Yara’s Journal

Summary

• Yara reflects on her memories of summers spent in Palestine, which brings her mother to life like "a bright campfire in a darkened field."
• Her mother has a morning ritual of waking up at dawn to appreciate the changing sky, which may have inspired Yara's passion for drawing.
• The mother takes walks in the hakoora to connect with nature and returns home with baskets full of fruit.
• Yara desires to accompany her mother, and one day she is allowed to join, carrying empty baskets to fill with fruit from the local trees.
• Together, they pick fruits and bring them home, where Teta, the grandmother, makes jam and refers to the fruit as "Baraka," a blessing.
• During their last visit, Yara observes the warm, close relationship between her mother and Teta as they prepare the fruit while her brothers play with local kids.
• The Palestinian community engages in daily life and social activities, including women gossiping and men playing cards and smoking hookahs.
• On the final evening, the mother plays the oud and sings, with women dancing and discarding their headscarves, immersed in song and freedom.
• The music, laughter, and traditional elements of Palestinian culture deeply affect Yara, leaving her with a longing to return to those times and recognizing how her mother showed her another way to live.