My name is Abdullah Samie. I am originally from Idlib, Syria, and live in Reyhanli, Türkiye. I’ve been living here for approximately eight years.

I came to Türkiye with my uncles. Because of a difficult situation back home, my father had to come to Turkiye first.  Shortly after, my uncles followed, and then my mother, my two sisters, and I made our way to Reyhanli.

I remember the journey vividly. We traveled from Idlib to Lattakia, which was particularly challenging because Idlib had become a military zone. At every checkpoint, we had to pay money to proceed. There were moments when we had to pretend to be asleep in the car as we crossed to avoid suspicion.

One incident sticks out in my memory. At a checkpoint zone, the soldiers questioned my mother about our whereabouts. When the soldiers noticed my aunt, who was only about 10 or 12 years old at the time, they asked her to get out of the car and said she couldn’t pass. The driver had to give them money to let us go. We finally got to Lattakia, where we left my aunt with our relatives and continued to Turkiye. 

Our neighborhood in Idlib was called Al-Same. I have fond memories of playing with my friends in the area. There was a place with trucks we used to call the ferry where we would play for hours. Those were beautiful times filled with joy and freedom.

Now, I am in the final stages of my baccalaureate education. I’ve missed a year of school while migrating to Turkiye. I’ve always been interested in studying software engineering. Initially, I didn’t think much about it, but my interest grew as I saw how things worked.

I came across Karam House, a place that played a significant role in my life. Before joining Karam House, I learned a lot on my own. I took part in a computer basics course at my school and realized I needed more advanced knowledge.

Eventually, I registered at Karam House. The support and resources I found there were incredible. The discussions with mentors, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects were all invaluable experiences.

One of the projects I worked on at Karam House was “Tree of Knowledge.” The goal of this project was to introduce Islamic culture around the world through light and integration between societies. We started by sketching the lamp post and the mechanics behind how the light would work. Then, we made a prototype. After that, we designed it on Rhino, printed the pieces on a 3D printer, and assembled them together. 

One of my favorite moments was presenting my project during final studio sessions. I remember seeing other presentations and feeling motivated to improve mine. This drive to excel and the sense of community at Karam House has truly changed my personality, boosting my self-confidence and mental clarity.

Graduating from Karam House felt like a significant achievement. I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer there and continue sharing ideas and learning.