Bassam Mouawad
Store # 10525
Greenville, South Carolina
In Syria, Bassam worked in pharmaceutical sales. He enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Life was golden. And then war came, and with it, scenes previously unimaginable: explosions; buildings crumbling; power outages; lines for food; people dying right before his eyes – all infinitely worse than any TV news report could begin to capture. The pharmaceutical plant where he worked was bombed. By then there was no going to a job, no life as usual, no respite – everyone was just trying to survive. Bassam is an American citizen now. He works as an Uber driver and is a friendly fixture at his local Starbucks, popular with baristas and fellow customers alike. Each day, he sits on the sunny patio drinking his favorite dark roasted coffee, waiting for Uber calls. As a rule, he’d much rather talk about gratitude than war – and he does, with every customer who gets into his car. “I always tell people, ‘When you wake up in the morning, the first thing is to say thank you.’ We’re so fortunate we’re living in this country. God bless this country. Seriously. I mean, I’ve been to many countries in the world. This is heaven that I read in the Bible.”
— Jennifer Warnick
“I always tell people, ‘When you wake up in the morning, the first thing is to say thank you.’ We’re so fortunate we’re living in this country. God bless this country. Seriously. I mean, I’ve been to many countries in the world. This is heaven that I read in the Bible.”
More from Bassam
Meet Bassam Mouawad
Bassam on Syria
