Ali Shah

I dropped out of school, for a host of reasons, before completing my secondary school education. Instead, I chose to work to assist my family in enhancing our financial status and upward social mobility. I never denied the feeling of anxiety, fear, and insecurity for my future back then. However, the situation changed overnight after I received a job offer in Libya.

My name is Ali Shah, and I work as a building contractor.

I grew up in a rural area in Pakistan where most parents refrain from sending their children to school; therefore, education was never a priority. I got older thinking that finishing my education was a waste of time. So, naturally, I preferred working as hard as I could to make as much money as possible. After a while, I got to work with a Turkish company in Libya as a steel technician; I immediately seized the opportunity and left Pakistan with high hopes.

In 1981, I came to Libya for the first time. Being a stranger and starting work in a country where I do not speak its language was a big challenge. I felt like I had to pay the price of staying in a foreign country by being away from my family and friends, a heavy price indeed. But the sacrifice also helped me dedicate myself and my efforts to work only. Over time, I adapted to the place and started to love Tripoli; I also made a lot of connections and ended up working as a contractor with the Italian Embassy in Libya in the nineties. To get around, circumvent, and beat my loneliness, I married and brought my wife to live in Tripoli.

Before long, I had children and grew up loving Libya, the place which sustained them and nurtured their success. Despite all the challenges and obstacles that faced us as strangers here, especially the death of my wife and the attempt to kidnap my son in the absence of security, we still prefer staying here over returning to Pakistan. The journey has not been easy; sacrifices have been made, obstacles overcame, and beasts defeated while accepting another country, language, and way of living.

Now, I can overtly say that the place where I am headed, despite all the risks, has turned into a home where I can feel safe and secure, providing a semblance of stability. After more than forty years of hard work and severe attempts at providing myself and my children with a better future, I can finally say that all these attempts have succeeded here in Libya and bore fruit