My name is Mahmoud Aghiorly
and I am a volunteer translator with TED.
I am from Syria,
and I am from the city called Aleppo, located on the North.
This city is an ancient city
Actually, it's been there 3,000 years
but now within 4 years everything's just finished.
Most of my places in memories and buildings that I loved, are destroyed.
And they're just bent down, or bombed, or just throwing.
These places are not there right now
We told Adam so many stories
but actually, it's very difficult for us
that he can't live in there.
And it touched me in my heart.
Actually, as a woman and as a mother that
my baby wouldn't have the ability to visit his father's places or mother's places.
so yeah
Me and my brother were posted in engineers
and we were dreaming actually to have an engineering consultant obviously
but the engineering office was in the middle and heated area
so it was also mostly destroyed.
So I think even you imagine future is destroyed or bent down
I spent around 5 years into it
then I immigrate to Australia by 2015.
We came here on the second day of November.
Last year, everthing was dark
and when the sun rises, it is a new life.
Everything seems beautiful,
everything is green with so much flowers.
We want Adam to live in a better world
We want him to have a great life.
And I think that
he was the main reason why we took that immigrated decision.
It was not an easy decision to take.
Moving to another country, that is totally different what we used to,
is not that easy.
We are so happy right now,
and we know what we did is for us and for Adam as well.
Starting from February to August,
I was searching everyday and sending around 10 or 12 CVs.
Actually, the main advice is to change my name
because Madmoud sounds so much traditional.
The second advice they asked me to hide my place of birth,
and my origin of my certificate.
They told me that nation makes me think about Syria.
I didn't choose the country that I was born in.
And I didn't choose my name.
So, people are judging me with things that I didn't choose.
I choose how I'm going to deal with the problems,
and having a proper channel for new ideas.
It is very essential for people who are coming from a war zone,
and people who are coming from a lost path.
Ted will provide you a proper channel of many ideas
from so many people around the world.
You can directly relate to someone who is facing the same problem,
to someone who just immigrates to the new country,
to someone who is starting a new family, or some who's facing problems.
Mahmoud has a great way of loving and giving.
And I think volunteering is a way of loving and giving.
Translating from a language to another language is a great boat.
(Music)