Hey everyone, it's Hibba. Just a few notes before we begin. We did some of the interviews for this episode in Arabic, so we produced two versions of the story for you. The one you're listening to now is the original, which is bilingual English in Arabic. We also produced an English-only version with a voice actor who played our main character word for word

from our interviews together. You can find both versions on our public podcast channel and website,

so flip through to whichever one you would prefer. Secondly, our main character for today's story

would like you to know that he adjusted his proud Iraqi accent to a more

Shami, Jordanian, Palestinian one in the hopes it's easier to understand. Okay, ready? Let's get

started. I've never been a rebel, spent all my life being good, following rules, studying while

my friends are playing the street.

For what to be a doctor? Oh yeah, I had my share of fun, but if I knew things would be like that,

I would have probably done things differently. Now it's been more than two long years since the

last time I practiced medicine or even had a job. I was a doctor of medicine and general surgery in Ramadi teaching hospital, all kind of

emergencies and cases.

Best times of my life doing what I love the most, but then everything told me to quit.

Before ISIS to cover my hospital, Iraqi government started bombing it. I think these are

clear signs to just leave. I was lucky to escape in the nick of time safely. This was before we lost hope

on Iraq and before we got threatened, but that's another story. This was in May 2013.

Two years ago, one of our producers, Dana,

came across an Instagram account with the name The Refugee 13.

And it was this chronicle of a young Iraqi named Ahesan Al-Bayati.

Okay.

All right, Hibah.

That is Dana.

I'm getting under the covers.

...