Connections: Sandra and Nader
A chance meeting on a street in Damascus led Nader and Sandra to a shared life as husband and wife. Side by side, they have navigated their refugee and settlement journey. Two weeks ago, Sandra joined Nader in Spectrum’s Migration team where they help others who are seeking a better, safer life in Australia.
SANDRA: When I met Nader for the first time, it was strange for me because he was coming to our house. Why? What was the purpose of that? We don’t know him. But my neighbour told me he would like to come. OK, let him come – let him meet my brother because he was a similar age. Then he started slowly, slowly coming every day. Why is he coming every day? Then slowly, he asked me for my phone number, my Facebook. Then we fell in love.
Before the war, we lived a beautiful life. We never imagined we would be in this situation. Even when the war started, Nader and I would tell each other, “it will be finished soon, don’t worry.” We couldn’t imagine it would get worse and worse every day.
By 2015, the war had arrived in our street – the bombing was right next to our house. We went to Nader’s village to be more safe. When we moved there, the bombing started there. Even though Nader had bought a new office, we were well established and building our life, we couldn’t stay. We told each other, it doesn’t matter, we wanted to feel safe.
My sister was already here in Australia, and she told me she can be a sponsor to bring us here. I prepared all the applications and went to Lebanon with Nader and my daughter. We stayed there more than a year until all the processing was done and then we came to Australia.
I was working with Wise Employment helping people find jobs, but I didn’t like it, so I started looking for another job. Nader was saying all the time “Spectrum is the best, they look after people; look at me, they look after me”.
When the Migration Officer position opened, I applied for it, and I wished. I got the job and I love it!
It was easy for me to start here because Nader would tell me about the Community Support Program. I already have a good idea about the work. I like the flexibility as well because now we work at home on different days, so when my daughter comes home from school, she always finds someone.
Every day when I wake up, I love to come to work. Spectrum is a beautiful environment.
I admire Nader for his ambition. And he is very kind; he has a sweet heart. Always looking after me and helping me with everything. When I am sad, he tries to make me happy. I always get advice from him because he is wise.
I have Crohn’s disease and when I get stressed it gets worse. When I stayed in Syria and Lebanon it was a difficult, stressful time and Nader looked after me. He was the sister, the mum, the friend – he did the cooking, cleaning, looking after my daughter, he was doing everything. Without him, I couldn’t do it. Sometimes I feel he cares for me too much. Like if I want to eat something but because of my Crohn’s disease, he says ‘No, don’t eat it” – but I want to!
NADER: Sandra lived in Damascus, and I went there to start working as a lawyer. I went to my friend’s house, and I saw her in the street. I fell in love when I first saw her.
I tried to speak to her, and she didn’t accept. I asked my friend, “do you know this family?” and he told me, “yes, I know her” so I tried again in the street to speak to her, but she didn’t give me any chance. My friend told me, “if you want, we can visit her family at home” and I told him, “yes, we can do this.” So, we went to her family and became friends with her father, mother and brother.
In Syria, before the war, everyone lived Christian and Muslin together. But then the war came. Twice we survived bombings, once at the court I was working in.
We heard about Australia before we came. They said it was safe, all the people are lovely. When we came, I saw all this.
When I started working in Australia, it was difficult for me. The law in Syria is French law; here it is British law. It’s very different. In Syria I can take all the cases – criminal, divorce, civil, everything. Here, no; you must be specialised. I couldn’t study again for four years from the beginning (to practice law in Australia) so I searched for a job where I can help people. I heard about Spectrum and other organisations that helped refugees, and I came to Spectrum as a volunteer for one year. (Nader is now employed at Spectrum as a Migration Assistant)
I love this work. When clients see me in the shopping centre they say, “I have my citizenship now, thank you”. I feel very good.
Honestly, it’s wonderful to be a partner, here at work and also at home. My wife is the biggest support for me during all this time. She is kind and she makes me feel loved.
I feel sometimes she is like my mother, sometimes like my sister, and sometimes she is like my girlfriend. She gives me all of this. I can’t think of life without her.
After seven years here in Australia I thank God for giving us all this. We have a home; we have good jobs. I think the future is going to be good. I feel at home.
Find out more about our Community Support Program services.
Want to join the Spectrum team? Visit our Careers page.