Last year, Patrick Kingsley travelled to 17 countries and talked to hundreds of refugees as they made the journey of their lives across Europe. What happened next? When Mohammad el-Haiba first spots his boyfriend Youssef outside the German train station, it takes him a few moments to work out whether to approach him. Staring back at him from the entrance, Youssef is just as confused. They stand there, several metres apart. Neither knows what to do next. It’s not that they’re not delighted to see each other. It’s just that this encounter, on a cold October day in a quiet town in Bavaria, is unlike anything they’re used to. Mohammad and Youssef last saw each other in mid-August in Damascus, the Syrian capital. Then Youssef left for Turkey, took a boat to Greece and made his way through the Balkans to Germany. A month later, Mohammad followed him. They knew they might never see each other again – and yet, six weeks on, they’re together once more. They’re in a peaceful country, where they don’t speak the language, and where for the first time in their lives they can be open about who they are. And who they love. It’s Mohammad who first tests the parameters of this strange new world. “Can I kiss you?” he asks. Continue reading...
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