Ep. 3 - Kinan: From Syria to Medical School in South Kensington

Witnessing the after effects of the Arab Spring, fleeing Syria at the age of seventeen, learning English that summer and entering to a top medical school a few years later: the incredible story of a Syrian refugee!

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What is it like to leave home as a teenager, and be separated from your mother? What new pressures come after fleeing, such as from having the opportunity at education or the platform to voice one's struggle? How do you integrate at school when your grasp of English is still rocky from the workshops run by refugee volunteers a few months previously? Then a few years later, what is it like to be given the authority to influence someone's healthcare (as a medical student) but still not be given basic voting rights? And how does one look after one's own mental and physical health when the barriers to healthcare for refugees is so high?

In this episode, Thivyaa speaks to her good friend and fellow medical student, Kinan, who is a Syrian refugee and all-round incredible human being. They discuss the months leading up to Kinan's escape, his journey, and life after reaching 'safety' in the UK. Kinan is one of the most inspiring young people of our time - definitely worth a listen!

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