A Voice of Thunder: An Oral History

The story of my family is one of struggle, but also one of success. I had the choice of interviewing either my mother or my father, who both have different perspectives of the same story. At first, I was only going to interview my mom, but I decided that I would also interview my dad as well to show the parallels that exist between both sides of my family. This first interview showcases my mother, who has quite a lot to say about our family history. Although English isn’t her strongest language, she tries her best to convey herself in an understandable way.

Questions For Interview:

1. Tell me more about your family. What was living with your family like back in Lebanon?

“A lot of fun. We were a big family: my father, my mother, and four of my brothers and sisters, we grew up loving each other, caring for each other, never left anybody alone. We always were together, whatever we’re doing, eating dinner together, breakfast together, getting ready to go to school, help the youngest one to study, help my mother with the house cleaning. My dad worked all day, and when he came home, he used to sit down outside in the front yard for like an hour and have fun with brothers, play with them, talk to them. The girls used to stay with mothers, enjoying and learning more stuff about life. That was our daily routine.”

2. How are your brothers and sisters now, and how have they changed since you moved to the U.S.?

“Well, of course, all of them are married now, they have children, but not all of them stayed in Lebanon. They moved to Europe. I have one [sibling] that has two sons, lives in England, Manchester City. He works as an accountant. His older son is in college studying business, and his youngest is still in high school. I have two brothers that live in Germany, and they’ve been there since they were eighteen. Because, of course, of the civil war, my mom had to get them out of the country and stay safe. Bassam, my brother, who lives in Germany, he has two boys and one girl. My other brother Muhammad, who lives in Germany too, in a different city, has three boys, and his wife now is present, expecting hopefully a baby girl. My brother Fuad who lives in England, like I said, he is running his own business as an accountant. He likes it there; he tried to live in Germany, but he couldn’t, his language is English, so he couldn’t survive with the Dutch language, so he had to leave and travel to England and continue to study college there and got his bachelor degree in accounting and stayed there. My sister, has seven children. Three of them are married. She’s a grandmother: she’s younger than me, and she’s a grandmother. All of them live almost in one building. She made sure everybody stayed with her in one place. She has just one son, and his wife wants to live alone, but she kept the culture like her mom. She wants everybody to stay with her. All of them get around the table together, the whole family, with her grandchildren, everybody, her son-in-law, all of them, her daughter-in-law, she wants everybody to be around her. And, I still have one brother who stayed in Lebanon. He has three boys and one girl, and they are in school. The girl, she wants to be like me; she wants to be in Cosmetology. And, she just finished her license and that’s what she’s doing now. My dad is still alive and he’s eighty years old now. Actually, my brother lives with him. My mom’s not alive anymore, she passed away seven years ago.”

3. How would you compare living in the city of Beirut and living here in Kennesaw?

“Actually, it’s not that big of a difference, like, Beirut is a big city like Kennesaw. The only difference is that I grew up with all my family over there. My big family is in Lebanon, and my small family is here: my son, my step-son, and my husband. I’m working here like I work there, I went to school here like I went to school there. Actually, I’m gonna be honest, social life in Lebanon, Beirut, is more fun than here. Here, it’s a busy life: run run run, work work work, come home and do your housework and cooking, and take care of your family. So, that’s the difference.”

4. Can you recount one of your stories while living in Lebanon during the civil war?

“Yeah, there are many stories, but the best, or the really emotional story, is when the whole family was at home except my mom. She was at my grandmother’s house, visiting. We were all playing cards (me, my sister, my brothers, and my dad) outside in the front of the house, and we started hearing some far, bombing noise, and we kept saying to ourselves, ‘Oh, they’re far, they’re not around here. We can continue playing!’ Until we started hearing it getting closer and closer. All of a sudden, the bombs started raining down in the area where we used to live. So, we started running…like cats, trying to find somewhere where we can hide. And, every two/three people hid in different rooms. My brother and my sister ran to the back room. Me and my other brothers hid under the bed in the middle room. And, my other brother and my dad were trying to be very smart, so they went to go open the window so the glass won’t fall. So they tried to go back outside and they got hurt, because we got like two rockets in the front of the house, and two rockets in the back. Thank god…none of us got hurt badly. My dad got hurt in his eyes and his legs. My brother, all the glass hurt his legs and his arms. My sisters, me, and my other two brothers were hiding under a bunk bed made of metal iron, we were hiding underneath. And, we were like, ‘We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!’. Then, all of a sudden, all I heard, like, some people coming to our house, they were like, ‘Anybody here, anybody here? Do you need help?’, and we start coming out from under the bed, and we couldn’t see anything. It was dusty, foggy, you can’t see anything, shocking. The sounds are still in our head. And, no shoes, we were in our pajamas. And then, they held our hand. We were kids! And then they took us to a bunker underneath (you know how they have some kind of bunker in a building underneath like a basement), and I didn’t see my dad, so I thought he died or something, and I didn’t see my older brother. But they told me the ambulance came and took them to the hospital, and they’re not that bad, but they need to check on them to see if they are good. My mom came back, and she found the house, like, she didn’t believe we were still alive, because the way she saw the house, it was, destroyed completely. She didn’t believe it, she was like, ‘No! They died! All my family died!’. They took here to the basement where we were staying in the next building. And, when she saw us, she started hugging and kissing us, but she didn’t see my older brother and my dad. She started crying, ‘Did they die?’ I was like, ‘No, no no! They’re in the hospital, they’re fine!’. So, she had to go back and run to the hospital and check on them. Me and my other brothers (I was the older one, too) had to take care of them, and just hold them and be with them. That was one of the stories. Stories, and stories, and stories like this, are like very emotional, but we made it, all of us.”

