Returning Home and Rebuilding

• Upon receiving news of being able to return home, there was a feeling of disbelief.
• The return journey was in a family friend's red pickup truck.
• Passing houses with bullet holes and rubble created anxiety about what they were returning to.
• The Swat River evoked tears and a feeling of hope.
• The city was empty upon return, unlike when they fled.
• Most buildings were damaged by bullets or rubble.
• The masked men with machine guns were absent.
• The family's home was untouched, but the grass was overgrown.
• The chickens had died, symbolizing a greater loss.
• The narrator's bag of books was in the guest room closet untouched.
• While the families home remained untouched it was apparent that the army had used the school as an operation base. Desks up turned, walls in ruin.

Rebuilding and Lingering Threat

• People wanted to return to work and normalcy.
• The return felt like a victory, but everyone felt unsafe.
• The Taliban were in hiding, using targeted killings.
• Their network was broken, but small pockets remained.
• Life returned to normal with open shops and schools.
• Tension persisted due to the Taliban's continued presence.

Continued Advocacy and a Turning Point

• Using media exposure, the narrator continued speaking for girls' education.
• Positive changes occurred, with rebuilt schools and decreased attacks.
• The narrator wanted to continue her education and become a doctor.
• On October 9, 2012, the narrator was targeted by the Taliban.

Aftermath and Resilience

• Trauma can either break someone or make them stronger.
• The attack changed the narrator's life, leading to displacement.
• The transfer from Swat to Peshawar to Rawalpindi then flown unconscious to England.
• The week following the attack, the narrator was in an induced coma in the hospital.
• The narrator woke up in a hospital with injuries and loss of function.
• The narrator found herself displaced again, but remained unbroken.