MAHER (IRAQ)

AUGUST 2016 TO DECEMBER 2017

First of all, hello to everyone who’s reading this! My name is Maher, I’m 19 years old and I am from Iraq. I was a student at Habibi Center 5 years ago, I was studying in Habibi Center about a year and a half. As one of the first students of Habibi Center, I think that place is extremely the best thing I have experienced in my life. For me Habibi Center is not a school, for it is a home that I was raised in during the time I was there. Habibi Center gave me the hope I lost after I moved out from Iraq because of the war there. Before Habibi Center was built I was looking somehow to learn English because I knew how important it will be for me to educate myself in Greece. So I met Stephanie in Katsikas. That time she was working in a kitchen where she and some other people were serving food to the refugees in the camp, and she was also giving English lessons to some of my friends. So I liked the idea of it and wanted to learn English as soon as I can. Stephanie helped me by reading books at the beginning, then Habibi Center was built then Stephanie and Toby told us to join the school. My excitement was pure. I can say that I was the happiest person in the world when Habibi Center was opened. The first day and the last day of my journey in Habibi Center was the same, because the people there never saw us but with love, they were a part of us and they still are.