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 happened in this chapter, but it was still very interesting to me how the entire family was willing to just pack up and leave a place that they had established as their home within a few days. Ibtisam and her family was only at the school for two and a half days before her father found a new home for them, but they were still willing to just leave before they had even settled in. I guess it would be easier to leave that way though because if they hadn’t fully settled in, then they wouldn’t be extremely attached to anything. However, I have lived in the same place my entire life and just packing up and leaving seems impossible to me and I don’t know how her family is brave enough to do it so many times.

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