Mohamad from Syria

My name is Mohammad and I'm 42 years old. I come from Damascus in Syria, but I now live in Kilmarnock, a town in East Ayrshire, with my wife and three daughters. We've lived in Scotland for five years.

At first, it was not easy because of the language barrier. I knew some English from my school days in Syria, but the Scottish accent was very difficult in the beginning. We are happy in Scotland because we feel safe, and we have friendly neighbours.

I work in a kebab shop in the evening. My wife goes to college in the morning to study English. I like working in the kebab shop because my boss is friendly and he also speaks some Arabic! My colleagues work hard and help me a lot with English. My dream is to open my own kebab shop one day in Scotland.

My daughters' names are Amina, Aisha, and Amal. Amina and Aisha are still at secondary school, but Amal is in her second year at university. She is studying medicine in Glasgow.