Tucked in the back corner of Northshore Mall in Peabody, MA is a non-traditional high school program called the Peabody Learning Academy, and earlier this year I had the privilege of meeting with the staff to see how we could collaborate for the upcoming I Am More exhibition and mental health resource center in a way that would benefit the students, the school and my project, and a portrait of a student seemed like the obvious starting point. They introduced me to Hasan who shared with me what it’s like to suddenly find yourself in a foreign country, with challenges and responsibilities that other children couldn’t imagine:

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq. I was there for only seven years. It wasn’t the happiest place on earth. With so many rules about what you can and can’t do, it really gives you no choice but to sit at home. That’s when I picked up on drawing. I always drew and scribbled as a little kid but tried to expand my skill as I grew up. Staying home all day gave me a ton of practice time. But the outside world, it was loud, hot, and pretty messy.

I remember one day when I was 7, I was sleeping on the couch–it was a very sweaty afternoon nap, and my mom woke me up and just said, “Pack your bags.” I was so confused, I thought I was getting ready for school. She said, “We’re going to the airport, we’re leaving.” At first, as we were packing our things, I still just thought they were joking, but then when we got to the airport I saw only my grandparents. I didn’t get to say goodbye to many people.

I think coming here was so difficult because it was so out of the blue and I didn’t speak any English–nothing. We came to Springfield, MA and we were in an apartment and it was, like, the second day. I went outside where there was a mini playground and I was playing, and I went back in and I didn’t know the numbers for our apartment. I ended up knocking on different doors and some man opened the door and he started speaking English, but I didn’t understand a single word, and I’m speaking in Arabic. I remember I was just hearing an accent and a lot of sounds. He wasn’t mad, he just saw a little boy speaking another language and he probably put two and two together and was like, oh you’re lost. 

I have a 17-year-old brother and 13-year-old sister who were also born in Iraq. After we came here my 8-year-old brother was born. I’ve been in the U.S for nearly a decade and my parents still have me translate for them. They have had me translate for them ever since I was 7-years-old. I’d have to balance school work which I did very badly in. I don’t know why I understood English but I just never understood the math because it was so different from math in Iraq. At the same time we were trying to get settled and figure everything out, we had to get a lot done.

I didn’t realize how harsh other kids could be. In Iraq there were bullies too, but they knew their limit. Here there was no limit. I tried to avoid every corner as much as I could because if anyone finds out I’m Arabic I’m an instant target. That’s ridiculous to say but that’s how it was. I don’t know if that’s how kids are or maybe just the school that I was in. When I left eighth grade and came to the high school here in Peabody that’s when it really stopped. People in high school accept you more and everyone matures a bit and starts caring less because they’ve got other things to worry about.

At 14 I became a U.S citizen. At 16 I got my license and picked up on a few more hobbies like working out. I’m 19 now and a senior at Peabody Learning Academy. I’ve overcome many challenges and I’m still here, wondering what the future holds for me.

A huge thank you to the Peabody Learning Academy for your time and the introduction to Hasan, and to Northshore Mall and Simon for connecting us. To learn more about the school you can visit their website here.