Aya, 7 years old, & Lubna, 6 years old, from Aleppo, Syria
Part 1
Aya and Lubya are both girls in the I AM YOU preschool at a refugee camp in Greece. They have attended "Giota madrasa" class since last spring when they came with their parents to Greece on their way from Syria in search of safety in Europe. This year Aya moved up to an integrated Greek school.
Aya says, "I'm seven years old now and I started school this year. I like it. The teacher is nice but I don't remember her name. My school bus leaves at 8am and comes back to the refugee camp at 1pm. In school my best friend is Helen, she is also from the camp. We learn Greek and English and how to count and write numbers. My mom doesn't know any Greek so she can't help me with home work."
Lubna says, "I'm six years old and will go to school next autumn because my birthday was in January. I wake up at 7 when Aya wakes up for school and then I go to Giota class at 10am. In class I draw and make puzzles and do coloring, but I like Legos the most. Then we eat biscuits. My best friends are Rahaf and Wisam, but sometimes we fight also. I have a lot of friends in camp. I play with Aya also, I like having a sister.”
Part 2
Aya explains, "Today my father is in Athens, he will bring potato chips to us. Other days he is making falafels in the falafel stand in the camp, I like falafels! My mother is working with mats, weaving. I don't eat as much candies as Lubna does, but we brush our teeth every day so it's fine."
"We are from Syria, Aleppo. I remember Aleppo. I remember all the family together in our house. But then there was a bomb and we left."
Photos & Story: I AM YOU