After Chatterbox: Eiad’s Journey
Since 2016, Chatterbox has been a home for exceptional, yet overlooked, talent from the refugee community and beyond. We’re excited to share what some of our earliest coaches have been up to since joining our learning community. This is Eiad’s story.
“Syria is my country and, in my eyes, it will always be the best place. It was a great country before the war but, like many other countries in the world, we are experiencing difficult times. Before, we used to be happy people. And we still do have great weather there, amazing food, and a very rich culture and history. Hopefully one day things will get better and Syria will go back to being a great country.”
“It’s not an easy decision to leave everything behind and to move to a new country. I wish people knew that nobody wants to leave everything they love behind. ”
Leaving Syria
I left in 2012 because of the war. It's not an easy decision to leave everything behind and to move to a new country. I wish people knew that nobody wants to leave everything they love behind. But when your life is at risk and you aren’t able to make a better life for yourself, sometimes this difficult decision has to be taken. It was not an easy journey. The image of being on a boat with 400 people trying to cross the Mediterranean to get somewhere safer will stay in my mind for the rest of my life.
I first went to Egypt because, being an Arabic country, it has a very similar culture to Syria. I moved to the UK two years later, which was much more difficult and I had a few culture shocks. It was a completely different culture and way of thinking for me. Thankfully, I’m very adaptable, but it took me a long time. The biggest challenge I faced when moving here was being able to practise as a dentist. Despite having already qualified in dentistry in Syria, I had to do lots of additional exams. On top of this, I had to find accommodation, which was very expensive, as is the cost of living here.
Discovering Chatterbox
Chatterbox founder Mursal and Eiad
I was first introduced to Chatterbox through Mursal. She saw my picture in an exhibition in London, set up by the charity I was working with at the time, Breaking Barriers. When she told me about Chatterbox, I found it a very interesting idea. I was the first person to have a class, with a student at SOAS University in London.
Having these exchanges with people from different places and countries who were so interested in my culture made me feel great. I talked about so many different things: food, history, traditions and customs. I thought it was such a great idea to start my new life with teaching what I know best, my language.
After my first session, I was very happy. I remember I had such great interactions with all of my students, which really boosted my confidence and made me continue with Chatterbox for a very long time.
We’re offering Chatterbox for free to HR and Learning & Development leaders for 3 months to spread awareness of the magic in every Chatterbox classroom.
Creating lasting impact
My relationship with my learners was always great. It always felt like they were seeing me as a friend. I found it very comforting to know that so many people were interested in my language and culture, and that they wanted to discover the world. At the same time, it provided me with the opportunity to improve my language skills and learn more about their culture too. When I heard them speaking Arabic, and I remember one student started to become fluent, it gave me a lot of pride. I thought “I was able to teach someone my language”, which is such a nice thing to do.
“She was asked to talk about a person who had impacted her life. She said the only person she could think of was me.”
I’m still in contact with most of my students. One of them, a woman from Russia, just emailed me a few months ago to tell me that she remembered me, even after all these years. Someone had interviewed her and she was asked to talk about a person who had impacted her life. She said the only person she could think of was me. I was so happy to hear that I had an impact on her life somehow.
Unleashing potential
Eiad with a SOAS University Arabic learner
Chatterbox as a whole benefitted me a lot. Interacting with people from different countries, teaching other people and financially too, of course. But what I most appreciated was the good feeling that I got from being able to work and be independent. It was the start of my life in a new country.
Once I started doing my PHD course, I had to step back from Chatterbox as I was just too busy. However, I’m grateful that Chatterbox gave me the opportunity to develop my skills teaching as I hope to become a professor in the future, specialising in oral cancer.
To organisations wanting to train their employees in a language, encouraging linguistic diversity will help them both professionally and personally. It’s beneficial for everyone.
“Chatterbox encourages a positive perception of refugees and people who have had to flee their countries because of wars or crises and shows that, yes, we are capable of achieving things.”
Chatterbox helps to create a positive change in society by allowing people to meet those who they may not otherwise have crossed paths with. It encourages a positive perception of refugees and people who have had to flee their countries because of wars or crises and shows that, yes, we are capable of achieving things.
Curious to meet more people like Eiad and discover a language learning experience unlike any other?
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