On the fourth day, we do our second set of drawings and compare them with the first. In his hoped for future, the Syrian refugee draws himself back in his home, taking his rightful place, rebuilding. The Palestinian has “stopped the clock.” No longer trapped by the past or worrying about the future, he draws a winding river: “going with the flow.” The Program Director feels free of the tyranny of perfection: “I actually have the answers inside me.” The Iraqi woman draws herself at home in Jordan, dancing, “enjoying the day.”
At the training’s closing ceremony, we gather in a circle, thank one another, and especially Ibrahim, the Director of The Institute for Family Health. We dance and eat cake and promise to meet again at the Advanced Training in July, or later on.
Just before I leave, the Syrian refugee comes to me with a gift. It’s a 50 denar Syrian note. On it he’s written his name. “We will spend it,” he says, “when we’re together, back in Syria.”
