A day in the life of Salam
Introduction
Salam is a 16 years old girl living in Mafraq, Jordan. She is originally from Syria, but her family fled to Jordan when their home was burnt down 5 years ago. Her journey from Syria to their current home was long and hard – her family first stayed in the Za’atari refugee camp, then moved to Amman, and finally settled in the city of Mafraq in the north of Jordan, where there is a large Syrian population.
Starting the day
Salam starts her day quite late – she typically gets up before noon and helps her family with household chores, such as laundry, cooking and washing the dishes.
Missing out on school
Salam spends most of her days at home. She does not go to school, and has never been to school in Jordan because her parents did not see it as priority. However, if she had had the opportunity for an education, she would like to have continued to the end and become a pharmacist.
“I wanted to study but I couldn’t because it’s a disgrace to study at my age in our family”.
Marriage, and divorce
Salam got married when she was 14 to a distant cousin who was 20 at the time. Although she decided to get married herself, despite her family being unconvinced, the marriage did not last long. Salam was not happy in her husband’s family house and her expectations of what marriage means were not met in real life. Now she is back in her family home and this blouse is the only thing left reminding her about her wedding.
When she got divorced she was required to not leave the house for 3 months and 10 days by the local sheikh (in case she was pregnant and to avoid bringing the family into disrepute regarding uncertain paternity).
Visiting the market
Going to the local market is one of Salam’s favourite activities. As she is not allowed to travel by herself, Salam usually accompanies her mother. They visit the market in central Mafraq a few times a week and sometimes also go to the local supermarket in their neighbourhood.
Self-care
During the day, when she has spare time, Salam likes to play around with makeup. She also has many WhatsApp girl friends with whom she discusses fashion and the latest makeup styles.
Catching up on TV
Salam sleeps in one room together with her parents, but before she falls asleep, she usually stays up late at night and watches her favourite Turkish series on her phone.
