Maya Galim was born October 7th of 1988 in Safed, northeast city of Israel. She, being a muggle-born, was heavily accustomed to both Arabic and Israeli cultures and was raised spiritual. She grew up in a city where spirituality was often depicted through artistic mediums such as paintings, candle-making and more.

Maya grew up in a very large family circle. She was the oldest of six siblings (Maya, 32; Yishai, 30; Goldie, 28; Reuven, 25; Batya, 25; and Lev, 21) making her childhood primarily filled with helping her parents care for them on a regular basis. Her father, Yair, was a candle-maker who often spent his days in the candle shop half a mile away from home. Her mother, Levana, was a stay-at-home mother who worked hard cleaning her home and raising her children.

Throughout her childhood, Maya did not attend school regularly. Her parents needed as much help as they could with their family dynamic and her father strongly believed that whatever she learned in school would not benefit their lifestyle. Her mother, on the other hand, made sure that Maya was able to read both in Hebrew and English, as it was important for her spiritually and communicably.

Maya felt left out in the educational world. Whenever she had to do the shopping for their household, she would always stop by a nearby neighbor, Baruch Schine, who always taught her something new. He was an older man who was a retired professor of Hebrew University of Jerusalem who wanted to spend his ending days in the beauty of Sefad. They had met when she was eight-years-old at the nearby grocery store and she was carrying a book about Israel. It had caught Professor Schine's attention and after talking about anything pop culture, and later learning that she hardly in school because of her family, he realized that Maya had potential to learn more. He took it upon himself to teach her everything he knew: geography, math, literacy, the use of tools and building, and most importantly: culture. It perhaps what sparked her love of muggle culture later on in her life.

When it came to childhood experiences, Maya unfortunately was unable to partake in them like her younger siblings. Being the oldest was not only a blessing in which she was able to leave the family the quickest, but it was also a curse in which she was unable to live life to its fullest. She often helped with the chores such as cooking, cleaning and shopping as well as taking care of her siblings such as babysitting, changing diapers and entertaining.

This did not make Maya angry, however. It made her much more serious about life and the world that she was brought into. So serious, that when certain things that were explainable would happen, she would often shrug it off and not give it a second thought. For example, when she was leaving Professor Schine's home one day, she decided to go through a different direction, towards an alleyway that was a shorter travel home. As she walked through, there was no one around other than a bunch of stray cats of all different colors and sizes. Maya, not a fan of cats as they were considered rodents in Israel, walked carefully through the alley. It wasn't until there was a rabid-looking cat that was walking after her. She would not have cared, however, it looked angry. Maya walked faster through the alley and the cat followed. Maya, scared, turned around toward the cat and shouted at it. The cat was blasted back and landed on all four paws. Maya, not thinking twice about what just happened, turned back around and quickly got out of the alley and back home.

*****

It was October 7, 1999 and Maya had just turned eleven. She spent her birthday with her family and ended the day with a beautiful dinner together. She loved celebrating her birthday as it was one of the few days a year that she had a break of her daily lifestyle and her parents remember that she wasn't just the helper around the house, but her daughter. Though, the next day, it backfires. The older she becomes, the more her parents believe she was capable of more responsibility.

*****

There was one night, a few weeks after her birthday that Maya stayed up reading a book on Ethiopian culture that was borrowed from Professor Schine. As she was reading in the den, she began to doze off, her book laying against her chest. As she was sleeping, she began to feel her dreams coming to life. She was in a library and there were books everywhere in alphabetical order. Maya remembered feeling so excited to see so many books on everything she could think of. It wasn't until she saw a book that was about magic. Maya touched the book and it began to fly out of the bookshelf and around the library. Soon after, many other books began to do the same thing. The books were flying and diving left and right that it was too difficult to dodge. Maya turned around from dodging one book and found another one heading right for her! Immediately, Maya woke up from her dream and saw that the book that was laying against her chest was floating right above her. Maya grabbed the book and placed it on her bedside table, worried about what just happened.

The next morning, Maya offered her mother to go to the grocery store rather than going later in the week as often planned as she wanted to see Professor Schine. Her mother approved and sent her off with a list of what she needed for their home. Maya walked towards the store, but went through the ally and stopped by Professor Schine. Knocking on his door, he opened and she walked in.

Talk of magic and things unknown was both uncommon and odd in Israeli or Jewish culture. There was the concept of spirituality, but to talk about magic was unheard of. Maya didn't know how Professor Schine would handle what she had witnessed in the alley a long time ago and what happened last night. When she shared her experiences, Professor Schine shouted with joy, an emotion that Maya was not at all expecting. He then shared that he was a wizard himself and he had a feeling that Maya was one, too. He believed that she had potential to be magical which was why he wanted her to explore the muggle world and its cultures as much as possible before delving head-first into the magical world. He explained to her that she had these weird occurrences because her magic needed to kick in. And now that it has, she was ready to learn the ways of being a witch.

