The hole in this banknote is from a piece of shrapnel. I was living in Dara’a, in southwestern Syria, when a bomb exploded near my house. The shrapnel went through my pants, through this banknote, and into my leg. Three years later, in the spring of 2016, I moved to the United States. The shrapnel is still in my leg, but the doctors tell me that if they remove it, I won’t be able to walk. I keep this banknote, with the hole in it, to remind me of my homeland and of my family still in Syria.
~ Manal Al Mfalani, teacher, Clarkston, GA
