Do you know any refugees?

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I was just talking to the girls over the weekend about refugees and migrants, a hot topic here at the moment as thousands are risking their lives to cross the English Channel in flimsy pathetic little boats. And it made me think back to whether I had ever met any refugees who had settled in another country. And I realised that I had - I used to work with an Iranian lady who had fled Iran with her husband after the Islamic revolution of 1979. And, also through work, I was friendly with a Vietnamese gentleman who told me he had been one of the ‘boat people’. But I didn’t want to pry, so I never asked about their experiences as refugees. Now I’m sorry I didn’t hear more of their stories. Since then I have lost touch with those people, and although I have a lot of friends here who are originally from other countries, they have come here in peaceful times, for work or study, which is obviously quite a different experience. Do you know anyone who was once a refugee? The photo is completely unrelated, but a sinking boat seemed appropriate. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2021.