It was Easter of 1998 in Tel Keppe, my hometown in Iraq, and I was walking around with my friends just like all the other kids were with our new clothes and plenty of candy and sweets. Holidays were very exciting for every kid. They were the days where kids got everything they wished for from their parents and from their neighbors. Everybody knew one another and the entire town felt like one family.
Tel Keppe was the town of Christians and Muslims, rich and poor, and everything about it was peaceful and simple. All the people showed love and care for one another. If a Muslim family had a death, the Christians would support the family. The bells of the churches rang and the announcement of Masques sounded. If anyone was in trouble in the town everyone else would help as much as possible. No one differentiated their self from anyone else and no one wanted to agonize any person. The town was very peaceful and safe.
Kids used to go to schools long distance walking without any adults leading them. I remember walking to kindergarten alone and the distance had to be at least half a mile with a lot of turns. One time I found my self lost and an older man helped my find my way to the kindergarten. Having spent most of my childhood in Telkaif, I never felt unsafe. I used to play outside with the other kids everyday and I used to go to church every Sunday with my family. My elementary school was a nuns' school and we had all kinds of students in it, not just the Christians and no one was treated differently from another.
Tel Keppe was a dream town. Every time I remember my memories in it I question my self if these memories are dreams or reality. This is how perfect Tel Keppe was. I feel the specialty for having had lived my youth in such an imaginary town. I will always remember the beautiful days I was lucky enough to live in Tel Keppe. We didn't have any concerning fears. There were people with farms and they would sell fresh eggs and cow milk, and fruits and vegetables were all fresh too.
This discription of my town may sound exaggerating but this is the truth of how it was. I love this town and it haunts me to see it go through so much suffering after I left it. Today, Tel Keppe is occupied by ISIS and all the good people of Telkeif are pained and longing to get back to it very soon. I pray that Tel Keppe will very soon be safe again with its original lovely people. This is the town of my ancestors and they had built it with love and compassion.
