Between today and

yesterday
To begin, my name is Mariem, I am from Iraq, and I
am 20 years old .I will be 21 at the end of this month.
I have one brother who is 11 years old, and one
sister who is 18. I will not say everything out me from
the beginning because I think there are lot of
interesting things bout me you will discover it,
As a child, I would hear people to my mom, Your daughters
smart. when I was 5 years old and I know the English
letters, Arabic letters, and French letters. I would save all the
songs that I heard in my mind.
When I turned 6 years old, I went to school. The school was
the best thing for me. I love the school very much, but the
year was 2003and in this year the war started in Iraq.

I dont remember a lot of things about this year except

some days. These days are like a movie inside my mind.
When I remember its like watching a recording in my mind,
and I realize that, really, all my life was like a movie. I
remember before the war my mom and my dad bought a lot
of food and water. I asked why. Whats going to happen?
They told me nothing is going to happen, but then one day
before the war, my mom did tell me that we would hear
bombs and that we should be strong and always be together.
On the night of the war, we were all in my Grandfathers
house. His house was very big. We were all with my cousins.
We were very happy. We ate the dinner and after that
everyone went to sleep. At midnight I felt like someone
holding me. I opened my eyes and I saw my dad holding me,
and my mom holding my sister. There were voices. My
parents take us to the room and put sound prevention
headphones in our ears, everybody was crying, we were very
scared.
It was the most difficult time for us. I remember the day
when I was sleeping and I heard my grandmother scream
because my uncle went outside and she heard bombs.
Everyday we woke up to the sounds of bombs. After a few
days my family decided to leave Bagdad and go to another
city because Bagdad had become very dangerous for us. We
went to Baqubah in the northwest of Bagdad. This city was
calmer, and everything was good for the first few days until
we had to rent a home without any safety, without windows
or doors. The first day there was like a horror film. The house
was without windows and doors because it is hard to find
good home in this time. My family decided to went back to
Bagdad because we dont have money to pay the rent.