5. How was it like having to leave your family and travel halfway across the world to a new country?

“It was painful, leaving my family behind. I…I was happy at the same time; I don’t have to deal with the civil war anymore, and I get to leave this country. But, [I was] leaving my family behind (well, half of them already left to Europe). But, I still have two brothers, and my mother, and my dad which still live there. I was honestly excited that I’m gonna leave and go, and I was seeing a different future for me. I always have this kind of picture that, I don’t belong there; I belong somewhere else. I didn’t know where, I never know where I’m gonna be. And, it happened in the United States, and I love it.”

6. Was living in a country with a completely different culture a culture shock to you?

“Yes and no. Yes, because I got used to living in a small, very close social life, just neighbors and family, that’s it. And then I came to the United States, and it’s way more open/large. I had to get melted with this kind of new life, but I was brave enough to start from the beginning that I put my feet here. I didn’t stay home. I tried to figure out what I’m gonna do. I learned where the bus goes, which school I need to go to learn English, meeting friends, neighbors, talking to people, with this heavy-accent English. [Laughing] I still have this accent, but I’m working on it still. Twenty years and I’m still working on it. But, no, because the city where I used to live, in Beirut, it’s not like other Arab countries. We are way different, way more open, like a European style. We don’t have that kind of close-minded, culture. It’s way open to everybody. The first state that I moved to, California, it was similar to Lebanon: the mountains, the rivers, and sea. We had everything, and when I moved to California, I felt like, oh my god, it’s like I’m home! I loved it.”

7. How did you meet my father?

“Okay, let’s make this long story short. In Lebanon, at that time, they used to do this kind of arranged marriage. So, if someone knows someone, like this girl is from this family, and this man is looking for a bride, they tell him, ‘Oh this family has this nice girl, educated, working..’, and all that stuff. So, his sister is a best friend of my cousin, and when he was traveling to Lebanon, his sister insisted that he needed to get married! So, she asked where they could get a young, beautiful woman (like me), for him. And, my cousin told her, ‘Well, I have a cousin. She’s working, educated, and she can probably fit in the social life in the U.S., and she’s the perfect person for him’. And, that’s what happened! He came, and I saw him, we met, and we liked each other from the first time.”

8. How has the American culture impacted your Lebanese culture?

“Well, it changed a lot of me, because when I came over here, I was a shy person that only talked to the people that I knew. I started to going to school, and I found myself talking to people I never met before, like people from Japan, people from Mexico, people from Belarus, and even people from Israel! She became my best friend! And Lebanon and Israel don’t get along, but she was my best friend. She came to visit me, and I went to visit her, we used to eat lunch together. I did not feel something blocking me to be open to this kind of beautiful, awesome culture, that you cannot be close-minded to. It was really nice to be opened up to this kind of culture because you feel more comfortable, you’re not scared to talk to everybody, and like, nobody cares! Who cares? Nobody cares here! You like this one? That’s fine, go with it! It’s a free country! And that’s what I did!”

9. How do you think Lebanon has changed from before and after the civil war?

“I don’t remember that much before the war, I was like eleven years old when the war happened. All I remember is that we could, at that time, travel everywhere. There’s no Christian area, there’s no Muslim area, there’s no I-don’t-know-what area. All Lebanon was for all Lebanese. And then, the war happened, and we were stuck where we lived; we couldn’t move to somewhere else. It started like a separation between Muslims and Christians, even though half of my family are Christians! We still, at that time, go and see them where they lived in Beirut, because Beirut was divided between two places, East and West. So, we were stuck in the West, our other family was stuck in the East. This was the biggest problem that we had: we couldn’t travel comfortably everywhere. That was during the war. After the war, after we had the peace, we can go, but there was still something. You have to be careful where to go. You have to make sure there’s nothing bad in that area. You have to study before you make any step to anywhere. You just take caution on what to do, but after that, I think around 1994, the year that I came here, the peace started getting better. Lebanon started building up. The changes started when I moved to the United States [Laughing].”

