My Motherland

Voice: Hadoodle

From: Hama, Syria

Hello! I am Hadoodle, the creator of Noria. Let me tell you about my motherland.

Noria is my passion project, it is a love letter to my motherland and my city. I am from the city of Hama in the northwest of Syria. As a child, my family and I visited Hama every summer. My grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins were all there. I was raised in Michigan, USA, but Hama is and always will be my home.

My favorite memories from Hama were our trips into the mountains. Me and my 100 cousins (not really 100 but it felt like it!) would all be packed in the back of my uncle's truck, singing songs and playing games as we journeyed up the mountains on the outskirts of the city. Our destination was either a local restaurant catered by the neighboring farms, or a place for us to picnic.

There is a beautiful waterfall park high up in the mountains that we would frequent. It's called Abu Bays. We would set up our picnic by the creek, where the freshest and cleanest mountain water flowed. I remember jumping into the cool, shallow water to look for the prettiest rocks. Then jumping out to play a competitive (and often too aggressive) game of cards with my cousins. It was so joyous and peaceful, to hear the sound of the spring water rushing down the mountains, surrounded by the smell of fresh berries that decorated the trees around us.

The last time I visited Hama was in 2010. The Syrian revolution and subsequent humanitarian crisis erupted in 2011. Hama, and all of Syria, has never been the same since.

I don't know what happened to Abu Bays, it could very well have been abandoned, or worse, turned into a military outpost for the brutal Assad regime. But what I do know is that I will return to a free Hama no matter what. I will see the fall of Bashar Al Assad's dictatorship during my life time. When Hama is finally free, you will find me in the mountains, looking for pretty rocks in the creek.