It was the first day of January in 2018 when a young man sat next to Laura Alatalo in Pori on the bus ride to Raahe. Both were quiet until Kokkola, when they realized that they had the same destination. The man was Mohammad Shah Arefi, now Laura’s fiancé, who immigrated to Finland in late 2015 and now lives in Huittinen.

–By coincidence, Sakke was on the way to Raahe and that weekend I showed him around my hometown, tells Laura.

They became a couple on the next holiday, when Sakke showed her around Huittinen.

–I was studying construction back then. At some point I thought about going to upper secondary school but gave it up when there wasn’t support from back home, says Laura.

Laura and Sakke’s relationship got more serious and the distance between Raahe and Huittinen started to feel longer and longer.

Sakke wanted to attend upper secondary school and I got inspired to, too. So, I moved to Huittinen, to a different address from Sakke, however. In spring of 2022, we both graduated.

Now the couple lives in their first shared home in Tampere. Laura is studying to be a nurse and Sakke ended up in the army after studying in the security sector. He loves Finland and wants to serve it.

–I remember that we had a large farm back in my home country, Afghanistan. My father was the chief of the town and often had multiple negotiations going on. When they ended up in a conflict , we had to leave everything behind. I was ten, when we fled to Pakistan, relates Sakke in fluent Finnish.

Sakke’s family stayed near the Afghanistan border in Pakistan. Because they didn’t have identification, they couldn’t move, get a job or go to school.

–When I was ten, my parents made me weave carpets, because I couldn’t go to school. It was also essential for our livelihood.

The workdays were long and tiring. At 13, Sakke left for Iran to live with his brother.

–I moved back and forth, because I missed my family. When I was in Iran for the second time, I heard of possibilities in the EU-countries. My brother assisted me financially and I left for Europe.

The trip from Iran to Europe started in 2015.

I left when the borders opened because of the wars. Everyone who fled their home was in a big group in Greece. From there they moved on to different countries.

Finally, 16-year-old Sakke ended up in Huittinen.

–We were divided into groups based on our education level. Out of 80, I was in the lowest level among 4 others. I couldn’t read or write.

After six months, a vocational training was organized for us, known as Valma, after which we were supposed to continue to a vocational school. I decided to go and complete adult comprehensive school. My goal was to get good language skills and better opportunities for the future.

–I did a lot of extra work because I wanted to learn. I had heard from the four Afghan boys who went to Pellonpuisto school that math teacher Sirkka Keuru had helped them count in their free time. Our friend from the church knew that I also needed additional teaching. I had told him that mathematics is a challenge for me. He talked to Sirkka about it, but Sirkka had thought at the time that she wouldn't teach any more after these four boys.

In the end, Sakke had his way.

–I met Sirkka in a church event in May 2018. She offered to help me with math, and we counted together the whole summer. Since then, Sirkka has been a supportive mother figure.

At some point in 2016, the immigrants were taken for a familiarization visit in Lauttakylä upper secondary school.

Sakke was not so much guided towards the upper secondary school option, but he stuck to his dreams and even managed to inspire faith in his girlfriend’s, Laura’s own skills and possibilities. And so, Laura also decided to start upper secondary school.

–I want to be a police officer. I believe I am cut out for it and educated enough. As a police officer, I could give Finland back what it has given to me, says Sakke.

Sakke will participate in a discussion about the future of Huittinen next Saturday, September 30. The event is organized in ToriAreena at Huittinen tori.

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