10. Describe your mother and father. How did they raise you and what do you remember about them?

“My father, when I grew up, all I know is that he was working in a different country (Saudi Arabia) for over 8 or 9 years, and when the war started in ’75, he came back in ’77 — ’78 for good to Lebanon, because he didn’t want to leave his family. My mom, she never worked, she was a house-wife. She raised 6 children, she did a good job, she sent us to school, took care of us. She had a really strong personality, and was a very overprotective mom. If she said we need to be home at six, we needed to be home at six. One of the reasons is because of the Civil War. That was one of the biggest reasons, that she wanted everyone to be safe and be at home. And then, when she started seeing it getting even worse, the war, and a lot of young men started joining organizations to fight against each other, she thought the best way was that when they turn sixteen or seventeen, make a passport, and send them to Europe. Right away, one after other [Laughing], one after the other. She was so scared, she didn’t want anyone to join any organization and fight with anybody. She thought the best way is to send them outside the country and build their future and be safe. My father thought the same thing. They really worked so hard to keep them safe there, and I do appreciate all their hard work.”

11. How was it like going to school in Lebanon compared to going to school here in the U.S.?

“My son doesn’t know how much he’s lucky, Omar. Here, going to school is easy. They know how to explain everything for you in a easy, simple way. In Lebanon, so tough. You cannot open your mouth, you cannot say anything. Whatever happens, the teacher will get you. And over there, they have those sticks; if you made a mistake, they hit you here [points at hand] on the bones. Or, they let you stand on one foot in the corner of the class for the whole class. If you didn’t do your homework, or if they asked a question and you didn’t know how to answer, they were very tough in the school. Here, they have the most awesome school system. I love it. And then, over there in Lebanon, you have to learn since the elementary school. You have to start learning the second and third language. The first language for us to learn was Arabic. It was our language, but still, formal Arabic is really hard. And then add up the French, and add the English later on. So, that was really hard, especially if you don’t use the language. The French, yeah, we used it over there, it was a little bit easier than English. That’s why I had to go to school over here and I saw the difference when I went to school here: how nice the teachers are, how easygoing they are with you, the way they explain it. The way they tell you stories, and you can get it so simple and easy, I loved it. I love the school system here. I enjoyed it.”

12. Do you ever plan to move back to Lebanon in the future?

“No. I feel that this is my country now. This is where I live, this is where I raised my family, this is where I go to work. This is my home. We thought once a long time ago after the civil war that probably we could go live there, but the risk is never gone from Lebanon. There’s always like danger over there. There’s always something happening over there. The government never takes responsibility to take care of any simple problems in Lebanon. I get used to a simple life here. If I need something, All I need is just a phone call, and I can do it, I can fix it. Over there, you have to go many times, to any government office, and they will let you go pass many offices, and then they will let you go to the first one, and you’re still behind. You cannot finish what you went to do. Here, you can finish it in one phone call. There’s no way I can move there. I love it here.”

13. Did you ever feel disconnected from your roots while living in the U.S.?

“No, because usually we go visit once in a while. I went with Omar many times, like 3–4 times when he was younger. Last April, I was there in Lebanon. I had fun, it was a lot of fun being there. I met my brother from Germany and my sister from Germany over there. I saw all my cousins, it was really fun. No, my connection is still there. It’s good to go visit, but not to live there.”

14. What were your greatest challenges while living in Lebanon during the civil war?

“Stay safe. Stay alive during the war. The biggest challenge honestly was continuing my education. Because of the war, school was always closed. We always go for like 3 or 4 months maximum, and the schools closed for the rest of the year. It was really horrible continuing education over there, and just to finish middle school, high school, and college, it was a struggle, but I did it and I made it with my brothers. Not my sister; my sister didn’t continue. She just stopped at high school and got married and went to Germany. But my goal is to continue education, whatever it takes.”

15. What family traditions do you still carry, and which ones do you wish for me to pass down?

“The language, the Lebanese language. Never forget your language. And I’m so proud of Omar, that he is working hard learning the language now. And family socializing. Never disconnect with your family, always contact his brother. Ask about him, he’ll ask about you. Never ignore their calls. Never ignore your mother’s calls, your father’s calls. Always stay together, and family is really important in our culture. This is really number one. In holidays, get together. In any occasion that we used to do in Lebanon, we’re still doing it here in Kennesaw.”

