Some citizens in the United States do not have an appreciation for what daily life is like on the other side of the world.

In countries like Iraq, Iran, and Syria, safety and citizenship are important daily concerns, and parents worry more about their children’s safety than if they will make it into college.

Senior Sara Abduljabbar and junior Mohammed Abduljabbar recently moved from Saudi Arabia to America to find stability. The siblings’ family is originally from Iraq, but their family moved them to live in Saudi Arabia after their mom got married to her dad.

“Our main purpose to move here was for education purposes,” Sara Abduljabbar said.
Moving from another country can be a difficult transition for anyone.

Classmates and teachers often do not understand how it feels for these students to leave their culture, home, and friends behind. How- ever, the Abduljabbar family decided to take that chance for education opportunities.

“What bothers me the most is having to move to a different class every period,” Mohammed said. “I prefer the teachers moving like in Saudi Arabia. It’s so different here which makes it difficult.”

Sara Abduljabbar, 16, was born in Iraq but lived in Saudi Arabia her whole life. She wanted to move to the United States to become a doctor and study Neurology. Mohammed Abduljabbar, 15, was born in Saudi Arabia and wants to become a petroleum engineer.

“I want to study neurology and would love to graduate from UCLA,” Sara said. Both of them learned English in an international school when they lived in Saudi Arabia. While the students are prepared for American style schooling, they still struggle with the transition after enrolling at Akins in mid-September.

“I feel home sick, I want to go back but I’m adapting to the American culture slowly,” Mohammad said. Sara on the other hand said “I really like it here, I’m wanting to stay here and just go to Saudi Arabia to visit.”

“Many people tend to forget that we’re actually Iraquians and get confused, Mohammad said.

They have a few family members that have been living in the United States for three years. Sara and Mohammad’s aunt and uncle persuaded their parents to move here. Their grandparents also preferred them to live with them instead of Saudi Arabia.

However, there are some differences that they do enjoy.

“I love the schooling system, how the schedule works and how the school is split into academies, which helps me because then I get to know people with the same interest as me,” Sara said.

Another reason the Abduljabbar family moved to the United States was because Saudi Arabia doesn’t give citizenship to foreigners and when Sara and Mohammed turn 18 they would have to move back to Iraq due to their family ties there.

“We didn’t want to go back to Iraq because of safety concerns,” Sarah said.

According to residency rules in Saudi Arabia, Sarah and Mohammed would both either have to go back to Iraq or get a job in Saudi Arabia when they turn eighteen.

Their parents were able to stay in Saudi Arabia without citizenship because of their sponsorship and jobs in Saudi Arabia. Their father is a mechanical engineer while their mother is a dentist.

“My parents aren’t allowed to work after they turn 65 and they also don’t get retirement money after that,” Sara said.

Both students are trying to adjust to the new culture, environment, and the American people, hoping for a successful future for themselves and for their family.

“He’s very observant, and I feel like he understands well but he just communicates a different way than my other students,” said Troy Golba, Mohammed’s accounting teacher. “I feel like it will take him time to adapt to lifestyle over here, but when he does, he’s going to fit in well,” Golba said.