CENTRE FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION PROJECTJenny Zobel
ROUA
Leaving my country of origin:
I am from Iraq. Born on 1983, I had a happy childhood. Went to a good school; they encouraged me when they saw I could draw. My school sent some of my drawings to competitions and I got the first place among 222 children; I won a computer. But life became very hard because of the Siege. After the war in 1990. The siege wasn’t easy; certain goods became unavailable. I was a child, and chocolate became a dream, Pepsi too. If someone brought me some from another country, I used to save them for Eid so I could enjoy it then. We left Iraq in 1995 when I was 12 years old.
My father works in the oil industry. My Mother teaches Art. I am the eldest. My brother lives in Turkey, he has an MA in computer engineering. My sister is a graduate in Architecture and lives in Amman with my Mum.
To sum up the different places I moved to: From Iraq, we went to Libya for five years, then to Yemen for ten years, then to Egypt for one year, then to Jordan for six years, and finally, I came to the UK on my own. I have been here for six months.
After the Siege, we left for Libya at first.
Libya: It was very hard to adapt at first, I was a shy 12 year old girl; It was all so different, even people’s accents. I didn’t like it at first. I had no friends but little by little started to make some. And life was happy again and I loved being in Libya and we stayed there until I finished my high school. And was excited to go to college Then, just as I was getting used to life there, we moved again to Yemen. We lost many things as we moved from place to place, from one country to another.
Yemen: It was a culture shock. A very different culture from mine. An extreme religion. Wearing the Hijab, no cinema, nothing. Restaurants are divided into men and women’s areas. I could not adapt. But I managed to make some amazing Yemeni friends which I still communicate until today, but it was still very hard. By then, I had graduated from university holding BA in computer science, started to build my career for almost five years , until I become an HR assistant manager in a South Korean oil company in Yemen. But all that time, I wanted to be an artist. I decided to teach myself how to do film-editing and I went online to do so. I became knowledgeable in film editing and started making my own videos and putting them online, on You Tube and so on. I developed a reputation and got a large audience: many people liked my films, so I became fairly well-known. I started being paid for my videos. Then a big video company called me and asked me to join them. They arranged an interview with me in Lebanon, but ten days later, I was told I could not go as one person in that company had objected to me joining them, arguing that I was not a professional. I was very disappointed but never lost hope as I could see that I had an online audience who kept encouraging me and urging me on, wanting to see my next videos. At 24, I tried to get out of Yemen but could not get a visa. I spent three years trying to get a visa out and save money until I finally got one to Egypt
Egypt: I got a job offer to work with a local TV channel after taking small workshop in Editing but the salary wasn’t enough for me and my mother who came with me to live. It was very hard time: I could not go back to Yemen or going to Iraq. I did all I could to search for a scholarship. I search on Google until I contacted an amazing lady calledSuhad, who suggested a new school in Jordan; she even wrote a recommendation for me. That was my only chance and I had to grab it, as it was a school with the exact program I wanted, with an MFA degree in two years and a full scholarship; very rare to happen in our region.
I sent them a very original application which they thought stood out for all the others: I have a green wall in my room. I filmed myself as if I was being interviewed and then, on my computer, I removed the green screen and put my own videos playing in the background. They also picked me because they were impressed by the size of my fan page. I had to apply for a visa to Jordan; which was rejected several times. I almost lost my place at the school because it was taking so long. TheRed Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA)is the first and only MFA program in Cinematic Arts for theMiddle EastandNorth Africa. It is based inAqaba,Jordan. RSICA is a joint effort ofRoyal Film Commission - Jordanand theUniversity of Southern CaliforniaSchool of Cinematic Arts. So, me and my Mum moved to Aqaba in Jordan, so I could start my two years of study.
Jordan: I studied there at the school of cinema. I constantly challenged myself. I discovered that I could be a writer; I wrote short stories, a film short. The second year, I directed my short film. It won five awards and was screened on the BBC Arabic channel. Once I graduated I started working as a writer, which is great but I still need to gain more experience in Directing and that can’t happen that easy because I needed funding to direct films. My directing career could go no further through lack of money. From 2013 to 2016, I applied to all the scholarships I could, and finally I managed to be accepted in the UK.
Actually, it was a US organisation, the Artist Protective Fund: they pick a talented artist who are from unsafe places and they help them to go to a safe country to carry on with their artistic work. That Fund has links with Leeds Beckett University and this is how I came to the UK. I was welcome by the staff of the Northern Film School who facilitated everything for me, transport, accommodation and working in film direction. My only problem is that by coming here, I had to leave my Mum and sister behind in Jordan.
On reflexion, at every stage of my journey, there was someone who made difficulties for me and someone who helped me. The good guy and the bad guy. Many people supported me in every stage in my life, people who believed in me.
I miss my Mum the most. She has always been supportive, she is a true friend. I keep in touch with her through Facebook Messenger. I switch on the camera. She even instructs me on how to cook a dish, step by step. (I can’t cook!). Or else I show her the clothes I am trying on when I am in a shop’s changing room, to ask for her opinion. When I last went to Jordan, I brought her a large bag of clothing, as nice clothes for older ladies are easier to find here.
My life in Leeds:
It was challenging at the start. I kept getting lost in the city, I could not understand the different systems, like buses, trains and so on. I had never been on a train before, so managing a train journey was a big challenge at first. People’s accents baffle me as I had been used to hearing American accents when I studied in my school.
I find that people in Yorkshire are nice; they never made me feel like a foreigner. I am shy, so it has taken me time to make friends, but people have made me feel welcome. I think that people here are educated and they understand about world conflicts, so they don’t turn against me when they hear of certain conflicts or events.
I get on well with other migrants. I have a whole variety of friends from many different parts of the world: Diversity is the best.
What do I miss? I miss the sun! Also, there are not many Arab restaurants in Leeds so I miss Arab food, especially Dolma, my mother’s speciality. When I went to visit her in Jordan in April, my Mum cooked a lot of Dolma, wrapped them up really well and I packed them in my hold luggage and took them to Leeds with me!
I also miss the shops staying open till late at night, here everything close at 6.00 pm! While I used to go out shopping after 6pm; night shopping more fun. I must be a morning shopper from now on. I miss the Ramadan atmosphere too. There is a lovely buzz in Jordan at Ramadan; houses are decorated, there is a night life after dinner, everywhere is open. It’s really fun.
My challenges have almost gone away now. I have friends and I am doing my movies. The obstacle that remains are my English: I need to be able to write in very good English to be a successful writer. Also, because nobody knows me here, I feel I am starting from scratch and I need to build a good reputation as an Artist. The advantage, at the same time, is that here, I can be whoever I want to be. Leeds is such a varied city and I like this, I don’t feel a stranger here.
When I close my eyes, I see two homes: If my Iraq was safe and as it used to be during my childhood, I would never leave my country, because it really is my home. As things are, though, home has to be where my family are.
July 24th, 2017------