When protests and eventually war broke out in Syria five years ago, Firas Alshater grabbed his video camera and joined the fray, determined to show the world what was happening to his homeland.

His courageous camerawork did not sit well with the Assad regime. For nine months, Firas was imprisoned and tortured. Eventually, he joined millions of other Syrians and fled.

Firas now lives in Germany, thousands of miles removed from the violence he once documented. But that hasn't stopped him from making videos.

In January, Firas teamed up with a group of German filmmakers to launch Zukar, a YouTube channel devoted to sharing his experiences as a refugee trying to adapt to his new home.

Through a combination of smart humor and slick video production, the makers of Zukar hope to give viewers a reason to think differently about the experience of being a refugee. And their lighthearted take seems to have struck a nerve—the channel has already racked up more than 850,000 views on YouTube alone.

Watch the video above to get a taste of Zukar, then click here to see more.