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| The Naser family were eating breakfast the first time they felt the ground shake from a nearby explosion. |
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| They had watched in fear as the violence spread through Syria after protests escalated in March 2011. |
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| In the capital city they felt relatively safe and disconnected from the conflict. |
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| Dima had heard rumours of violent protests on the outskirts of Aleppo and Damascus. |
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| You heard about it but you didnt see it. |
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| We thought, were okay, it wont come to Damascus. |
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| Then the explosions started in November 2011. |
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| Dima remembers the windowpanes shaking after the first bomb fell near their home. |
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| The second explosion shattered the glass. |
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| Dimas husband, Modar, rushed his wife and two children, Kamar and Naser, into the bathroom, where they waited for the bombing to cease. |
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| As they crouched together in fear, Kamar turned to her father and pleaded, Can we leave this country? |
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| The following week the family left for Ireland. |
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| I told them to arrange their things, we were only going for one week, says Modar, who worked as an orthodontic dentist in Damascus. |
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| We checked in small bags, just the basics. |
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| Modar recognises how fortunate they were to leave Syria while it was still in a relatively good condition. |
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| His children will carry with them the image of the beautiful country it once was. |
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| Before 2011 the family were enjoying the golden years, says Modar. |
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| My job was very good and I worked very hard. |
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| We travelled a lot and I had patients from lots of countries. |