2008 Woodie Awards
In her shoes: from Iraq to America
Living as a college student in Baghdad during the war
Christine Graf
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
"I am an Iraqi citizen and I had to leave my country because of the war," an Iraqi college student studying in America said.
The war in Iraq started in 2003 when she was a 15-year-old high school student in Baghdad. (Loquitur is withholding her name because she has family still in Iraq.)
"We were just kids. We went to school and hung out with our friends afterwards. Life was carefree before the war, just like kids here in America."
When it became clear that this war with America was going to begin, she described how people started to leave Baghdad because it was a main target. That is when she realized what the war was already beginning to create.
"We (she and her friends) started writing little notes to each other telling each other we loved them, because we never knew if we would see each other again."
She recalls when she first encountered how real this war was, as bombs were dropped on buildings close to her house.
"I remember looking out the window and seeing the light from the fire. The whole house would shake and the phone would keep ringing because our relatives from other areas were calling to see if we were O.K. or not."
That was only the beginning of the violence she would witness as she spent the next three and a half years in constant fear living in Baghdad.
Her most prized possession was her education. For as long as she could remember she wanted to be a doctor and attend medical school. Upon high school graduation she received her wish and was one of the 250 students accepted into the school of her dreams.
"When I was finally accepted into my school I thought I was in heaven. I couldn't wish for anything better. I had my family, my great friends, and the school I always dreamed of going to. The war didn't matter because if I died, I finally had my perfect life."
She lived her "perfect life" for a year as a university student, but each day was lived in "constant fear, with no sense of safety or security at all. It was just a matter of time before getting hurt."
The war in Iraq started in 2003 when she was a 15-year-old high school student in Baghdad. (Loquitur is withholding her name because she has family still in Iraq.)
"We were just kids. We went to school and hung out with our friends afterwards. Life was carefree before the war, just like kids here in America."
When it became clear that this war with America was going to begin, she described how people started to leave Baghdad because it was a main target. That is when she realized what the war was already beginning to create.
"We (she and her friends) started writing little notes to each other telling each other we loved them, because we never knew if we would see each other again."
She recalls when she first encountered how real this war was, as bombs were dropped on buildings close to her house.
"I remember looking out the window and seeing the light from the fire. The whole house would shake and the phone would keep ringing because our relatives from other areas were calling to see if we were O.K. or not."
That was only the beginning of the violence she would witness as she spent the next three and a half years in constant fear living in Baghdad.
Her most prized possession was her education. For as long as she could remember she wanted to be a doctor and attend medical school. Upon high school graduation she received her wish and was one of the 250 students accepted into the school of her dreams.
"When I was finally accepted into my school I thought I was in heaven. I couldn't wish for anything better. I had my family, my great friends, and the school I always dreamed of going to. The war didn't matter because if I died, I finally had my perfect life."
She lived her "perfect life" for a year as a university student, but each day was lived in "constant fear, with no sense of safety or security at all. It was just a matter of time before getting hurt."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Tom F
posted 10/14/08 @ 12:48 PM EST
Hey, Tom here from the University of Lincoln, UK.
I too am a journalism student over here in England. It really hits home when you begin to realise living in the western world is half a world away from the horrors our polititions would never begin to touch on when sending out the orders. (Continued…)
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