ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In Syria these days, one event is on repeat - reunions. Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship a little over a week ago, long-lost relatives are finding their ways back to each other. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi caught the moment of one family's joyful reunion and brings us their story from Damascus.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Iman Muma (ph) is glued to the large window in the front room of her family's apartment in a Damascus working-class neighborhood.
IMAN MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: She keeps asking her son if they've arrived. The 53-year-old mother of six is waiting to see her eldest daughter. They've been separated for six years ever since her daughter's family was forced to flee and move to Aleppo, more than 200 miles away. Married to a journalist, the whole family was in danger in Assad's repressive Syria.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: The anticipation of the reunion has been exhausting. She's been up today since 4 a.m., waiting.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "She's my eldest, a part of my soul." Muma wipes away tears. And in just a few minutes, Muma flies down the stairs.
EMMA NUSA: (Non-English language spoken).
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Immediately, Muma's daughter, 31-year-old Emma Nusa (ph), is lost in a sea of long, tight hugs, gleeful screams and lots of kisses. Her three small children are embraced by cousins, uncles and aunts. Neighbors gather to watch. Everyone is crying.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "My heart's going to stop from happiness," says Muma, who had never met the youngest grandchildren until now.
(CROSSTALK)
AL-SHALCHI: The family moves back to the apartment. Muma and Nusa sit close to each other, the grandkids piling on top. She showers them with kisses. Family members stream in. Coffee is poured. Sweets are served.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: A stillness falls over everyone, and I ask them why.
NUSA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "We are just in shock," they say. During the 13-year civil war, the road from Aleppo to Damascus was too risky to take. The daughter, Nusa, she couldn't believe they were driving on roads inaccessible to them just a week ago.
NUSA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "Assad was ruling a destroyed country," Nusa says. "He was protecting rubble, not his people." Her husband, Hamza Abbas (ph), says he brought his family here today as soon as he safely could after Damascus fell for his kids' sake.
HAMZA ABBAS: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: They didn't know their relatives, and family is very important to us Syrians, he says. But their excitement is tinged with grief. Muma's brother spent more than 10 years in Assad's notorious prisons. Rebel forces freed long-held prisoners when they took over the country, but her family has still not heard from him.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Hope that he's alive is fading.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "The happiness we feel is equal to our sadness," Muma says. And she's aware that not everyone is as lucky as she is now. Her neighbor's son was arrested years ago and hasn't come back.
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "So many people are still broken," Muma says. More coffee is poured. More hugs are shared. And the women can't hold in the joy anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Performing zaghrouta).
MUMA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "Happiness is happiness," says Muma. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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