MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2015

“My husband and I sold everything we had to afford the journey. We worked 15 hours a day in Turkey until we had enough money to leave. The smuggler put 152 of us on a boat. Once we saw the boat, many of us wanted to go back, but he told us that anyone who turned back would not get a refund. We had no choice. Both the lower compartment and the deck were filled with people. Waves began to come into the boat so the captain told everyone to throw their baggage into the sea. In the ocean we hit a rock, but the captain told us not to worry. Water began to come into the boat, but again he told us not to worry. We were in the lower compartment and it began to fill with water. It was too tight to move. Everyone began to scream. We were the last ones to get out alive. My husband pulled me out of the window. In the ocean, he took off his life jacket and gave it to a woman. We swam for as long as possible. After several hours he told me he that he was too tired to swim and that he was going to float on his back and rest. It was so dark we could not see. The waves were high. I could hear him calling me but he got further and further away. Eventually a boat found me. They never found my husband.” (Kos, Greece)

I selected this story because of the picture. Everyone knows the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and I have been doing exactly that and I will continue to do that. When I came across this photo, I saw a woman that was obviously in pain and suffering. Due to this, I wanted  to read her story. After reading her story, it just struck me how much suffering and heartache she must have gone through is still going through. After reading her story, I looked at the image once again and I noticed her wedding ring more than ever. Her story is a true tragedy, she lost her home and husband.