Ahmad Shekib Noorkhail remembers what day, what time and where he was when he learned the Taliban were preparing to take over Kabul.
It was Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Noorkhail worked for the Wall Street Journal in Afghanistan as an office assistant when the chief of security told him to be prepared.
“I was like ‘Really? A whole government cannot collapse just for a group of people,’” he said. “It’s not possible.”
He was given a timeline of two weeks to prepare to get out of the country.
But that afternoon, he saw officials rush out of the front doors of embassies while dragging suitcases. On Saturday, he put his wife and two daughters on a plane to Ukraine. And on Sunday, he was beaten up by a Taliban member with the butt of an MP4 gun.
Noorkhail and his family aren’t the only refugees in Tallahassee with these kinds of stories. Families from Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Colombia and Ukraine have found their way to Florida’s capital city with tales of struggle, resilience and heartbreak.
And in Tallahassee, these families have found stability, peace and community, said Noorkhail’s wife, Suhailo Saidahmadova.
“We are safe,” she said. “It’s safe for my kids. School, education for my girls, to me is very important.”
Noorkhail’s family still lives in Kabul. He has a cousin, a young woman, who was going to college. Now, she doesn’t leave the house.
Noorkhail doesn’t know if he’ll ever see his family in Afghanistan again. He remembers when it hit him, when he got in the cab on the way to the airport and looked back at his family home.
“I’m just going with my backpack, my laptop, my phone and my charger. That’s it,” he said. “All your friends, memories, connections, network, all your experience that you gained there. You’re leaving it behind.”
Building a community
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Noorkhail and his wife invited James and Kristin Barnett to their home for lunch. On a blue linen cloth on the floor were plates of rice, bread, fresh vegetables and roasted chicken.
The Barnetts, who collaborate with the local chapter of the International Rescue Committee, have their own nonprofit called Neighborly.
Barnett started the nonprofit after choosing to be homeless to experience poverty for himself. He sold all of his things and came up with the idea for Neighborly while under a bridge.
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They describe themselves as a relationship-based, poverty-relief organization that advocates for people on the margins.
“I want to recapture some of that radical love that we’ve seen in Christianity that no longer seems to be the hallmark of our faith,” James Barnett said. “As we’ve done so, we’ve realized the beauty of reciprocity and how we are all made for interdependence and thus benefit from it.”
The Barnetts partner refugee families up with local families to host dinners, movie nights and other activities. Sometimes it’s helping a refugee with a trip to the grocery store. Other times it’s being an advocate at the doctor’s office.
Within those relationships, friendships form.
“The people we serve eventually become friends, not clients, and that’s when the magic happens,” he said.
For one Syrian family, they spent their first Thanksgiving at the house of Kimberly Johnson. Johnson has not only been driving family members to doctor’s appointments and to pick up prescriptions, but she’s also taken the family out on their boat in Killearn Lakes.
“There is so much beauty in creating friendships together, because it’s a mutual enhancement of each other’s lives,” Kristin Barnett said. “This past year, we’ve experienced more new foods, teas, songs and culture here in our home than we would’ve if we had hopped on a plane and traveled around the world.”
Life in Tallahassee
Hanaa and her family have been in Tallahassee since February.
The family, originally from Syria, spent seven years in Jordan until they were able to come to the United States through the International Organization of Migration.
She had never heard of Tallahassee but said it’s an excellent place to live. She said it’s peaceful, and she’s thankful for the stability.
“People are very kind,” she said.
The new friends she’s made through the Barnetts and Neighborly have helped her get accustomed to the United States.
“They’re always asking about me, always checking on me,” she said.
On a chilly morning in November, Hanaa made coffee for her friends and family. As the steam wafted from the ornate cups on matching saucers, the strong smell of Arabic coffee wafted through the small apartment, warming all those inside.
Hanaa husband, Hamdi, sipped his coffee while describing life in Tallahassee. He works at a meat packing plant in Thomasville, Georgia, and works nights. It’s a 1.5-hour bus ride to and from work.
The family hopes to get a car soon so they don’t have to depend on others and public transportation for rides.
Hamdi was a house painter in Syria, and his son Mohammed was a hairstylist. Both would like return to their careers but have not been able to find work.
”The meat factory is very loud, so learning, practicing the language is hard,” said Hamdi. “One must work in a quieter environment to practice the language. At the factory, you can’t hear the person next to you.”
Learning English is one of the struggles refugee families face, but forming relationships with local Tallahassee families makes it easier to practice having conversations.
Neigborly is constantly seeking volunteers at thatsneighborly.org to respond to refugee needs as they arrive, such as taking someone to a doctor’s appointment, helping someone schedule an eye exam or driving to the grocery store.
“It’s a way to directly engage with people, and it doesn’t feel like you’re volunteering, like a chore,” Kristin Barnett said. “All of our volunteers have so much fun, it’s enjoyable.”
You don’t have to leave Tallahassee to travel the world, James Barnett said.
“You just have to pull out a chair and make room at your table.”