March 2016 News

My Home

I was born in Syria. My parents, sisters and brothers still live there. I miss them. I will never be able to go back home. We lived in mountains where sometimes it snows like here in Connecticut. Damascus is a beautiful city. It is the oldest capital city in the world. The first alphabet was from Damascus. It is a gift from Syria to the world.  

I went to Damascus University. I received my degree in journalism. When I went to the university it was safe to walk on the street, even at night. No one would stop you. It is different now. Police arrested my younger sister for two hours as she was walking to the university to take an exam. There were people fighting in the
street; my sister and her friend hid in a vault in a cemetery until it was safe to come out.  

My older sister is a teacher. Her school was bombed. A boy was injured. He told her that he did not want to go to the hospital because he did not want to lose his leg. One young girl died last week. She was shot by a gun through a
window. She had also been a sick child because she had breathed in chemical weapons. My sister tells her students to keep coming to school. She sees them on the street selling candy and cookies to get money for food. She will buy it to try to help them get back to school. Going to school can help them learn so they will be able to be free. Education used to be important in Syria. Many children now cannot even go to school for the elementary grades. We face a big problem in Syria because children can no longer read and write.  

Everyone used to have good relationships with each other in Syria. I had friends, and celebrated holidays, with people of many religions. We do not know what happened. We don’t know who can be trusted. The government isn’t good and the terrorists kill innocent children every day. The terrorists are a danger to Islam first and then to the rest of the world. It is so sad. There are so many thoughts in my head but I don’t have the words to describe the feelings. It is like we have a lost generation.  The holy book I know does not ask for killing. God asks for people to be good. Terrorists change the meaning for bad. Violence and terrorism are bad things for Muslims and for all people. I want God to bless all people.  

I left Syria a couple of months before the Syrian revolution started. I went to Saudi Arabia with my husband. He is a dentist there. He did not want to come to America because he would have to give up his profession here and start all over. I did not want to stay in Saudi Arabia because I would not be able to work or drive there; women have few rights. I wanted a better life for my children and myself. My husband told the children, “If your mother wants to go to America she can”. I came here one year ago with my two young children; my baby was born here. Milford is now our home. I love America, and the people in Milford are very nice.  I am working hard at learning English so that I can get a job. I would one day like to be able to work in the journalism field. I want to help people change their minds about Syria. I want to be an inspiration for my children. I want to say thank you.  
Student: Thanad Burghleh           
Country: Syria
Tutor: Sara Galullo