I've seen so many women in my family, so many mothers, that have lost children in the war in such absurd ways. I wonder how they do it. How do they keep living? How do they keep smiling?
Self-censorship has become a part of me. I think because we live in a place where community is very important, family is very important, you feel the weight of how people look at you. Even though I might seem very modern and very liberated, I still have a lot of issues to deal with. I'm scared of how people look at me.
I want to keep talking about my people and my country in my own language.
When people say to me, 'You make us proud,' it's heartwarming to hear that.
Movements like Time's Up and #MeToo are putting the problems out there and creating conversations about the issues, and that's really how the healing process starts.
I was watching TV and saw people with masks, weapons, and grenades. I thought, Is that really possible? Could we be here yet again? And go into civil war one more time?