The conversation ended in which Maya needed to tell her family of her fate. She was not "normal" like they were. She was magic. Maya knew this was not going to be easy as her family will never accept someone who is not like them. Everyone is very much in their own ways and does not like change, especially change like Maya becoming a witch.

Maya gave herself a few days to work up the emotional capacity and energy to tell her family the news. She decided to tell them all at once. It was going to be a lot harder for her to share the news, but at least she would only have to do it one time. Maya decided that it was best to share the news during Shabbat lunch when everyone is relaxed and together without anything distracting them. It took up quite a bit of courage and Maya began sharing her experience about the cats in the alley and the book that levitated in the air after a weird dream... After a few moments, they began to laugh. They believed that it was a joke and that Maya was probably playing a joke on them. When Maya tried to explain that it wasn't a joke, her father's patience grew thin and he spoke loudly telling her that she is not to leave the family no matter what excuse she comes up with as they needed her. She sat quietly, eating the rest of her food.

*****

It was the following summer in August, and Maya hadn't mentioned she was a witch to her parents again. They found herself to be a joke and no matter what, she was unable to leave. Her family needed her and she also had no money or way to go and find her new self in the world.

Finally, Shabbat, and Maya was reading finishing a book on Japanese culture. When she finally got to the last page, she decided to go to Professor Schine's to return it and find something new to read. But most importantly, she wanted to talk more about this new world and culture that she was now a part of. She had so many questions and didn't know where to start.

Arriving at his home, Maya walked in and found him searching through piles of papers. He looked puzzled. He turned around to see Maya holding one of his books and he stopped stifling through stacks of papers and sat down on the couch. He explained to her that she needed to go to school to learn her new powers, and the closest one was Uagadou School of Magic in Uganda.

Maya knew what she had to do. After their discussion, she went home and waited until the night to slowly pack her things in a suitcase that she hid under her bed. Slowly but surely, she was packed by the end of August. School, according to Professor Schine, began in September. He was not only paying for her plane ticket, but he was also going to with her to drop her off at the school. The only problem: making sure that Maya's parents were okay with her leaving.

It took some convincing after the screaming and yelling that her parents had pulled to Professor Schine, but Maya was in the clear to leave for school. Professor Schine promised them that she would be taken care of and that she would be in contact with them from afar.

Maya took out her suitcase that she hid under her bed and hugged her entire family goodbye. Her father and mother were not happy and her siblings were confused and wanted her to stay. Maya smiled at her parents and waved goodbye, leaving with Professor Schine to a new unknown adventure to Uagadou in Uganda.

Reducio

I didn't want to delete and/or later rewrite the following so I've hidden it from the biography. It is not to be counted as a part of Maya's background!

Reducio

For the first time, her dream seemed quite vivid as though she was still awake. Maya saw a figure that was not recognizable in her dream. It was a man who was wearing very native clothing. He began to say the name "Uagadou" over and over again. Maya questioned the word and the man kept going by welcoming her to "Uagadou School of Magic" and explained that it was only for those whom are magic. Her heart beating fast, Maya woke up to find that it was the next morning. She took a deep breath and turned herself over to catch more sleep when she felt a stone in her hand. She looked at it and saw that there was an something written on the stone. She saw the words "Uagadou School of Magic" on one side and on the other side it was a map*. It was the continent of Africa and right in the middle on the east side, there was a star. Looking at the stone harder, she saw that it was Uganda. The probably location of the school.

It was certain--Maya was accepted to a special school for magic folk called Uagadou School of Magic** starting the following year. What did this mean for her? She ran to the bathroom, turned the light on while closing the door gently and looked at herself in the mirror. Did this mean she was a witch? Maya knew this was against all perspectives of her spirituality, religion and culture. There were no such things as witches as there was just G-d. Staring at herself, her eyes widened thinking about what her family would think of her if they found out. Specifically, what her father would think. She knew that she would have to tell them one day soon and surely she would not pass up quite an opportunity to learn more about herself. But for awhile, she kept it to herself until the following summer when she knew she needed to leave in September, before Rosh Hashana to Uganda.

Reducio

* I've taken it upon myself to add in this lore that on the other side of the token/stone, there is a map for Maya so that she may know where to go as a newly recruited magical student in both the school and the magical world.

