Adaptation
Shadi’s family has been in Mexico for more than three months and began to rebuild his life away from the war, although not without difficulties.
Some receive medical treatment, because they arrived with health problems due to the lack of food and medications in Gaza, such as Shadi’s mother, who had to be taken to the hospital due to heart problems.
“All (my relatives) came affected by the war”
Shadi Abed, Palestinian refugee in Mexico.
“It is something very strong for them and it is something complicated. My mother when she arrived had two arteries covered. I wanted to save her, I took her to the hospital because she was wrong. She is already stable. I want the good for her because she never left me when I was small.”
The 34 -year -old reveals that his brothers Nashaat, Mohammed and Fadi still do not find work, but are in search. In Palestine, the first had a marble and granite sales business; The second worked as a systems engineer and the third had a coffee business.
(Gerardo Vieyra/Nurphoto/AFP)
To stay, Shadi’s family works on the sale of traditional Palestine food they prepare at home; They even created a social media page where they offer their food, which are delivered to home or in a park of the Tlalpan Mayor’s Office.
“They arrived with nothing, Israel’s army did not let them bring things, such as computers or clothes. Now they make food to stay because I was helping them, but it is not enough for 18 people,” he says.
Both adults and minors learn Spanish to communicate more easily and sell their food. They use phrases such as: “Hello,” “there is food” and, if you don’t know how to say something, they use a cell phone application.
As they came practically without anything, the Gaza organization in Mexico made collections to raise clothing, shoes, diapers, healing material, medications and hygiene items, such as shampoo, deodorants, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Children take psychological therapy and receive medical attention, as they arrived with malnutrition.
“I tell you: ‘I already forget there, they are in Mexico, where he is calmer, we are here calm. If I felt bad for war, they imagine them,” he says in the Spanish that little by little he has been perfecting.
“Everyone arrived, my mom, my brothers and the children are very skinny. They are afraid in their face,” says Shadi, who adds that three months after his arrival they already rose a little weight.
(Photo: Yared de la Rosa)
The ABED family already knows places in the capital as Paseo de la Reforma, El Zócalo and the Angel of Independence, but particularly the Merced market for prices, since, for example, an onion in Palestine costs 20 dollars, which is equivalent to about 380 pesos.
“Mexico is great love, they have an open soul not only for our family. Mexico helped my family, (something) that no Arab country did,” Shadi appreciates from a Tlalpan park.