We went back to Bagdad, when we were in the way

back to my grandfather home there were a bunch of
scorched car. The streets were sad. We went to our
house; there was a stink smell in the house. My mom
and my aunts are cleaned everything in the house.
What happen after that I dont remember! But I
remember when we were back to our house, in the
night the bell ranged, our neighbor told my dad that
militia asked for my father, they ask him if he know
someone called Yousif, but he said to them No.
He told my father You should leave this area
because if they know you are hear in this area, they
will kill you. My parents were very scared. When I
was child I dont know what militia do to the people.
After few days my father disappears, and my mom
was all the time pray and weep, she never ate with
us. My sister and me asked her about my dad she
said he went to another city and he will come soon. I
was waiting my dad everyday in the door, but he did
not come. After one month, I was in the garden with
my sister and the door opened, my father opened the
door, but he was not okay his eyes were black, his
face was red, and his cloths were blood. My sister
and me scream at the same time, we ask him what
happened he couldnt answer, my mom came very
fast and huge him. After that I realize that my father
was kidnapped, my father told us that we should
leave Iraq is not safety because we are Suna and
the Iraq just for the Shia. My parents decided to go
to Syria, The only problem was that we dont have
enough money to go because the militia took all
what we have. My mom said It is okay I will go and
ask my brother for some money. My brother mom
gives my mom some money. We went to Syria, we
left everything, and we went to unknown fate. I was a
child, but not like any child in this world I have lived a
lot of pains in this time. What is my sin to live this
torment?
In the way to Syria, the streets were terrifying and
my father was suffering because the wounds in his
body, I was crying and telling him to be patient. It is
hard to see the strongest person in your eyes who is
suffering and you cant do anything. The way was
very long. We spend two days in the way. We arrived
to Syria. We were scared because it is new country,
my father had a friend there, he helps us a lot, and
he found an apartment for us. We become happy in
this country, we went to school, we love this country,
and its become our second home. In 2006 my
brother born, he was so cute. Now we become two
girls and one boy. We spend seven years in Syria. The
live was hard but at the same time was nice. I missed
Iraq a lot, I missed my grandmother, my school, and
everything, but I was dont want to go back to Iraq.
It is hard to say, I dont want to go to Iraq, But if your home
not safety for you will decide to love this home from
far. My second home Syria started broken, Syria
becomes not safety for us because after the damage
started like in Iraq, Syria becomes not safety for the
Iraq people because we become targeted. My father
started thinking about another place more safety. We
decide Turkey is a good place for us. We started
getting ready for travel. We went to Turkey by used
the bus way, the way was very dangerous because it
is cross Aleppo, and there were wars in Alep. In the
way we were heard shooting all the time the shooting
start less this mean we would arrive soon to Turkey,
after like one hour we arrive to Turkish border, all the
people inside this border were looking with hated to
us their looking were like they want to till us why we
are hear in their country, I wish I was can answer
them but I was scared, but inside my self I answer
them I told them I have home too, my home
beautiful, but is not safety for me that is why I came
to their home because he can safe me and my
family. My question was always why this happen
with us, why we cant be in our country? We finished
stamping of passports, we entered to Turkey, we
were dont know anything, but there were some
people waiting, they asked us are you refugees we
said yes they took us, and help us to find a house.
There were good people. We went to the house; it
was good but very cold because there is no carpet,
and no heater. We stay in one room and we wore a
lot of cloths, and some of the cloths we put it on the
ground, and we sleep on it. My father was looking to
us and he said, I am sorry we all started to cry.
When I remember these times my heart hurting me.
We stay in Turkey 6 months, after that we decide to
leave Turkey because there is no job, the entire job
for the people they can speak Turkish, and my dad
doesnt know Turkish. My sister and me we were go
to the neighbors and lean some word and after that
teach my dad these words but dont work. We decide
to return back to Iraq.
We started to get ready to go back to Iraq. We went
by the bus; the way was very long it is taken
approximately two days. We arrived to Iraq, when we
arrived I feel like I was looking for something and I
found it, Bagdad the most beautiful city in the world.
We lived in my grandmother house a few days after
that we went to Irbil; we lived in this city for 3 years
and my dad found job. Everythings were good until
ISIS came to Iraq, and broken everythings. The
Kurdish people become hate us because they think
we are like ISIS, they think we want to broken their
country. We are not from ISIS; we are Arabic Muslims
people this not means we are from ISIS. The stations
get worst. People from immigration office in Jordan,
and they told us about come to America, they told us
we have interview by the end of the month, we went
to this interview, we did one interview and they told
us about another interview. We finished all the
interviews and we get accepted, after 6 months they
called us, to told us about the time we will leave Irbil
in it. It was in 2015. We sold everythings to get
ready to travel. In January, 2015 we arrived to
America, it was the best day for me I was very
happen to build my future her, but the god thing not
continue always there is a something that hearts
every thing. We life in apartment every thing was
okay, until I went to the school the first week was
very good, and I was very happy to learn and work
hard. One day, I always remembered this day, the
day that change all my live, the day that change me
from successful person, to person helpless. In this
day my consular was want to see me I went to him
he said At the first your GPA high, but this not help
you because you are now 18 and you need 4 years to
graduate, this means you dont have time, this
means you will not graduate I said No, I can do it
just trust me, I will do my best to finish all these
classes he laughing and he said you cant talk with
me now how you will finish all these classes the
tears began to fall from my eyes and I could not stop
them. He was looked to me without any mercy.
I leave his office, I feel like all the doors close for me,
I love my school I want to build my future from my
studying I can help my family, I can make them life
better but everythings close for me eyes. I went
back to home and told my parents about that they
told me maybe there is something wrong I said
no, the consular told me I dont have any chance. I
become depressed, I was crying all the time, not
eating or drink anything, no go to school, and
sometimes I feel that I want to end my live. My
parents try to help me a lot but it doesnt work. I was
always thinking if I be successful in my school I can
change my parents live, I can change everything sad
we saw it before. My dad cant work because he have
pain in at his neck, I thought I could help him by
having good job after I finished high school. I meet a
woman from African organization, she told that the
school should not till me I cant graduate and she
said she would go with me to school. We went
together to school and she talked with them but it
was same thing. I tried a lot with this school but
nothing work. At beginning of next year I meet
Hussein: he is from Iraq I explain to him everything
about what happen with me and he said he would
meet my consular and help me. We went together to
the consular Hussein explain to the consular and the
consular said yes if she work hard she will graduate
after I hear this thing I become happy and very
excited to do my best and graduate. The new school
year started and I was ready to show my best I
finished the 4 first weeks with A for all my classes
and the my English teacher told me that she want to
put me in level 2 English because I improving fast ,
but the good thing not continue in my life because
the consular ask to see me again, I went to his office
but I didnt found him I found another consular she
told me that we need to change your schedule
because this schedule for the senior and you are not
senior you will not graduate. I told her no I will look
to my grade, ask my teachers how I tried to improve
my self, and I have very good credit and GPA, my
GPA is 5 she said yes, I talked with your teachers
and they told me you improve your self, but you
cant graduate I leave her office, I feel the earth is
spinning, I cant not balance, I set in the ground and I
called Hussein Hussein can you please come and
take me he said yes. He came to school and
talked with consular it was same thing. After that he
told me I just want you to trust me, do your best
this year and next year I will take you to online high
school I was without my mind, but after a few weeks
I understand what he said. I started in south high
school and my GPA was 5, but because what happen
to me my GPA become 3.0. I started went to school
and do my work, not my best work because. I
finished this year with good grade not perfect grade,
and after that I went to Denver online school. I
started the 2016 in Denver online high school; I meet
in this school the best teachers I have ever had. I will
graduate in this year 2017. I want to be lawyer I
know it is hard but I think if I find good scholarship it
will be easy to me to be a lawyer.
At the end I want to say thanks to my consular Casey
Burton, and my English teacher Jessica Glynn, my
biology teacher Erica Macintosh they help me a lot to
improve my self, and trust my self. And big thanks for
Hussein my husband he is my support.