International Student: Waqas Al Mulhim

At the age of six, two years after the Iraq war began, a young boy fled his home in Baghdad, the capital of the Republic of Iraq. PVCC student Waqas Al Mulhim and his family settled in Jordan twice for a total of seven years. In between these years, the family spent a year in Syria. He, his older brother, Wadah, also a PVCC student; their younger sister, Jumana; and their parents arrived in the United States four years ago on Feb. 23, 2013.

Al Mulhim spoke Arabic and a bit of French which he picked up along the way. He could  speak only a few words of English. This put him at a disadvantage in school. He left Jordan ready for his sophomore year in high school, but unfortunately, due to the language barrier, he repeated his freshman year at Albemarle High School. “I did not mind because I would not have learned much. I was learning the English language,” said Al Mulhim.

Bad memories continue to plague 19-year-old Al Mulhim from living in Baghdad after the war began.

There were, and still are, many dangers facing those living in Baghdad, which is home to about a quarter of Iraq’s total population. Some of these, according to AlMonitor: the pulse of the Middle East media site, include being caught in the crossfire between Iraqi security forces and insurgents, car and roadside bombings, and kidnapping of wealthy individuals being held for ransom. The latter has become more prominent because of the shortage of cash. In addition, homes, businesses and medical care facilities are hit by errant mortar shells.

Even though they lost everything, the family cherishes their new beginning and has felt welcomed. “Charlottesville is open-minded, and I really appreciate that,” said Al Mulhim.

He is adapting to the American culture by integrating it into his native culture but finds it difficult at times. There are two things he has noticed that differ between the two cultures. “There is so much fast food here, and there is not much time for family. We like being together. We eat our meals together” said Al Mulhim.

Iraqi and Jordanian weather are vastly different from ours. Summer temperatures in Baghdad average 95 F. Winter, which lasts from December to February, is mild ranging between 35 and 60 F. Rainfall is just over an inch per month between November and April, according to the Embassy website for the Republic of Iraq.

“The weather is hard to get used to. It rains a lot and is cloudy; it is not just sunshine,” said Al Mulhim.

His travel within the US has been limited, but Al Mulhim would like to see more of the country. It is much larger than his native Iraq which is bordered by six countries: Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and the Persian Gulf. Despite seeming a world away, the time difference is eight hours ahead of us when we are observing Standard Time.

Al Mulhim looks forward to gaining his US citizenship. In Iraq, citizenship is by descent so at least one parent must be a citizen. After receiving his degree from PVCC, he plans to further his education at UVA. Through being a residential architect he hopes to secure financial success.

Reflecting on all of the possibilities, Al Mulhim said, “I love this country.”