

Rare8.9%

The ocean of tents in Moria… You have to see it to even grasp its scale.

An Egyptian Shopping Mall

Rare7.2%

Anywhere you go in this world, you’ll find an identical shopping mall.

Africa’s Stockholm Syndrome

Rare7.0%

American imperialism has done so much harm to this continent. That painful fact did not stop the expansion of U.S. pop-culture. Why?

Marko’s Story

Rare6.7%

Marko’s story is tragic. And one of thousands.

Medicated Thoughts

Rare6.7%

Taking these drugs was a philosophical expedition in its own right. I’m still wondering about the idea of free will.

Wahid’s Limited Description of the Smuggling Trade

Rare6.0%

Wahid told me about the personal odyssey that led him to this boat. He’s traveled thousands of kilometers.

A Bird’s Eye View of Europe

Rare5.4%

You can’t see any borders if you look at Europe from a great enough distance.

The Storm: Panic Attack

Very rare4.2%

When I got a panic attack during the storm, I felt... possessed.

Edward Mukuka Nkoloso

Very rare3.2%

This Zambian visionary dreamed of flying to the Moon.

The Afronauts

Very rare2.9%

The story of Zambian Afronauts sounds implausible. Is it true?

The Different Meanings of the Word “Refugees”

Very rare2.8%

This one word contains so many meanings: refugees.

The Egyptian Prison System

Very rare2.8%

How could I get arrested? At least it gave me the opportunity to write about Egypt’s prison system.

Sitting for a Portrait

Very rare2.4%

The several hours I spent motionless, sitting for a portrait, were surprisingly emotional.

Helping Is Addictive

Very rare2.1%

Do people simply get hooked on helping? How addictive is it?

The Moral Quandaries of the Welsh Reporter

Very rare2.1%

Colin shared his dilemma: “Does socially engaged art make the artist disengaged?”

A Photo of the Life Jacket Graveyard

Very rare1.8%

This photo makes the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. The tall heap of life-vests epitomizes the refugee crisis.

Death Drive

Very rare1.5%

The inevitability of death struck me with great force during the storm.

Iraq Under Saddam

Very rare1.2%

I learnt about the realities of living in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

The Paradox of Egoism

Ultra rare0.9%

Had I not obtained this vest through deception, I would not have saved the drowning mother. Can vile deeds have virtuous consequences?

Dinah’s Stump

Ultra rare0.8%

Dinah lost her hand after she was bitten by a venomous viper.

The Nyumba Ntobhu Tradition

Ultra rare0.7%

Dinah told me about a local custom of same-sex marriage. It sounded progressive.

Dinah and Humanitarian Aid

Ultra rare0.6%

Dinah and her daughter went through some ups and downs with aid organizations.

Dinah’s Relationship with Her Father

Ultra rare0.6%

People’s relationships with their fathers are often fraught. But Dinah’s father gave her hell.

Mona’s Childhood Photo

Ultra rare0.6%

Mona showed me a photograph from her childhood and told me all about it.

Photography’s Aestheticization of Suffering

Ultra rare0.6%

This world demands beauty. Even – or especially – from images of suffering.

Mona’s Meeting with the American Actor

Ultra rare0.4%

Mona’s childhood memory remains a vivid symbol of her dashed hopes.