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The Extraordinary Story of Hussam: Teenager, Writer, and Syrian Refugee

2016-03-15 · documentary visit · John, Hussam · 4:11 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Global development · mode: Documentary visit · tags: on location, heavy topic, guest or collab

John profiles Hussam, a 16-year-old Syrian refugee in Jordan's Azraq camp who survived his school's bombing, learned English in three months and hopes to become an engineer to rebuild Syria, which John calls true heroism.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; John meets 16-year-old Hussam at the Azraq camp; his shelter; how he learned English in three months from YouTube and a refugee tutor

  • ★★ John says that on the day he met Aida and Majeeda at the Azraq refugee camp in northern Jordan he also met 16-year-old Hussam. — 00:00:01
  • ★ John describes Hussam as an extraordinary kid living with his mother and younger brother in a near-empty shelter whose bookshelf holds the Quran and a couple of other books. — 00:00:09
  • ★★★ Hussam says he learned English in the camp in three months of hard study, downloading YouTube videos to learn speaking and listening. — 00:00:21 · YouTube
  • ★★ John notes Hussam learned from YouTube and also works with a tutor who is himself a Syrian refugee. — 00:00:32 · YouTube

00:00:51 — Hussam's school in Syria bombed during English class; his friend killed; refugees' photos kept on phones; why the family left for Jordan

  • ★★★ John says Hussam had studied some English in Syria and was in English class when his school was bombed. — 00:00:51
  • ★★★ Hussam recounts the teacher shouting to lie down, an airplane shelling the school with missiles, and many students, his friends, killed or injured, including a friend he names. — 00:00:56
  • ★★ John says the refugees he met in Jordan almost never had printed photographs; their pictures were on phones, sometimes broken phones kept charged only to see the pictures. — 00:01:28
  • ★★ John says Hussam showed him a photo of blood on his classroom floor and his only photo of his friend: the teen boy's corpse. — 00:01:40
  • ★★★ Hussam says this moment is why the family left: no school, no work, no life; Syria was not safe, so they went to Jordan for a better life. — 00:01:52

00:02:01 — Hussam's family split between Syria, Germany, Turkey and Jordan; hope to reunite in Germany

  • ★★ Hussam says his family is in three parts: one in Syria, one in Germany, one in Jordan, plus a brother in Turkey. — 00:02:04
  • ★★★ John explains: a brother on a university scholarship in Turkey, two married sisters in Syria, his engineer father and older brother crossed to Europe by boat over a year ago; the rest hope to reunite in Germany. — 00:02:11 · Europe

00:02:25 — Hussam loves learning, writes adventure stories, wants to become an engineer and rebuild Syria; he sings about Syria

  • ★★ John says Hussam genuinely loves learning, is a very successful tenth grader at the camp high school and loves writing stories. (hedged) — 00:02:25
  • ★ Hussam says he likes writing adventure stories, such as someone lost in a forest who finds something in the night. — 00:02:32
  • ★★★ Hussam: Asked about being a writer or translator, Hussam says he hopes to go into engineering like his father in Germany, finish his studies and work for a company helping Syria. (hedged) — 00:02:44
  • ★★★ Hussam says rebuilding Syria is his dream: it is his country, "the green country", and he loves it very much. — 00:03:01
  • ★★ John says Hussam has not seen his father, sisters or two brothers in over a year and knows they can only be reunited in a safe, peaceful Syria, hence his dream of rebuilding it. — 00:03:06
  • ★ John says Hussam also loves to sing and sang to them about Syria while his mother wept. — 00:03:17

00:03:28 — John's reflection: Hussam's ambition to serve his country is true heroism; Godspeed; sign-off

  • ★★ John hopes Hussam will soon be an engineer and wishes him to be a soldier in the army of engineers that rebuilds his country. (hedged) — 00:03:28
  • ★★★ John admires Hussam's professional goal: a brilliant, disciplined kid who learned English in three months and could do anything, yet wants to give his country what it most needs, which John calls true heroism. — 00:03:32

In the description and comments

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Azraq refugee camp · Hussam · refugee · Syria

Also: People: Rosianna Halse Rojas

Works: Quran

Organizations: YouTube

Concepts: English language

Places: Europe · Germany · Jordan · Turkey

Events: Syrian civil war

Only in the description or credits: UNHCR

Also centred on Azraq refugee camp: Aida and Majeeda: Thoughts from the Azraq Refugee Camp

Also centred on refugee: Volunteering (In Your Pants) · THE PROJECT FOR AWESOME 2013 IS UPON US! · Understanding the Refugee Crisis in Europe, Syria, and around the World · The Refugee Crises: Project for Awesome 2015 · Aida and Majeeda: Thoughts from the Azraq Refugee Camp · Zaatari: Thoughts from a Refugee Camp

Also centred on Syria: Know Your News! Understanding the Syrian Revolution in Under 4 Minutes · Syria in Five Minutes · THE PROJECT FOR AWESOME 2013 IS UPON US! · Understanding the Refugee Crisis in Europe, Syria, and around the World

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