Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Up with People, !You are the One for Me!

Dear friends:

Allow me to share with you my thoughts and feelings about one of the kind events. Last week I and my family were invited by Iskashitaa to attend a live performance. Barbara was a person whom I heard great thing about from my sister and mother and I didn't have the chance to meet her until that day. She managed to get free tickets for the refugees that she can reach out. My sister was telling me how wonderful it would be to attend this performance and how great it is to be able to attend it with other refugee friends. But I had no idea about that until we arrived there and the show began!

Before I start telling you how that group and their performance made me feel, I would like to describe myself briefly. I am 28 years old young man. I am a foreign dentist from Iraq. I have a compassionate heart but very serious personality. I rarely get driven by emotions or over react, like music and art but to a normal extent. So, for me, writing a letter expressing my feelings about a show I attended is really rare and unexpected.

Let me start by saying that I was kidnapped by this magic group from the first minute, and I am still a hostage who doesn't want to be released! Every single word was precious because it was so simple and so meaningful. Each sound was unbelievable because it has the honesty which is really rare at this time. I was tortured by the fact that we can't take pictures of movies of it, but then I was really convinced that the real movie is the one which my eyes, mind, feelings and heart got. The combination of comedy, tragedy, hope and goals was unbeatable. I felt every segment was connected to the others in such a way, as if it was a play, not different songs and dances. I was sitting fairly far, but each one of these hope-representatives was looking at me in the eye, commanding me to be involved with this great joy campaign. As a tired refugee, I was feeling the bitterness of life dramatic changes, the loss of meaning and identity but it was through simple few words and gestures. I saw the other side of currency that I already have. It wasn't just a show, it was an eye opener for me and dare I say, for all our refugee friends there.

As the show ended, my show began. I rushed with all my friends towards those extraordinary young powers. We tried to drown them with hugs and thankful words, but they were the real flood. They thanked us endlessly for coming; they hugged us, strangers from the other side of the world, and considered standing with us for an hour a real way to rest after such performance! They were the real people, the real kindness and the real humanity.

Thank you for making all of us excited all night, we returned home and had a great dinner with my family; we were eating, laughing and reviewing each moment of that unbelievable night. I can't remember when was the last time we, as a family, had such a wonderful time. Also, thank you Barbra, you are a great heart to be inside; thanks you dear UP WITH POEPLE angels, you gave my heart a beautiful song to sing. I wish I can join you next year, but the registration fee is the big barrier for me from that. I am a refugee and I need a lot of time to be able to afford that amount of money, but I will join you with my heart and feeling, I will join you when you will come here next time, and I hope you will join my family next year if you accept us as a hosting family. I wish I can be the first one from the Middle East who joins your group but that is my situation. I wish you all the best for all of you; you are the best, GOD knows you are, and me too!

Fady Sarkees

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