Apart from love, the notion of home — what it means, how it shapes us — is probably the most evocative. 

Triplets Mira, Laith and Majd Abu Tahoun ’26 have, at times, called Tunisia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia home. For the past three years and counting, George School has been their home away from home.

What does home mean to them? And how does life at George fit into their definitions? Below are their three essentials.

1. Home means looking out for those who live there.

“Home is a place where you feel comfortable surrounded by people, but also reaching out to the people around you,” said Laith. “You feel like you’re a part of the community. At George, you feel comfortable talking to your dorm parents and bringing anything up to them, even personal issues.” 

To Laith, dormmates feel like family. “As a prefect, they feel like younger siblings,” he said. “Learning from them, teaching them and watching out for them. It’s a whole community that’s brought together by either dorm pride or the George School community. It intertwines all of us.” 

Majd expresses the concept of home in terms of reciprocity, based on mutual love. “I feel like I could ask for help,” he said. “I feel comfortable going to others and they also feel comfortable coming to me. That’s what creates a home — a shared love and compassion for each other. 

“Home is a place that, if you left, you would miss it,” he said.

Mira shared a personal story of how she was made to feel at home at George. “When I started here, I was not wearing the hijab because I wanted to go to America to experience the country and see what it would be like,” she said. “I felt so welcomed here that I was confident that if I were to wear it the next year, that people would still accept me. And sure enough, that’s what happened. Even the girls in the dorm would spam my phone to make sure I didn’t leave my room if they knew there was a boy on the floor,” she said. 

“And many of the leadership positions that offer shirts have been ordering long-sleeves just for me, because they know it’s a struggle having to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath a short-sleeved shirt,” she continued. “They did this without even me asking. George School has made it easy to feel what it felt like back home."

2. Home means demonstrating respect.

Laith pointed out that Head of Religions Department Tom Hoopes takes an active role — literally — in supporting him and his brother and sister. “He’s willing to drive us to the mosque every Friday at 5 in the morning,” said Laith. “It’s a really big dedication that we’re really grateful for.” 

“Tom wakes up early just for us,” said Majd. “It’s really beautiful.”

The triplets also appreciate the school’s faith and Muslim prayer space on the second floor of the Meetinghouse, continued Majd, “which we use a lot. It just feels like whatever we needed, we found at George School. And whatever help we asked for, we were able to receive.” 

Mira defines home as warmth and acceptance. “Home is a place of comfort where you can be yourself, where you can share your own experiences without feeling discouraged,” she said. “We have found home in more than just one place. And we have found home here at George. 

“It’s not necessarily the place where you were born,” she continued. “It’s a place where you form a community with people who understand you. Even if they don’t share your beliefs, they will accept you for who you are.” 

And let’s be real here:

3. Home means recognizable food.

Majd said George feels like home because of how the community supports him and his siblings — including at meal times. “As Muslims, we can’t eat pork,” he said. “The dining hall staff worked with us and were very supportive and made a whole new section just to accommodate us. That was really helpful, and we’re really grateful for that.”

He, Mira and Laith stayed on campus during summer 2025. Their parents visited for a month, seeing local sights and trying out American foods. (Pretzels were a hit; the root beer in root beer floats, less so.)  

And should they miss the flavors of home, there’s a surefire way to have them: During the Zoom interview, Mira grinned, reached over her head and pulled down a bag filled with her favorite spices.