Against All Odds: Merna Airoud, the First Syrian Doctor in Japan

Merna during a trip to Hakone Shrine in Kanagawa Prefecture. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)

Merna at the temple Sensōji in Asakusa, Tokyo. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)

Merna with her daughter, then still a toddler, at Heian Shrine in Kyoto. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)

Merna with her volunteer Japanese language teacher. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)

The certificate showing that Merna passed the NMPQE. (© Merna Airoud)

The proud doctor with her husband. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)

Merna with her mother and daughter in Japan. (Courtesy Merna Airoud)