Just Keep Swimming
Marie Claire South Africa|September 2018

Competing in the 100m freestyle and butterfly events at the Rio Olympics was a surreal experience for Yusra Mardini – a year earlier, she’d used those swimming skills to save herself and others from drowning in the Aegean sea, when the boat in which they were fleeing syria began to sink. in this extract from her book, Butterfly: from refugee to olympian, my Story of reScue, Hope and triumpH, the now goodwill Ambassador for the un Refugee Agency shares her hopes for her future, and that of refugees the world over

Just Keep Swimming
‘Olympian tag. Refugee. After Rio, I learnt to embrace that word. I don’t see it as an insult. It’s just a name for ordinary people who were forced to flee their homes. Like me, like my family.

‘Mum, Dad and Shahed now have refugee status too. We all want to stay in Berlin. We’ve been told we can stay in Germany until 2019. After that, we hope our residency permits will be extended if necessary. I trust Germany to do the right thing. We’re happy to be living in peace. But it’s tough to start over again and build a new life from scratch. Our lives are very different here. Each one of us has to find their own way.

‘Shahed has it easiest because she’s the youngest. She’s now 10 years old and is growing into a tough, clever young girl. She’s adapted quickly to her new home and she babbles away in fluent German with her many native school friends. We’re all happy for her, of course. But sometimes we worry about her losing her Syrian identity if we stay in Germany long-term.

‘Life is harder on my parents. Mum is learning German, but has found it difficult to make friends. Many of the other refugees on her German course are depressed, and the language barrier stops her from reaching out to locals. She misses family back in Syria – my Grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins [who are] still in Damascus. But she’ll be okay. Mum’s a fighter.

‘Dad is learning German too, but progress is slow. He often gets frustrated about not being able to coach. Last year, he did a six-month training programme and got a German life guarding certificate. But his German isn’t good enough yet to work. He used to talk sometimes about going back to Syria and I’d tell him we’re better off where we are for now. Now he’s more settled, and bit by bit things are getting better for us all.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MARIE CLAIRE SOUTH AFRICAView all
These Women Are Not Real
Marie Claire South Africa

These Women Are Not Real

These women have millions of Instagram followers, front-row seats at fashion week and the latest designer clothes … but they’re not real. This new social-media trend is the most futuristic yet: computer-generated avatars that look, talk and behave like real people. But, asks HANNAH-ROSE YEE, is this really the future of the influencer industry?

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2018
One Moment In Time
Marie Claire South Africa

One Moment In Time

In February this year, para-athlete and journalist Palesa ‘Deejay’ Manaleng won gold in the women’s H3 hand-cycle event at the 2018 SA National Road and Para-Cycling Championships in Outdshoorn, Western Cape. Four years earlier, she had lost the use of her legs in a terrible cycling accident. Here, she shares that terrifying experience and her personal story of recovery

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2018
Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby
Marie Claire South Africa

Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby

For this 40-something-year-old, becoming a mother is high up on her priority list. And the fact that she’s a virgin, is not going to stop her from reaching her goal

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2018
Living In A Man's World
Marie Claire South Africa

Living In A Man's World

What really happens in the secret world of men? We asked four men who were born female to share their unique perspective on what it’s like to be parachuted into the opposite gender

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2018
Get In The Mood
Marie Claire South Africa

Get In The Mood

You’re ready to ring in 2019, but that dreaded dress code has you in a panic. There’s no need to stress. Tarryn Oppel thinks you may already have a winning piece in your wardrobe. You just don’t know it yet...

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2018
A Charmed Life
Marie Claire South Africa

A Charmed Life

Jewellery designer Ambra Gambale ’s handcrafted work has a curious undercurrent of magic realism, with a strong emphasis on bespoke pieces

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2018
Chelsea Lately
Marie Claire South Africa

Chelsea Lately

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton talks privilege, female leadership, dealing with critics – and how Trump ‘degrades what it means to be an American’

time-read
10 mins  |
September 2018
Delivering Excellence
Marie Claire South Africa

Delivering Excellence

NOMZAMO MBATHA chats to Afika Jadezweni about her red-carpet style, why women need to support one another, and how she’ll never forget where she comes from

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
Soul To Soul
Marie Claire South Africa

Soul To Soul

If There Were Ever a Visual Representation of the Expression ‘wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve’, Lukhanyo Mdingi’s ‘soulful Ii’ Collection Would Be It, as Afika Jadezweni Finds Out

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
It's Kim's World
Marie Claire South Africa

It's Kim's World

…We Just Live In It. How An Underestimated La Socialite Became One Of The Most Powerful Women Of The 21st Century

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018