– I feel very scared now. When I saw the ship I remembered everything that happened in my country during the war. Although I always try to forget it, I remembered it now. – It is very difficult, Abeer Alammouri (49) tells news. Seven years ago, she fled the war in her native Syria. In peaceful Norway, she has tried to forget the bad memories she carries. Today it became impossible. – When I saw the ship I was scared because it reminded me of the first thing I saw during the war in Syria, she says. On Wednesday morning, the world’s largest warship sailed into the Oslofjord. The American aircraft carrier “USS Gerald R. Ford” is now anchored outside Malmøya in the capital. The ship is a whopping 333 meters long and 78 meters high, and has a crew of 4,500 in total. This afternoon, hundreds of American soldiers disembarked in the center of Oslo. Seeing children being killed in her home country, Alammouri would rather forget the pain she experienced during the war in Syria. Today, the worst memories were brought up again. – I saw many children die in front of me at the same time, she says. As the tears well up, Alammouri becomes tight-lipped. – Today I remember everything. It is very difficult. Alammouri works as a maths teacher for multilinguals at Kuben upper secondary school in Oslo. Many of her students have themselves experienced war. It worries her. – The students are like my children. It will be very important to talk to them about this. It was colleague and Norwegian teacher Anne Marie Eiby who showed Alammouri pictures of the large warship. Maths teacher Abeer Alammouri knows the horror of war in his whole body. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news – There was an emotional reaction, a shock, and it was quite clear that this triggered very bad feelings. It was clear that this was uncomfortable and frightening, says Eiby about the experience. Even Eiby wishes she had received more information in advance so that she could have been better prepared. – This will arouse reactions from many of our students who have experienced war. She understands that many Norwegians are excited about the ship, and acknowledges that it is an impressive sight. – But I have to admit that I also experienced it as a very frightening sight. Anyone who has not experienced war, who only finds this exciting, should perhaps consider that for many who have experienced war, this is not impressive, but very frightening, she says. Teacher colleagues Abeer Alammouri and Anne Marie Eiby are worried about their students who have experienced war themselves. They fear that the warship in the Oslo Fjord could provoke strong reactions. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news – Many different reactions There are many different ways to react to such a sight, says researcher Arnfinn J. Andersen. He is a specialist in, among other things, forced migration and refugee health at the National Knowledge Center on Violence and Traumatic Stress. – You can get a feeling of numbness, become afraid and anxious, and experience that difficult memories are more intrusive, says him. At the same time, one may experience changes in sleep and appetite, become angry or feel like withdrawing from social groups, he adds. Researcher Arnfinn J. Andersen at the National Knowledge Center on Violence and Traumatic Stress. Photo: NKVTS Andersen says that it is always good to be a little prepared for such situations. – It is difficult to control the news image for one person, so there is little you can do about it. But it’s good that you feel it and don’t see it as an unnatural reaction. For those who find it demanding to have the warship so close, he has the following advice: – Be careful with too many burdensome impressions, especially if you have experienced strong reactions in the past. news has tried to get a comment from the Ministry of Defence, but has not yet received a reply. Avoiding the city center while the ship is here In the center of Oslo, restaurants and nightclubs have prepared to entertain American soldiers while they are visiting. But Alammouri will stay far away from the city for the next few days. – The USA is no enemy for Norway, does it help to think about that? – I know it’s not dangerous here. But I get memories of what happened, she explains.
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The warship in the Oslofjord brings back bad memories: – I am very scared now
