London is the place where I found myself. In Afghanistan, the surroundings of a person are more important, and the behavior of somebody in relation to that environment, whereas in the UK, there is more freedom to find yourself, your true feelings, your needs and wants. In Afghanistan, life is easier in that sense because you are ignorant of yourself. I think that if I had lived all my life in Afghanistan, I would not have had the chance to find myself in the way that I have done here.

(Marie Braakman and Angela Schlenkhoff "Between Two Worlds: Feelings of Belonging While in Exile and the Question of Return")