npr:

Neatly trimmed lawns divide dozens of identical two-story brick buildings that make up the Kenwood Gardens apartment complex in Toledo, Ohio. The people who live here are college students, blue-collar workers and — as of recently — refugees from Syria’s civil war.

It’s where Omar Al-Awad and his family are settling into their new life in America. On a recent morning, the apartment is already bustling: a tea kettle is on the stove, and Omar’s wife, Hiyam, is helping their three children review what they learned in their first day of American school.

“I feel very happy, very excited and at peace inside,” says Omar. “I was overjoyed today.”

Awad is a carpenter from the Syrian city of Homs. The war destroyed his house and business. His family spent two years at a refugee camp in Jordan.

Fewer than 2,000 Syrians have come to the U.S., though the war has displaced more than 12 million since it began in 2011. The refugees in America are scattered widely across more than 20 different states. So far, eight families have come to Toledo. The Awad family is the newest.

Among The Lucky Few: Syrian Family Rebuilds In America’s Heartland

Photos: David Gilkey/NPR