Hi, I’m Aliyah,  I was 8 years old when my story started. I used to live in a small village in South Sudan with my Ma, Pa, older brother Sarnah, and my baby brother Areek. One day we were robbed and I had to leave with my brother because there was a fire. My brother Sarnah was taken away to be a soldier and my Ma and Pa died in the fire. It was just me and Areek.

Areek and I wound up in a small group of young boys and girls. It took us a couple of months to reach Ethiopia. A 10 year old boy Telicki was one of the older boys, he was only two years older than me and I kinda thought he was  cute.

We were nearing Ethiopia when we were chased towards the crocodile infested waters. Telicki made it across but his brother Cyden drowned in the river. The rest of our group made it across in one peace and we decided we would go to Kenya.

Look, A fruit tree!

Finally, something to eat.

Along the way to Ethiopia, we discovered a source of food. Areek had been so hungry he started crying. Areek was now a toddler and I was nine years old. 

You Are Now Entering Kenya

Arriving at Kenya felt like floating on a cloud. We found an abandoned hut to sleep in. It had been about two years since Cyden had died and about three years since my Ma and Pa died. Areek had no memory of Ma and Pa but I was sure to tell him all about them.

School

When we arrived at the refugee camp called Kakuma the next morning, one of the UN workers named Amid put us with a few more groups of children and split us into groups. The groups would determine who we would live with. I begged Amid to let me stay with Areek because he was only five, Amid replied with a yes.

Areek, Telicki, a little girl named Nakita, and I were put into a hut together. Some of the adults supplied us with new clothes to were and I had my first haircut in a very long time. We got to go to school and we had three meals everyday! 

It had been two years since we came to Kakuma  and the UN workers started putting up these signs. The signs were listed with names of the many children in the camp. I waited day after day to see Areek’s name on that list, but I never saw it.

Aliyah! Aliyah! They put our names on the board!

One gloomy morning as I was filling a bucket with water, Areek came running towards me. He claimed both of our names were on the list to go to America. I thought this day would never come, I thought I would never go to America. But I was wrong.

When I went to clarifies that we were going to live in America I was told that Telicki would not be going with me. They told me they needed more young men to be soldiers. I’d be separated from my best friend. I knew I needed to do what was best to Areek though. We packed our bags and were driven to the plane.