19 Olivia Roberts

Narrative Summary

Amir Hadzic

        “In many ways soccer has saved my life, physically, spiritually, however you want to say it.”

Amir Hadzic’s story is enlightening, sensual, and inspiring. It is a story that could resonate with old and new refugees alike. The suffering in his story speaks true of the very real pain caused when regimes fall apart. Growing up, Amir never would have thought he would have to leave the country, experience his country in a war torn state, witness multiple deaths, fear for his life, or even be separated from his parents. His life had been like the average middle-class American student experience. He enjoyed going to school, performed as well as he could academically, and fell in love with a sport. Since middle school, Amir was in love with the sport of soccer. It has been a recurring theme in his life, one that has been a constant in his constantly changing circumstances. As an adolescent, he knew that he wanted to play professional soccer and he eventually did. His talent exceeded  hundreds of people in his community and he was quickly recognized for his phenomenal skills. He imagined in the coming years that he would continue as a professional soccer player and grow old in Bosnia. Bosnia was a place that was fruitful for everyone who inhabited it. Although, their regime was different that the United States, their way of life allowed for all those who were there to live in peace with one another. Amir recalls a triumphant moment during those days: the commencement of the Winter Olympic Games. He was offered a position to help make sure the games went smoothly and was able to meet multiple players from different countries. Most notably, he was able to meet a group of hockey players who took a liking to him and gave him a wooden hockey stick that was signed. As a young boy, this meant the world to him and would forever be a reminder of a fulfilling time in his life. As far as he knew, life would be a beautiful journey.

Amir’s refugee story began in his mid-twenties. The valley in the mountains where he lived were surrounded by Serbian forces. Out of 650,000 people, 350,000 were under siege by these forces. He’s unsure what prompted this war but he speculates that it was a combination of tensions with religion or ethnicity  that initiated a desire for national mobilization of one kind of people. The days grew dark, as thousands were killed. Worse than that over 3,000 children under the age of 7 years old were killed by sniper-fire. Amir said that the number of children dying by sniper-fire showed how evil the war had become. Amir and his family would wake up in the morning with no electricity, food, water, or other basic necessities. Although their efforts were tireless, they were exhausted as outside resources became scarce. They used everything from furniture to books to the trees around the city. He walked miles and miles everyday just to provide basic needs for him and his family. It got to a point where he was exhausted emotionally and physically from living a life based on survival. How much longer would this go on? It got to the point he says, that “sooner or later it would be his turn to die.” Amir being so young, his parents both agreed it would be better for him to leave the country and find a better life elsewhere. He said that his parents knew that they shouldn’t leave as they would not survive the harsh physical  journey and the language barriers of a new country. Their best bet was Amir to survive for their family. With deep grief, Amir left with two bags to his name. These two bags consisted of pictures, papers, and memorabilia from home. He mentions how lucky people are nowadays to live in an age where pictures of your family and loved ones can be stored online and the accessibility to speak with one another across oceans. All Amir had was a couple of pictures to remember his past.

In order to escape, the Bosnian government, with the help of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Alliance, over a couple years created an escape for those who were wanting to leave the country. The escape was a tunnel that stood five feet in height and one and a half miles long. It was designed in a way that Serbian forces couldn’t bomb it because they feared retaliation from the UN and NATO. After the refugees made it through the treacherous tunnel they had guides take them to the Olympian mountain that stood ten-thousand feet high. On the top of the mountain they would take a bus in the dark to Croatia. The refugee camp was on the Northwest of Croatia near the Italian border. After taking this journey, Amir stayed there for eight to nine months. He feels like that journey alone could be made into a high-scale cinema production due to the drama, thrill, and anxiety that came with it. Not only was he fearful that he wouldn’t make it to the mountain of freedom, he also had people who were pestering or scheming in order to be in the same position he was. There were always people who were jealous, would steal, or would try to get ahead in order to cross over. It hurt to know that you were truly alone in those times, he says. However, on reflection he understands that it is human nature to survive no matter whose toes you step on.

The eight to nine months he spent at the refugee camp changed his life forever. Refugee camps, Amir says, come in all shapes and sizes. He was grateful that the sites these camps were at were the repaired military barracks instead of the harsher conditions he heard other refugees had to endure. He described the sleeping area as a classroom with sheets that separated the five to six families that lived there. The desperation from the people in these camps hindered tolerance towards one another. Many people blamed each other for war, fights broke out, drunkenness occurred, women were taken advantage of, etc. Because Amir traveled alone, he was stationed with the smallest possible area, unfit for a man who was growing. In order to bypass feeling trapped, he looked for opportunities to be away from the camp. As he wandered around the nearby city, he noticed a professional soccer team practicing. Of the few things he brought in his two bags, he packed a pair of soccer cleats. With hope and faith, he asked the coach if it would be okay if he could practice a couple of hours a day just so that he would not be stuck at the camp. The coach agreed, and after weeks of him practicing with the team, he offered Amir a chance to play with the team officially. They asked him what it would take for him to join and he said two things: money to send back to his family and a place to live. The next day, they brought the keys to his apartment and a duffel bag filled with money ($5,000). A new and more tolerable circumstance had begun for him.

It is not a stretch to say that fate had brought his future wife, Amy, and Amir together. Just around the time he was offered an apartment, a professional soccer job, and incoming money, Amy had arrived to assist in the refugee camps. She knew that Amir was one of the men at the camps who had been playing soccer for the professional team. She thought that with his skills, together they could create a team for orphans who don’t have anything to live for. They started with over twenty-five little kids. It was rough in the beginning but it became very special. They got sponsored by an organization in the United States who sent them jerseys and they were able to play local club soccer matches and Italian soccer clubs. As the nine months came to an end, he had gotten a sponsorship from his cousin in the United States to join him in New York City.  The soccer team initiative that was so special that leaving hurt that much more. He was almost in tears as he relays the goodbye moment he shared with his players. With the help of Amy they played him his favorite songs from back home. Leaving Bosnia, of course, was hard for him, but leaving this newfound life was even harder because he felt like he truly lost a piece of him. A period he says, “he won’t ever forget.”

