Marwa is 20 years old and a native of Damascus. She came to Germany fleeing the civil war. Even though Damascus enjoys relative stability compared to the rest of the beleaguered country, her father thought it was too dangerous and convinced her to brave the journey to Europe with him. They are currently in a refugee camp in Weisel, waiting to be relocated to a temporary residence somewhere else in Germany while their asylum applications are being processed.

Before leaving Syria, Marwa was working on an undergraduate degree in philosophy, which she hopes to continue one day. She’s passionate about her family, her country and writing.

She writes about love and life, and her country. Writing is an important process for her to express herself, she says, and for the world to know what happened in Syria – but it is also a way for her to counter the tedium of waiting.

Marwa hopes to learn German and study journalism once she is granted asylum. She doesn’t know why the war started, or why it continues – but she is set on returning to Damascus when the war is over.