They fled Iraq just ahead of an Islamic State group onslaught in which thousands of their fellow Yazidis were enslaved or slaughtered. Months as refugees on the fringes of Turkish society, a nearly fatal trip across the Aegean and a long trek through the Balkans and Austria north to Germany came next.

In this Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 photo, volunteers help refugees disembark from a vessel carrying Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, their two daughters Delphine, 18, seen center left,  Dunia 13, and their t… — In this Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 photo, volunteers help refugees disembark from a vessel carrying Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, their two daughters Delphine, 18, seen center left, Dunia 13, and their two sons Dilshad, 17, seen center left, and Dildar, 10, as it arrives to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos from the Turkish coast. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 photo, Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, right, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, cry while embracing their children, Dunia, 13, and Dildar, 10, shortly after arriving on a vessel from the Turkish coast to the no… — In this Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 photo, Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, right, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, cry while embracing their children, Dunia, 13, and Dildar, 10, shortly after arriving on a vessel from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Now, there finally is calm for the six members of the Qasu family, tranquility they only could dream of during their year-long odyssey.

Bessi Qasu, husband Samir, daughters Delphine and Dunia and sons Dilshad and Dildar share a small apartment in the serene town of Elzach, nestled in the rolling hills of the Black Forest in southwestern Germany.

"Not so long ago we were between life and death, but now we are a family in a home in a safe and great country," says Samir, 46, who ran a convenience store before his family fled in August 2014 as IS fighters closed in on the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq.

In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Yazidi migrant family, from Sinjar, Iraq, from right to left, Dilshad Qasu, 18, Samir Qasu, 46, Bessi Qasim, 43, Delphine Qasu, 19, Dunia Qasu, 14, and Dildar Qasu, 11, sit on the ground while having their dinn… — In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Yazidi migrant family, from Sinjar, Iraq, from right to left, Dilshad Qasu, 18, Samir Qasu, 46, Bessi Qasim, 43, Delphine Qasu, 19, Dunia Qasu, 14, and Dildar Qasu, 11, sit on the ground while having their dinner at their apartment in Elzach, Germany.(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Germany opened its borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers like the Qasus last year. As they have settled around the country, it has led to friction at times with local residents, particularly in the eastern regions of the country.

But members of the Qasu family say they have felt none of that.

"Nobody discriminates against us. We don't feel different. Even my German friends tell me that now 'You're a German,'" 18-year-old Dilshad says.

His father adds that they have done their best to fit in. "We are their guests, and we have to respect their culture and traditions," Samir says.

To that end, Samir and Bessi are taking daily "integration" classes to learn the German language and culture, after which they hope to find jobs. Dunia, 14, attends a local secondary school and Dildar, 11, is in elementary school and plays on the local youth soccer team. Dilshad and Delphine, 19, are waiting to start classes at the end of September.

In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 photo, Samir Qasu, 46, right, and his wife Bessi Qasim, 43, Yazidi migrants from Sinjar, Iraq, attend their integration course at the town hall in Denzlingen, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

When the family arrived in Germany on Dec. 9, they lived in a temporary facility in Heidelberg. They resettled in Elzach after about three months.

Now granted asylum, they have been given a two-room apartment that is paid for by Germany along with the cost of utilities. In addition, they receive about 1,900 euros ($2,125) a month for food and other necessities, which they say is more than enough.

At least twice a day, they spread a big blanket on the floor of their apartment and eat meals while joking, discussing their progress learning German and talking about the future that once seemed so grim.

"I am happy to see my children safe and in schools, and a bright future waiting them," Bessi says.

Samir says he talks about the old days with an Iraqi neighbor, but the children rarely mention their previous life or the journey that led them to Elzach.

"Please, let's not bring up these tough memories," Delphine says.

Delphine hopes to eventually become a doctor, while Dildar nurses dreams of playing professional soccer. Like many young teenagers, Dunia isn't quite sure. She'd like to be a famous artist and is hedging her bets, learning both how to dance and to play the keyboard.

Dilshad just wants to bring in wages to provide for his family, helping his parents like they have helped him.

"Now I know I will have a good future," the young man says. "The only future for us in Iraq was death."

