"When I left my country my dream was to be who I wanted to be," recalls Sanem X (27), a refugee in Germany. She says she left her home in Turkey because “I wanted to say what I wanted to say,” and “go to the street” and protest. But Sanem feared that doing so would have her “getting killed or getting prisoned.” She says the experience made her “feel that I was suffocating.” She also says, referring to Turkey, that “to be a person as a female in that country is really tough.” Conversely, living in Germany has allowed her to “speak up my mind.” And she likes “being female and being free.” But the experience has had challenges too. “In the beginning I felt quite alone,” and “that was also tough for me - like being away from my family, my home, because I have a really close connection with my family.” Now, Sanem doesn't think much about the past, instead living "more in the moment," but feels she is "a stronger person because all these bad experiences."

Courtesy: 1000 dreams project