Tired Nights in the Heart of the Exile

When our bodies no longer want to move after a day of hard work, the small house in this temporary camp in the expatriate camp becomes our only refuge. It is almost one o'clock now. The surroundings are silent. The busyness of the day, the deafening noise of heavy machinery, and the intense heat of the hot sun have now disappeared into the abyss of darkness. Under the temporary iron containers and tin roof of the project site, only tired bodies are now looking for a little peace.

On such a quiet night, when my eyes were not able to sleep due to fatigue, I came out of the house and looked at the sky. The sky above my head was vast, covered with light clouds. And a beautiful round moon was spreading soft light through the clouds. This moon in the sky was like an absolute wonder. The moon that I used to see from the courtyard of my familiar home in my own country, I can see the same moon even standing on the rough ground of this distant expatriate camp. It seems that I have an invisible connection with my mother, father, and loved ones left thousands of miles away in this moonlight. Maybe they too, seeing such a moon, are thinking of me one night.

The two pictures of this temporary living space in the project are not just brick and stone scenes, but a reflection of the daily silent struggle of millions of expatriates like me. The second picture shows our simple living arrangements—iron containers and tin sheds, which heat up in the sun during the day and give us a place to rest our heads at night. When we get a chance to sit under the open sky at the end of the day in this harsh environment, that silver moon and the empty sky wash away all the fatigue of the mind. It seems that after this long struggle, this peaceful gift of nature is only for us.

Life in exile means a story of limitless sacrifice and adaptation. A constant effort to put a smile on the faces of our family by sacrificing all our own happiness and joy. But at the end of the day, when this beautiful moonlight touches our dirty faces, a strange peace comes to our minds. This gentle light reminds us that no matter how long the night of suffering is, the light of a better day will come one day. With a heart full of hope and a piece of moonlight in our minds, we find the strength to live and fight anew every day.