In this Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015 photo, Delphine Qasu, 18, right, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, is comforted by her brother Dilshad, 17, while crying after talking about their journey to reach Germany, at their new temporary home at Patrick Henry Village, in Heidelberg, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Bessi Qasim, 43, right, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, cooks in her kitchen, while her son Dildar Qasu, 11, left, talks with their neighbor at their apartment in Elzach, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Dilshad Qasu, 18, left, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, calls his younger brother Dildar, 11, center, as he sits with other children in a street near their apartment in Elzach, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 photo, a German army soldier fills in the details of Qasu family, a Yazidi refugee family from Sinjar, Iraq, as part of their asylum seeking process at the Central Registration Centre in Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 photo, a German army officer takes a head shot of Bessi Qasim, 42, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, as part of her asylum seeking process, at the Central Registration Centre in Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015 photo, Delphine Qasu, 18, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, rests her head on her father's shoulder after she and the rest of the family arrived on a train coming from Freilassing, at a resting point in Mannheim, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015 photo, Delphine Qasu, 18, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, right, is body searched by a German police officer next to her sister Dunia, 13, and her mother Bessi, 42, shortly after crossing from Austria to Germany, in Freilassing. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015 photo, Dildar Qasu, 10, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, leans on the door of the train as it arrives to Mannheim, Germany, coming from Freilassing. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 photo, Delphine Qasu, 18, a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar, Iraq, and her father Samir, 45, sleep in a bus while waiting with the rest of their family to be transported to the train station in Sid where Serbian authorities load trains with refugees to Croatia, in Adasevci, Serbia. The Qasus slept chiefly on trains, buses and benches while passing through registration centers in four Balkan countries (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 photo, Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, right, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, sons Dilshad, 17, Dildar, 10, and daughter Dunia, 13, stand behind a Greek police officer waiting to be permitted to cross the Greek-Macedonian border, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 photo, Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, center, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his son Dildar, 10, stand with other refugees from Syria and Afghanistan around a Syrian refugee woman who collapsed while waiting to be permitted by Greek police to cross the Greek-Macedonian border, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 photo, Yazidi refugee Samir Qasu, 45, from Sinjar, Iraq, and his wife Bessi, 42, their two daughters Delphine, 18, Dunia 13, and their two sons Dilshad, 17, and Dildar, 10, walk toward a gathering point to board a bus to a registration center, after arriving on a vessel from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 photo, Dildar Qasu, 11, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, sleeps on his sister's bed after coming back from school at his family's apartment in Elzach, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 photo, Dunia Qasu, 14, left, sits on her bed combing her hair while her elder brother Dilshad, 18, helps his younger brother Dildar, 11, in his homework, at their apartment in Elzach, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, Dunia Qasu, 14, center, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, talks with other classmates from Syria, during a German language class at her school, Schulzentrum Oberes Elztal, in Oberwinden, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, Dildar Qasu, 11, center, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, plays at his school's play ground during a break at Schulzentrum Oberes Elztal, in Elzach, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, Dunia Qasu, 14, center, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, throws the ball while she and her classmates practice basketball during a sport class at her school, Schulzentrum Oberes Elztal, in Oberwinden, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, Dunia Qasu, 14, center, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, attends a German language class at her school, Schulzentrum Oberes Elztal, in Oberwinden, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, Dildar Qasu, 11, center wearing black, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, tackles the ball, during a training for the local youth soccer team in Niederwinden, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 photo, Samir Qasu, 46, center, a Yazidi migrant from Sinjar, Iraq, laughs while speaking on his mobile phone as he and his wife Bessi Qasim, 43, left, and his son Dildar Qasu, 11, enjoy their time at a cafe in Freiburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

In this Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 photo, Samir Qasu, 46, and his son Dildar, 11, light candles while visiting Freiburg Minster in Freiburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Text from the AP news story, Tumult to tranquility: Migrant family finds peace in Germany, by Muhammed Muheisen.

Muhammed Muheisen, the Associated Press' chief photographer for the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, followed the Qasu family from Greece to Germany on Dec. 3-10, and returned on Sept. 13, 2016 to document how they settled down in Germany. David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.

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