This browser does not support the Video element.
Philly teacher in Qatar talks missile strikes, online classes
Bintu Kabba, a teacher from Philadelphia now living in Doha, Qatar, describes her experience amid recent missile attacks and the impact on daily life following the U.S. attack on Iran.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia native now living in Doha says life has changed dramatically since the U.S. attack on Iran Saturday, Feb. 28, with missiles flying and explosions becoming a regular part of daily life.
Teaching in a war zone while staying connected to home
What we know:
Bintu Kabba, who left Southwest Philadelphia three years ago after losing her brother to gun violence and burning out as a teacher, now works as an educator in Doha, Qatar.
She says, "These missiles are being intercepted and Qatar is doing a really good job of keeping us safe. Honestly I feel safe, it’s weird to say but I still feel safer here than I do in Philadelphia," said Kabba.
Kabba says everything was smooth until Saturday, when the U.S. attacked Iran.
Since then, she and others in Doha have been under shelter-in-place orders, and she describes the experience as "definitely been feeling like COVID all over again but with a twist, a little bit more danger," said Kabba.
Kabba has been documenting her experiences on TikTok, sometimes interrupted by emergency alerts.
She says teaching has become extremely tough as everything has gone virtual, with students and parents reporting stress and sleepless nights due to the noise outside.
Kabba describes hearing loud noises and missiles in the early morning hours, and says, "The students have been under a lot of stress so, we have parents emailing us letting us know, ‘hey you know my son didn’t get a lot of sleep last night from the noises. He won’t be logging in today. Can you just send the assignments’, we have definitely seen a decrease in attendance," said Kabba.
Family concerns and no clear way out
Kabba’s family in Philadelphia is urging her to come home, but she says there is no evacuation plan in place. "Honestly those numbers that the American Embassy has given us, we’ve called those numbers, they have said when we call those numbers they have no contingency plan, no evacuation plan for us. We have accepted that we can not leave right now so, we are staying calm, but how do you keep your parents calm when they are seeing that we need to go. It just seems like we just don’t want to go and that’s not the case we cannot leave," said Kabba.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Kabba says she is trying to remain calm and is confident the crisis will pass. She plans to visit Philadelphia in the summer.
Kabba’s story highlights the challenges faced by Americans living abroad during times of conflict, especially when official evacuation plans are unclear or unavailable.
What we don't know:
It is not clear when the situation in Doha will stabilize or when Americans living there might be able to leave.
There is also no information on whether the U.S. Embassy will develop an evacuation plan for citizens in Qatar.