** Naturally, Maya would be attending the magical school located in Uganda as it grabs many of their students from around Africa and Israel is not too far off.

Life at Uagadou School of Magic...

Life at Uagadou was unimaginable for Maya. It was an entirely different lifestyle that she could never have dreamed of. At her fingertips was the beauty of magic: spells, potions and life. It was all too overwhelming for Maya to learn everything as though she had never learned anything at all. Luckily, she made a friend along the way, Hjørdis Jensen. It was this fashionable and caring girl that helped Maya make it into the new world.


SEVENTH YEAR
The Beginning of an End

Maya had just graduated from Uagadou and made her way back home to Sfat, Israel, where her family are awaiting her arrival. She had written to them prior, letting them know that after seven years, she was coming back. Her mother and younger siblings were happy, but her father was not.

When she got home, tension filled their home. Maya never got along with her father since the moment she stepped foot through the door. He was disappointed in her for accepting a life that was not at all approved by their religion. Maya knew too well that she could be both: a witch and a Jewish woman. Her father, however, could only see black and white and did not understand the gray that Maya saw.

The best part about being back was not to be with her family, but rather to spend time with Professor Schine. Just like when she was younger, Maya would go out to get groceries and stop by Professor Shine's home to share her experiences at Uagadou. Their conversations were drastically different compared to when she was younger. There was a whole new world to explore and talk about, but Professor Schine often reminded Maya of all the cultures in the world that still needed exploring as he was big on never forgetting her muggle roots.

A few months into settling in, Maya received a letter in the mail from the Israeli Government. The letter, was a formal notice stating that she must enroll to Israel's Defense Force (IDF) as it was mandatory for all of-age individuals to do so. Maya knew from a very young age that she would have to go to war. It was never a secret. Every child who turns 18 goes. The process was quick, and by the time it was December, Maya was given instruction of which camp to venture towards. After Chanukah, she had to made her way North of Israel.

Her base camp, Camp Gibor, was located near Kriyat Shmona, Israel's northern-most city near the Lebanon border. Maya's position was to be on the front lines. During their daily training, she showed resilience in the strength, stamina and accuracy that they found her skills best used on the field. When Maya heard the news of her position placement, she had a sick feeling in her stomach. While it was important to fight for Israel, being on the front lines was always risky. Anything could happen.

It wasn't long after she was stationed in Kriyat Shmona that she had to battle. Maya, suited up in her green uniform, and she had to make her way to the border of the neighboring country: Lebanon. Those that she was fighting alongside were split between being where she was at the border as well as sneaking into Lebanon. Those who were alongside her, she became close with because she would stay by their side day and night.

It wasn't until there was a loud popping sound. Maya, along with those around her, were trained to know that it was the sound of rockets. Looking up in the sky, they could see that it was multiple rockets that were shooting up into the air. From the looks of the rocket's curve, it was aiming for the nearest city which was Kriyat Shmona. Their job was to not only protect Israel, but protect the city and their army base.

From afar, the sirens began to go off in Kriyat Shmona, alarming citizens who live in the city to take cover in the nearest bomb shelter. Maya could hear the sirens so clearly although she was miles away.
Everyone was probably running to a bomb shelter either in their home or apartment, at the park or in nearby businesses. In Israel, nearly every building and recreational area has a bomb shelter as bombs and other means of weaponry were often used as a strategy to attack Israel.

Maya, seeing the rockets get closer and closer to Kriyat Shmona, her heart began to race. She began to struggle with herself and her identity during these limited seconds. She grew up a muggle, but learned that she was magical. If she never had magic, she would just be stuck like everyone else watching the rockets make a move on their target. Perhaps her being a witch was a miracle in itself. But was it fair for her to use magic?

Maya's heart was racing faster and she decided that it was perhaps best to do what was right and that was to protect her country and the city she was stationed in. Maya left her station and ran as fast as she could towards Kriyat Shmona. She had to get a good amount of distance towards the city to protect it. Her fellow soldiers called out for her, but Maya ignored them. When she got close enough, she looked at the gap between the city and the rockets and quickly said the shield spell without using her wand.

"Protego Totalum!" she shouted and immediately a force-field covered the small city, making the rockets angle away and miss it. When the last rocket missed, Maya took down the shield and took a deep breath in. Maya had mixed emotions-- she was happy that she saved the city from catastrophe, but she used magic rather than saving it on her own muggleborn merits. In addition, she used magic to prevent a muggle attack-- it was most likely illegal in the Wizarding World or she would be penalized once they found out. Only time can tell.

Trunk

Stamina: 11
Evasion: 7
Strength: 7
Wisdom: 20
ArcPower: 15
Accuracy: 10

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