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The Good and Bad Days with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
It took me years to know I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that often appears after a traumatic event such as a car accident, assault, or even combat. The symptoms can range from awake or asleep flashbacks, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, and unbearable fear. I was 27 when I was finally diagnosed with Chronic PTSD and was 27 years into surviving trauma left and right.
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My Immigration Story: France to Canada
I was born in eastern France near the German border, into a large family of modest origin, all raised by a single mother working as a cleaning lady. We are Algerian, Berber and Muslim, and have been educated in this double French-Algerian culture, which was so unique because of its history.
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Someone Shot My Hometown
On the morning of July 4th, 2022, I was lying in bed watching videos on my phone when my mom called me. Earlier that week, we had discussed the possibility of meeting at my parents’ house for a barbecue or a short visit, so I didn’t think anything of the call. However, when I picked up the phone, it was immediately clear that something was wrong.
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Denomination
Why, I asked him, do we have to return to our dorms at dusk, like pigeons into pigeonholes, while they don’t—their freedom resounding like the condor’s cry as they walk the dark streets. The ‘security’ guard leered, patting the low parapet he was sat on; ‘Come here, and I will tell you,’ he drawled, like he was any better than the unhinged rapist he was supposedly protecting me from.
