For several years, the crisis in Syria has been on going which has caused a massive outflow of people seeking a safer place for their family to take refuge. As the amount of people increased, the news coverage and debates in the political arena have intensified. Both the news coverage and debates often focus on the negative exceptions. Nevertheless, many people form an opinion based on these exceptions without actually having met anyone fleeing the war in Syria.

Today, I did met someone who fled the war in Syria. While I was traveling by train, I met a Syrian mother and her son. Although they only spoke Arabic, which I do not, by using Google Translate we were able to communicate. Having only been in the Netherlands for ten days, they were quite confused about the Dutch train system. Coincidentally, they had the same destination as I had, thus I helped them a bit. For me it was the first time that I personally met a refugee from Syria, and believe it or not, they are just people, like you and me, unlike the perception the media and politicians impose on us. For those not convinced, go out and meet one yourself before judging.