Unfamiliar Ground

Unfamiliar Ground is the saga of three young men – a Russian, a Romanian, and an Iraqi Kurd – who escaped the oppressive governments of their countries in search of freedom and a better life. Each man’s odyssey reflects the realities and social convulsions experienced as they fled their native countries in the early 1990s. Fate brought our three lone and uprooted men to the unforgiving environment of a refugee camp in Athens, Greece. There, the three main characters and their newfound friends, met and soon became devoted friends. They combined tenacity with camaraderie to overcome numerous difficulties brought on by their first-hand encounter with freedom on an unfamiliar ground: a foreign country, culture, and language. While in the refugee camp, they worked hard, while hoping to receive the entry visa into the United States of America; a place where they could start a new life, on the blessed land of the free. Our three men followed their guiding star, acted wisely, and patiently forged their ways to success while their meandering paths often intersected in the great state of California. In their quest to accomplish their American dream, with countless moments of triumph and despair, they gradually adapted and integrated in their adoptive societies. Through hard work and integrity, they each took charge of their own destinies and transformed their new surroundings into a very familiar and rewarding ground. This novel embodies an ode dedicated to a magnificent friendship, which was unaltered by time or hardships. It relates an urge to always fight for one of life’s more important legacies, friendship. Behind the twelve chapters of this novel, the readers will find a fascinating story about ordinary people who were confronted with extraordinary circumstances.