REFUGEE Ramiz Hyseni wiped away tears as he remembered those he left behind - ''My sister, my brother, my brother-in-law. I don't know where any of them are. I haven't heard anything from them since I left''.
A 41-year-old textile designer, he arrived in Britain almost five weeks ago with wife Rexhije, three children and his 65-year-old partially sighted father, along with hundreds of fellow Kosovars.
He is glad to be in Renfrew. His days will soon be filled with classes at a local college developing his favourite hobby and the talent which gave him work at home.
Hyseni has already been painting. Pictures adorn the walls of the bedroom he is sharing with his wife and children. Staff at Blythswood House bought him watercolours and paper when they found out about his talent.
''People have been so kind,'' he said.
He is settling into life in Scotland well. He and his family were given five minutes to leave their home in Gilan by Serbian soldiers.
They fled in the clothes they were wearing to nearby mountains, where they stayed for two weeks, before moving on to a refugee camp on the Macedonian border.
''My father did not even have time to put his jacket on,'' he said.
His children, boys aged 14 and 10, and a 13-year-old daughter, started school this week and are picking up English quite well.
The 57 refugees, living in the modern centre which is a former home for the disabled, are growing accustomed to their surroundings, according to staff from the local authority and Scottish Refugee Council who are caring for them.
There are large rooms for relaxing, pool tables, pinball machines and computer games. The adults are attending English classes and have enjoyed days out to local attractions in and around Glasgow.
There is a washing machine and drier and the families are keen to care for themselves, cleaning their own rooms and even, on occasions, treating staff to meals from their homeland.
''People have done so much for us,'' said another refugee, Bajram Mehmetaj.
''At home we say of people sometimes that you try to say thank you to them for something and instead of accepting your thanks they just give you more - that is how we have found the people Scotland.
''We have come from somewhere where people were always taking from us and now, in Scotland, people are always giving us things.''
Mehmetaj, a 41-year-old theatre producer from Pristina, is settling into his new life and speaks of his gratitude, but he obviously misses his home and his work.
Both are clear on one thing. However good life is for them in Britain, they want to return to Kosovo as soon as they can.
Hyseni said: ''Scotland has been very good to us but we do want to go back.''
Mehmetaj, whose wife Kadruje, 41, and three of their teenage children and their seven-year-old daughter, are with him, said: ''I am hoping things will get better in Kosovo. I hope we can go back.''
His mother Hynishah, 65, who is blind, is the most eager to return.
''She keeps saying I don't want to die now. I don't want to die in a foreign country. She keeps asking when we can go back.
''Our bodies are here and we are grateful, but our minds and hearts are in Kosovo.''
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article