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The School

In the chapter that I read today, not very much happened, except for Ibtisam and her family moving to a couple different shelters. Her family began at Hamameh’s (the truck driver’s wife) house, but Ibtisam’s mother thought it was time for them to move on due to a vehicle almost hitting a boy that was playing in the street. So, they moved to a school nearby because it had been turned into a shelter due to the war. Once the family arrived at the school, they were given a classroom to sleep in and the kids were able to play on the playground with other children. Also, while they were at the school, Ibtisam’s mother taught her how to write the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, “Alef.” She would practice writing it on the chalkboard everyday and she perfected it. Then one day, her father came back from working and said he had found a new home for them in an area called Marka. So, just like that, the family packed up and left for their new shelter. Like I already stated, not too much
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Healing

In the chapter that I read today, Ibtisam had to go to the hospital because her left foot was so swollen and infected from walking without shoes for so long. She got to the hospital with her parents and was given an injection and the next thing she knew, she woke up in a room with a bunch of strangers who were also in hospital beds. However, her parents came back and the doctor gave them some medicine and said she could go home and hopefully it would eventually be back to normal. Ibtisam’s father had also just gotten a job delivering crates of soda and she started to go to work with him while she was waiting on her foot to heal. She was so attached to her father and she would almost never let him out of her grasp. However, eventually, her foot healed back to normal and she stopped going to work with him and she was able to start running around and playing with her brothers again. Reading this chapter just made me realize how important parents are in children’s lives. Whenever Ibtis
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Leaving Shelter

Today, I finished the chapter about Ibtisam and her family staying at the shelter in Al-Salt City. The entire time that they had stayed there, they had been safe and they were happy a majority of the time. Everyone at the shelter got at least some food everyday and they were provided with blankets, so they tried to remain positive. However, toward the end of the chapter, Ibtisam’s mother decided it would be best for them to leave with Hamameh, the wife of the truck driver, and her kids to go find Hamameh’s parents in Amman. Ibtisam was happy that they were finally moving on to a new place, but she became very sad when she found out that she could not bring her new friend, Souma, with her. However her mother told her that there was not enough room in the car and that he would not be happy if they made him leave his home. Ibtisam understood and said goodbye to Souma and then she got in the taxi and they left for Amman. I felt like this chapter was a little disappointing, honestly. It
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Souma

In the section that I read today, Ibtisam and her family, besides her father, had made it inside of the shelter that they had discovered. The shelter was a three-story house, but it was no bed and breakfast. There were people running frantically all around the house and up and down the stairs, and then there were people hiding in the corners because they were so scared of the war breaking out. Ibtisam went into the basement of the house and sat in a corner away from everyone else. Then, as she was looking around, a baby donkey walked up and stood next to her. She carried on conversations with the donkey and she even named it, Souma. Ibtisam stayed with Souma until she could no longer hear the air raids and then she started to quietly crawl back up the stairs to find her family. Reading this section warmed my heart a little. Knowing that the family made it to about as much safety as possible and also that the narrator was able to find a friend on the way just makes me feel good.
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The Trek to Jordan

Today, I finished that chapter about Ibtisam, the narrator, and her family escaping from the war that is beginning. She, her mother, her sister, and her brothers, had each jumped inside of the truck and were able to ride in the cab of the truck, while her father and a bunch of other men had to ride in the bed or stand on the side of the truck and hang on for dear life. However, they did not care how it happened, they just needed to escape the war and the truck driver and his family were their saving grace. It was a long ride with no stops, but they finally made it into Al-Salt City, Jordan and they arrived at a shelter for women and children. Ibtisam and her family got out of the truck as well as the truck driver’s wife and her three daughters so that they could stay at the shelter. However, since it was just for women and children, the truck driver, Ibtisam’s father, and all the other men had to go find some way to volunteer their help for the city. So the men all left and the women
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The Saving Grace

In the section that I read today, the narrator and her family are still trying to run away from the war. The narrator had made it back to her family after being forgotten at her home and now they were all together walking down the Jordan road. There was a large group of civilians that were trying to get away from the war and make it to safety, but all day, there had been no vehicles of any kind go past them. However, finally the narrator’s mother hears the engine of a vehicle and then it starts to get louder and everyone else begins to hear it. Everyone begins to line up on the road so that the truck will have to stop or else it will hit them. The truck appears and at first it starts to speed up, but then the driver realizes that they are not going to move and at the last second, the driver slams on the brakes and the truck screeches to a stop. As quick as they can, the narrator and her family begin to pile onto the truck because they don’t care where it is going, they just want to g
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The War Begins

In the chapter that I read today, the narrator goes back in time to talk about when she was three and a half years old. She introduces her family, which consists of her father, mother, two older brothers, and a baby sister. One day, her father comes home from work, terrified, and he tells them that the war has started and they need to leave. Her father said that he overheard some people that lived in town say that they were going to hide in the caves for the night and so that is where they planned to go. However, once her family had gathered up everything they needed, the narrator realizes that she is only three years old and she has trouble tying one of her shoes. She looks up to ask for help, but her family is already gone and they are nowhere in sight. She begins to get very scared, but she eventually found a group of people and heard them talking about the caves, so she started to walk with them. After a long trek of walking, the group of people that she had been with made it to
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