I am Sayed. I am 17 years old and traveled from Pakistan to Germany by myself just 11 days ago. I’m from a bigger city right on the border with Afghanistan.

My area is known for conflicts between the Sunni and Shia communities. One day while sitting in class, three masked men came rushing in, starting to shoot random people. My closest and longtime friend was killed that day. I was devastated. After my brother lost his leg because somebody put a bomb under his car, my father wanted me to leave the country in order to be safe. At that time, I was studying computer science. I came home from college one night, when he introduced me to a man saying I need to follow him. He took me to Kabul, where my one-month escape began. Along with a few others, I went through Iran and Turkey, finally reaching Europe. Very often we had to walk long distances. In Macedonia, my leg hurt so much I had to go to hospital. After recovering, I went to Munich in an overcrowded delivery van. We had a hard time breathing and were very scared. But it worked out.

I continued until reaching Berlin were I met my uncle. He fled half a year before me. He directly called my father in Pakistan saying I was ok. My father cried and felt relieved. That was 11 days ago. Ever since, I’m waiting in front of the LaGeSo for my papers to be processed. I would love to be able to continue my studies and I miss going to college. Once my city is safe again, I want to return and be with my family. Also, I’m missing my friends, but hope to find new ones here as well. I’m deeply grateful to all the Berliners, who have been supporting me here for the last 11 days. I will never forget that.

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