A woman has gone viral sharing her experience of living in a war-torn Syria.
Patricia Chaib, who has over 89,000 TikTok followers, is on a mission to give a candid insight into life in the country – speaking about everyday struggles but also shining a light on the beauty that can be found in even the darkest times.
From rising food prices and how she charges her phone, to going to outdoor raves, and why shopping for well-known brands is near-impossible – this is a real look into life in Syria.
”The most challenging part is the limited opportunities we have due to the sanctions that are applied on Syria,” the 20-year-old student told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“Even our college degree is not accepted worldwide.
“Syria is economically damaged because of the war that happened here, therefore we don’t have electricity 24/7, we don’t have gas.
“Even the food is really expensive nowadays.”
In one of her videos, Patricia talks about some of her daily struggles with things most of us take for granted, such as not being able to charge her phone or affording fresh foods, with most fridges and freezers obsolete.
Her family have to buy milk and meat each day as it can’t be stored, which comes at a considerable cost as food prices soar.
The influencer even struggles to share videos on TikTok, with each upload taking over five hours, as well as having to remove her SIM card from her phone and using a VPN blocker to access the app.
Sanctions also cause shipping delays, with Patricia unable to buy certain branded clothes.
Despite her best intentions, not everyone is taking well to the frank videos.
Some users suggest the influencer should focus on more serious topics such as the number of deaths and displacement – but Patricia has hit back at the trolls.
In one TikTok, which has almost half a million views, the influencer highlights a comment from a user that reads “People are dying and omg they don’t have brands that’s sad.”
Addressing the clothes shopping issue, she responds: “You think that I don’t know that there’s people that are dying?
“There’s people that don’t have a home because of the earthquake or the war, whatever it is.
She goes on: “I don’t document these [negative] parts because you already know these parts. And if I only talk about this part… […] I’m gonna get a lot of hate.
“I know it’s the least thing to worry about that we don’t have brands but I’m just telling you the basic things that you are that not being grateful for…
“…[…] being able to afford clothes is a big thing here.”
The conflict, which has gone on for 12 years, first started in 2011 following a protest surrounding civil unrest and the Arab Spring escalated to armed conflict.
The UN Human Rights Office estimates that over 306,000 civilians have been killed over 10 years, but other sources put the numbers much higher.
It is also roughly calculated that 11m citizens have fled their homes and a further six million are seeking asylum abroad.
Despite everything happening in her home country, Patricia remains positive of the future – and can even be seen enjoying herself at a party with friends in one video.
She believes the country is now “safe”.
Patricia added: “I can totally say it’s safe now.
“We are still economically damaged, we are suffering from the consequences of the war so everything is really expensive.
“In general it is pretty good, life is really good here.
“I don’t think I would find people more generous, positive, strong, and welcoming than the Syrian people.
“I am proud to be a part of this community.
“I show the struggles that we go through, but also the beautiful and culture-rich parts of Syria.
“I will definitely move out one day just because I know that my opportunities are limited here.
“I would have greater opportunities abroad but if the sanctions weren’t applied to Syria, I would definitely prefer to stay here.”
Barring some evil trolls, most social media users have come out in droves to support the influencer.
Erta said: “Visited syria nearly 10 years ago. Such drastic change has happened so devastating sending lots of love.” [sic]
“We take so much for granted,” commented another user.
“You’re the only person showing truly how’s life in Syria praying for you from the bottom of my heart,” said Alia. [sic]
“I hope you’re safe showing this and that syria gets better,” commented someone else. [sic]
ENDS
