“In Syria I was part of the national gymnastic team. I competed in many international tournaments. When the war broke out I had to join the army. Because I was an athlete I could postpone my service several times. I kept having faith that the war would end within a year. Despite of the unbearable situation I kept on training. Our team kept getting smaller because most guys had to go to the army. About a year ago it was just me and another athlete left, I realized it was time.. I postponed my service once more and I left..”

“Not having kids is probably the best decision I have ever made. It’s just not for me. Don’t get me wrong though, I love kids. I’m probably the coolest auntie in town.”

“My parents divorced when I was only two years old. Until this day I have no idea why they broke up. We were a family with seven kids. When my parents split up we all got separated. Part of us went to live with our mum, and the other half with our dad. The separation damaged all of us and we had a lot of problems growing up. When puberty hit some of my brothers started using hard drugs. It was very difficult to see them go through addiction like that. I remember one time, a friend of mine was staying over and my brother came home at 6am. I’m not sure what kind of drugs he had been using but he was extremely aggressive. He got violent for no reason and I didn’t know what to do. Now when we talk about it, I can laugh because it’s in the past but back then, it was so fucking hard.”
Part ½ of this story.

“I went to a normal primary school so I was the only kid in a wheelchair. My parents thought it would be an easy way for me to integrate into society, instead I barely had any friends. I kept being that one guy in a wheelchair. Now I’m in a school that has a mixed program. Half of our school has a disability and the other half doesn’t. It’s so diverse that we barely notice our disabilities.”
“What is your relationship exactly?”
“We are classmates.. and friends who smoke together during lunch breaks.”

“My girlfriend suggested I should try wearing a color. I picked out a purple Hugo Boss suit and it just felt right. Now the only item in my closet that isn’t purple, is a black raincoat. I wore it a few days ago but I wasn’t really feeling it..”
“Why is that?”
“I guess because black is just so black..”