Bosnian+Journal

April 24 1993

Dear Diary,

Yesterday I was taken from my home in the middle of the night along with my husband and children. They let Sara, my daughter, come with me but they took her older brother with my husband. They put us on different buses and I haven't seen my husband or son since that night. She hasn't stopped crying since we got here and I really don't even know where here is. She's wondering why her older brother left her and where her daddy is. I haven't said anything to Sara about what they've been doing to me because shes only six years old but the military forces here are not here to protect us they're here to use and hurt us. I worked out a deal to protect her with the main guard in our building. If he didn't touch her, he could do whatever he wanted too me. She's my life and I would give anything to protect her from the evils of this world we are forced to live in. At night its beyond cold and they refuse to give us sufficent bedding. Food is scarace and when we do have food it is almost inedable. I myself have lost almost 45 pounds and Sara has lost atleast 20. During the day they work us in the blazing sun and we rarely get showers. When one of us dies we are tossed into a mass grave like garbage in a landfill. Living in this camp could, and most likely will be, the death of us.

Renee Patel