On the run ...

I go to an international IB high school affiliated with the Red Cross.  In total the school has 200 students coming from over 90 nations. The school has people from various backgrounds, some having had to migrate from their home countries due to wars and persecution. In cooperation Red Cross Youth, my school had a project called På Flukt. Translated from Norwegian to English this means On the Run, and it is a 24-hour simulation of what refugees experience when forced to leave behind their home, family and friends to seek asylum elsewhere in the world.

I had a little taster of the simulation when I was younger, but nothing could have prepared for me for the intensity of the experience. But, let's be honest; 24 hours of tip-toeing around burdened with heavy backpacks was not going to give a one hundred percent accurate portrayal of what millions of people experience on a daily basis. But what has (and will continue to make) the experience linger in my subconscious is comparing what happened to us to real-life situations. There were several times when I thought I had reached my breaking point and yet what I was experiencing was nothing when juxtaposed with what really goes down. All because they want to make a better life for their families, to feel safe. I do not want give away much of the content lest it should act as a spoiler for anyone who might have the pleasure of actually experiencing it. So if you ever get the chance, do not pass it up. You will be better for it, without a doubt!

Images: Google