密歇根新闻广播 在密歇根开启新生活的一个叙利亚家庭

Among the hundreds of Syrians who fled their homeland for Michigan is a young family of five.

They came here just this past April, trading the violence and death in Homs for a sparsely¹ furnished, rented corner duplex in a modest neighborhood in Dearborn.

We'll be bringing you the story of this young family on Stateside over the coming months as they settle into their new life in Michigan.

An introduction

Maan is a 39-year-old carpenter. His 30-year-old wife Bayan was a teacher before the revolution broke out in 2012.

They have asked us not to use their last name for fear that media attention could mean bad things for family members still in Syria.

Homs has seen some pretty intense³ fighting throughout the four-plus years of civil war there.

That danger forced Maan and Bayan to make the painful decision to leave. First they fled to Jordan, where they stayed with relatives for nearly four years.

After a vetting⁴ process that Maan says took a year and seven months, the family learned⁵ earlier this year that they were coming to America.

And now, they're here. Maan, Bayan and their children—two daughters ages six and 18 months, and a four-year-old son—starting over in Michigan.

Last month, Stateside's Cynthia Canty and producer Joe Linstroth visited the family in their Dearborn home to talk about their transition⁶ from war-torn Syria to Michigan suburbia.

With the help of translators, the group talked for nearly an hour and a half at the family's three-and-a-half legged dining room table, sharing biscuits and strong cardamom-scented coffee.

As it turns out, apprehensions⁷ can run in both directions.

"I was a little worried when we were told we would be coming to the United States because of what I've been seeing on the news," Bayan said. "And I still get inquiries⁸ by my friends, 'How is it for you there? How are people treating you? You wear a headscarf: has that affected⁹ the way people are treating you?' And I would say, 'No, actually. Everybody's been so nice and accepting and I haven't had any issues at all.'"

Bayan said on the way to the United States, the family passed through Ukraine.

"And in Ukraine I felt those kinds of looks and the kinds of things that people were asking me about, but over here it's a country of freedom—freedom of religion," she said. "It's just got so much freedom and

I'm lucky to be here."

Maan, too, was "a little skeptical¹⁰" when the family first arrived in Michigan.

"The doors are not as thick here as they are back home," he said.

But then he witnessed something that put his mind more at ease¹¹. There was an argument going on outside. Someone called 911.

"Immediately, two minutes later, they were here," Maan said of the police. "After we saw things like that, we felt a little safer and started leaving our windows open, because we know that if we call for help, it is going to come."

Hopes for the future

Just a few weeks into their new life in Michigan, free from the risk of shells crashing through the ceiling, or government troops arresting them, it's clear Maan and Bayan are once again allowing themselves to dream.

"My number one priority¹² is my children," Maan said. "Making sure they get an education. Making sure they have a bright future ahead of them. Making sure they are happy and healthy."

He also hopes to find consistent¹³ work and a house he can call his own.

"Yes, we are refugees¹⁴," Bayan said. "And you maybe have a fear of us because you don't know us, just as we have a fear when we arrived here, because we didn't know what to expect. But as time goes on, you will get to know us and you will see that we are going to be friends. We are brothers and sisters. We are people who help each other out. We are just all human beings. There's no separation or ill will towards other people or other religions."

We'll check in with the family periodically¹⁵ on Stateside as they settle in and start the Michigan chapter of their lives. In the coming weeks, we'll learn what life was like in their town of Homs before the civil war; how things changed once war broke out; their journey to Michigan; and why they hope to shed² that label of "refugees."

A special thanks to the Syrian American Rescue Network and to Reem Akkad and Samer Koujan for help with translation.

1 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 shed   

n.车棚，小屋，脱落之物，分水岭；vt.使流出，放射，脱落，散发，摆脱；vi. 流出

参考例句：

• There are a lot of straws in the shed.棚子里有许多稻草。
• His nose told him that he was getting near the cow shed.他的嗅觉告诉他，他正走近牛棚。

3 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

4 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

5 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

6 transition   

n.转变，变迁，过渡

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood.青春期是童年与成年之间的过渡时期。
• They all support a peaceful transition.他们全部都支持和平过渡。

7 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

8 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

12 priority   

n.优先处理的事，居先，优先（权）

参考例句：

• The development of the national economy is a top priority.发展国民经济是应予以最优先考虑的事。
• Things should be taken up in order of priority.办事应有个先后次序。

13 consistent   

adj.坚持的，一贯的，一致的，符合的

参考例句：

• He has been a consistent friend to the Chinese people.他是中国人民始终如一的朋友。
• His action is always consistent with his words.他始终言行一致。

14 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

15 periodically   

ad.周期性地，定期地

参考例句：

• The geyser erupts periodically. 间歇泉周期性地喷发。
• Economic crises recur periodically. 经济危机周期性地发生。