A journey to belong: migrants describe ten years in Europe
Ehab Mzeal sits on the couch and smokes in the living room of his apartment in Luebeck, Germany, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A journey to belong: migrants describe ten years in Europe
Filed Aug. 5, 2025, 8:17 p.m. GMT
Ten years ago, one million migrants poured into Europe, fleeing conflict and poverty. Many had travelled for years in search of peace, prosperity or stability, and went on to find it in countries like Italy, Germany and Belgium.
But the journey to truly belong continues. A decade on, after receiving asylum, finding work, and learning new languages, four migrants who spoke to Reuters feel torn.
They are still homesick and wrestle with the possibility – or impossibility – of return. They remember the forests of northern Nigeria, a river through a town in Syria, but also the nightmare of child abuse in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, their presence has altered communities across the continent. They are part of a new, transformed Europe.