Amir’s transition to the United States was one that was smoother than he had imagined. Except for the scary plane ride with little to no information on the details of their flight, he was happy to know he would soon be on American soil. The United States for him was like experiencing Christmas for the first time. It seemed to be a place where everything was gold. He doesn’t share the same sentiments now, but for a refugee it just felt good to be in a place where he now felt safe. He participated in culture orientation classes where he was astonished at the things they didn’t expect them to know such as “how to flip on a light switch.” He thought this was an insult to his intelligence but later realized it is because not all of the refugees around him lived in a Westernized environment. He decided to stay in New York City for a while with his cousin until Amy’s mother called him to see how he was doing. She suggested he come to Iowa City to visit and he happily agreed. After seeing Amy again, the rest was history. He knew he wanted to be with her and decided to stay in Iowa City. As mentioned before, Amir had only two bags to his name, and another one of the items  he had was a scrapbook filled with his “papers” that would attempt to prove his eligibility to be able to work. He worked in a hotel for a while and then quickly was granted the opportunity to coach the men’s soccer team at Mount Mercy. The ease of this transition was wonderful for him and made him feel like he was truly getting his life back together. It was this final transition that set the tone for the rest of his life.

Today, Amir is married to Amy Weismann and they share a beautiful daughter. As a coach, he has taken his highschool team to semi finals, won many awards, and has had former players (23) become head coaches across the nation. His number one goal as a coach is to be a father figure to those who aren’t able to have that, to lead by example, discipline, and to encourage their hearts to pursue what they love. He has shared his story with a few people and a story about his life is soon to be published in the next year by a close friend of his. Amir’s story is both striking and inspiring to refugees who seek the light at the end of the tunnel.

Personal Reflection

When I arrived at Prairie Lights around noon my nerves were high. I was going to be meeting with my professor’s husband for the biggest project we’d have this semester. I prepared the night before by making sure my questions were pointed but also allowed him to speak to his experience in a way that felt comfortable for him. I wanted to know how his refugee journey translated into who he is today despite the adversity. I started to panic when I realized I did not know what he looked like. I texted and emailed both my professor and her husband hoping one of them would reach out to me. I decided to get something to drink and hopefully, the barista calling out my name would lead us to each other. Thankfully, it did and with great enthusiasm, Amir Hadzic greeted me with a big hug. My first interaction with him turned my nervousness into excitement because of how happy he was to be meeting with me. He told me he had actually gotten their thirty minutes before on purpose. I could feel that he was a man full of love and kindness and this definitely translated into my narrative.

When we sat down the first thing we did was go over the objective of the project. Before the recording began, I explained that his journey and his feelings towards specific moments mattered to me because that’s what I wanted my narrative to be about. It was less about the history of war and statistics but more about the personal conflicts that happened to him on his refugee journey. I wanted him to know that explaining his story was something I genuinely cared about regardless of the fact that it was for a mandatory assignment. By setting this foundation, it allowed for a fruitful discussion.

The first significant fact I learned about Amir has to do with the quote I used at the beginning of my narrative. I had asked if he realized that soccer has been a defining factor in his life. He laughed and thoughtfully said, “In many ways, soccer has saved my life, physically, spiritually, however you want to say it.” Soccer had revolutionized Amir’s life and he didn’t even realize it. As we reflected on this fact, we recounted how it helped him escape refugee camp life, provided a resource to foster a community of orphans to loving sports, and eventually followed him into his adult life where he now has a lifelong profession as a coach. After overcoming all of that adversity, it was significant to me that he now dedicates himself as a coach to boys who may have or may not have experienced similar struggles. I didn’t realize how beautiful soccer was that it can bring people of all walks of life together.

The second significant fact I learned was his definition of home. Home, for Amir, is wherever his family is. For a while didn’t consider the United States or Iowa home. He had his parents and some friends still living in Bosnia and was nostalgic about his past. However, ten years ago after his parents passing and the loss of friendships; the people, the buildings, and the environment had completely changed and he no longer recognized it. With the birth of his daughter, “home” had definitely become Iowa. His daughter means the world to him and that’s where he feels like he belongs. In fact, they both had a ritual every night where he would tell her stories of his childhood, parents, and places where he grew up. He didn’t realize she was envisioning all of these places. Two summers ago, Hannah was able to correctly recognize everything he had told her. He remembers the feeling of her being his birthplace being surreal. This was significant to me because he outlived war and now had a child who could see a part of his life that was now a memory.

The third significant fact I learned was his empathy toward refugees who are being scrutinized in the United States. He said, “Immigration to me is a different story but refugees who are trying to flee persecution from war or worse hurts me. I know what it’s like to travel across borders. Trust me, none of us want to leave our home. There were generations of us who lived in the same place because we loved it there.” He was dumbfounded that those same people seeking refuge are labeled criminals and rapists: and I agree. Amir’s opinion on this to me really mattered because he experienced the refugee journey and knows what really happens when American refugee laws are applied to your sed circumstance.

All in all, my interview with Amir was one that I will never forget because it touched me that the person he became despite adversity was caring, loving, and kind to everyone he meets. More importantly he gives back in the most profound way: sport. All he needs is a whistle, cleats, and a soccer ball. It was a pleasure to have known him.

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Now My Future Begins: Stories of Resettlement Copyright © by Fall19 Global Crises and Human Rights Class. All Rights Reserved.

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