From Iraq to America: Ali Nadhaif and his parents are among the few Iraqis who've been allowed into the U.S.

• Author: Nadhaif, Ali
• Position: VOICES

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I grew up in Baghdad, but last December my family moved to the United States to start a new life. It was very hard to leave Baghdad, but the situation there was so horrible that life was impossible.

There were bombings all the time, the sound of gunfire all day long, and helicopters flying above us 24 hours a day. We couldn't leave our house after dark, and even in our home, we weren't safe. I had the feeling we could die at any moment. There were just so many terrorists shooting people and setting off bombs without reason, or for very stupid reasons.

Two of my friends were killed. Many others were threatened and moved away.

The reason we finally left is that some people tried to kill my father by shooting at him while he was driving. Earlier, they had tried to kidnap him, and another time, they tried to kidnap my mother.

I knew a lot about the U.S. before I arrived, so the adjustment wasn't all that hard. It was always a dream of mine to live in America, so in some ways being here is a dream come true.

The hard part is all the things I miss about Iraq, especially my friends. I don't have brothers or sisters, so my friends in Baghdad were like family, and it was so hard to leave them. Also, I still have relatives in northern Iraq who I worry about.

Living here is very quiet and nice. We live in the suburbs of northern Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., and it's actually a little too quiet and boring compared to life in a big city like Baghdad.

My father was a doctor in Iraq, but he can't practice here until he passes his American licensing exams. So for...