Semhar Haile, Habib Rezaie, and Francesca Meloni try to imagine a situation where the refugee crisis is reversed. What if a British young man intended to seek asylum in Afghanistan? Perhaps this is the letter he would write to his friend George, before starting his perilous journey.
Oxford, 29 September 2030
Dear George,
I write you as I am embarking on my journey to Afghanistan. I hope I am going to be accepted and tolerated by the Afghan government. But my biggest dream would be to get my refugee status. How wonderful it would be to come to visit you in Iran, where you have received your refugee status, only a few months ago!
I still have and hold preciously the Yorkshire tea and the Digestive biscuits you gave me before your departure. I also hope that the Afghan people will accept my culture and beliefs, as well as my Levi’s jeans and T-shirt.
God Bless the Queen.
Your friend Henri
PS: Please don’t forget to send me the £1,000 for my journey!
Becoming adult 
This is a simple and touching letter from refugee perspective. Refugees would often take a bit of home to satisfy some sort of cultural continuity for them, and they are also hoping to be accepted by the host society. Most refugees are willing to make a new home, whether refugees totally accepted, or if they want / can belong in their host country is a different matter, I assume, if you learn the new langause that is 51% of the integration job done for the rest good luck in Britain or Afghanistan.
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Thank you very much for your comments and your thoughts, Ayar. We have just posted another letter where George writes about adaptation and language. https://becomingadult.net/2015/10/12/a-letter-from-henri-british-refugee-in-iran/
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