Feature: Some internally displaced Syrians favor local shelters over leaving to Europe

The news of refugees riding "death boats" or getting lost in the woods in their quest to reach Europe has grabbed the headlines, but some displaced Syrians said their real displacement is not in Syria, rather it's when they set a foot abroad.

Um Mahmoud, a woman in her late 30s, has been living for over four years in a displacement center that used to be a school. She and her husband fixed what used to be the classroom to fit their new lives.

Not only did they furnished the classroom to fit their taste, they also opened a small business in their new dwelling, selling some affordable foodstuffs to their neighbors who, in this case, are other displaced people who cannot afford high prices.

"I think there are people who are depicting the situation in Europe as the land of dreams and big opportunities. I heard a lot of people who got there found that what they have dreamed about was a mirage," Um Mahmoud told Xinhua.

Even though she left her home in the Hajjar al-Aswad district south of Damascus after jihadi groups stormed it, she said will not leave to Europe.

"I know every street here ... how could I go to a country that I know nothing about? For me this is not negotiable. I would rather die here than go to Europe," she said.

The woman said she no longer feel displaced. "It's true that I live in a displacement center, but now I am running a small business here and I no longer feel that I am displaced but if I go to Europe I will feel every second and every minute that I am a refugee. I hope the crisis will be over and the situation gets better."

Hussam Addien Jadiba, a displaced man from the Qaboun district in Damascus, said he had the chance to leave for Jordan at the beginning of the conflict, but he refused. He stays in another classroom in the Medhat Taqi Addien School in Mashru Dumar area.

"I have a great hope that one day I will return home and that this crisis is a black cloud that will eventually be lifted. Sometimes I think that what happened to Syria is just a bad dream not even real."

Jadiba's feelings were voiced by many displaced people in that school, which houses around 64 families, counting for 296 people.

Faisal Ahmad, a displaced father of two from Hussainyieh district, said he doesn't want to stay in the shelter and that he wants to travel.

"I would love to travel, but I want to travel to my neighborhood, to my town. I don't want to leave the country. I will return ... I will return. Eventually the crisis will come to an end. I am sure people will return to their senses and will love each other once again."

Ismail Khalluf, a coordinator for IDPs affairs in Damascus, told Xinhua that the at the beginning of the crisis, the affected people had a tendency to leave to camps in neighboring countries. However, that situation has changed after the displaced people found a safe and secure haven in Damascus shelters.

"Their initial stance was due to the panic and the distrust they felt toward both the government and the opposition, but after they have come to the displacement shelters they started to realize that the centers are providing many services for them and they favor staying in the country rather than leaving."

He said that around 1265 families, or 6443 people, are located in displacement centers in Damascus.

Syria had a population of 22 million before the war. Now over 12 million people have been forced from their homes and sought refuge either inside Syria or abroad. Endit