Nuri Arslanov grew up with almost no memory of the country his parents had fled from: the Russian separtist region of Dagestan. While he was still a child his parents landed in Gifhorn, a small city near Wolfsburg in the north of Germany. For almost a decade the family lived in a single room in a now-demolished asylum center in the countryside outside of Gifhorn.

The Arslanov family now lives in a small home in a quiet neighborhood, but at the time these photos were taken things were not at all stable: letters from immigration authorities were continually threatening deportation and Nuri and his family wanted desparately to stay. During this time, Nuri was only allowed to leave Gifhorn with special permission despite his dream of starting a career in rap music. This essay is a mediation on Nuri's often solitary days in Gifhorn.