16. Describe the typical day in pre- civil war Lebanon; what sort of things did you do on an average day?

“Well, as I mentioned before, I was a little kid at that time during the civil war. So, we used to enjoy playing outside with the neighbor most of the time when we don’t have school. We used to enjoy going to school walking without our family, and then when the civil war started, my mom used to walk us, make sure we got there, and then she would come back and pick us up just to make sure we are safe in the school. Electricity, that we lost during the war, that was a really big thing that we used to study in a candle light. It was horrible, but we made it. The good water, we never had good water. We used to buy water, and we didn’t know if it was good or not. We used to boil the water so we could drink it. Gas, to cook. We couldn’t have gas…because no gas in the civil war! So, we had to go get some wood, put it outside, it’s like old ages, and put the pot on those wood, and wait until we cooked the food. We used to share the food with the neighbor during the civil war, so all of us eat the same food that we cooked for everybody, because that was the only way we could do it. That was..yeah.”

17. How did you spend time with your family in Lebanon compared to here in the U.S.?

“Well, family in Lebanon isn’t just mother, father, and children. Family in Lebanon is grandmother, grandfather, aunt, cousins, uncles, from both sides (father and mother’s side). We used to get together most of the time. Either way, we used to go visit them, they use to come and visit us. The worst time is when we don’t have electricity, so no TV to watch, nothing to do, no listening to the radio, so we used to sit down and talk about what’s going on, what happened with us during the day. Some people talk about their work. Some people talk about their children. Some people talk about their neighbors. And, we used to have some kind of games we used to play. Well, it’s different games than here, but it was really nice, passing time. The difference here is that I spend the time with my family. It’s a small family: me, my husband, my son, and my stepson. And, the good thing is that my friends became my family here. So, on any occasion or holidays, we always get together and we see each other and we help each other to forget that we are away from our country, because we support each other, and this is my new family here.”

18. Describe the typical meals that were prepared in your household in Lebanon. How does it compare to mock restaurants in the U.S.?

“Of course, we cook the Lebanese food. Lebanese food is famous and all over the world. When you mention Lebanese food, everybody knows what you’re talking about. Tabooleh, kibeh, all the stew food that we do, the kabob, shiskabob: all these kinds of foods are very famous everywhere. Let’s say, the food in Lebanon is something really important. When it comes to food, everybody’s there. My mom used to be the best cook. Uncles, aunts, everybody used to come and visit us on any occasion or holidays. I did not like that because I used to work a lot and clean after their mess. But, let’s say we have Mother’s Day. In Mother’s Day we used to spend two days just preparing the food for like, you can say for 35 people, they used to come with their children. In a little small house, imagine, that little small house, three bedroom house, you used to fit like 35 people. All of them, they come and eat and enjoy the food, we spend the night. And, we wished our mothers a happy Mother’s Day. It was like a tradition to go make the cake for Mother’s Day, but the food was like home-made, and excellent-made. Lebanese food is the best food. And the restaurants here are trying to mock the food, like trying to say ‘Oh, this is the traditional Lebanese food!’, but trust me. It’s not like Lebanon. The food over there is way different. Whenever they say, ‘Oh, we went to this restaurant and the food was good!’, trust me. If they know the real Lebanese food, they’re not gonna like any kind of food over here.”

19. Now that you have lived in the U.S. for many years, do you wish you stayed in Lebanon, or do you prefer to live here now?

“I love both countries, I’m not gonna say. I’m Lebanese (originally), American-Lebanese. I’m enjoying my life here in the United States. It’s a piece of mind. It’s safe. It’s an awesome, open country. They respect people. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what’s your color. It doesn’t matter what kind of language you talk. This kind of respect, I like it, and I’m very thankful that I live in a city here where I never had any problem with anybody. I’m enjoying it, I like it. In Lebanon, I love it too, but, I prefer to live here, honestly.”

20. What role do you believe ethnic minority groups play in the creation of Lebanon’s societal struggle, and what can be done to help resolve the issues with the ethnic minority groups?

“To get the perfect election law. This is what they are struggling with the most. In election law, “kanoon al imtihan” (which means election law), minorities are struggling to vote or to elect someone from them, and they cannot do that because other religions have a majority, like huge numbers. Let’s say this is Muslim Sunni, and this is Muslim Shi’ite, and we have the Durzi [Druzes] (which is a minority), but they cannot elect one of them unless either way, they join this one [Sunni] or this one [Shi’ite]. So, this is the biggest problem in Lebanon. Let’s say they want to elect a president now, this is the problem they have right now — they want to elect a president. They cannot agree in any election law. They have to find a way, everybody, to accept that election law that they agree on and elect a president. We have a problem now. We’ve been without a president for the past year and a half. Why? Because they don’t agree about any election law (kanoon al imtihan). Let’s say they want to run for congressman. They have to join this Christian (let’s say Orthodox or Catholics, Syrian), they have to join one of these big majorities, Shi’ite or Sunni, in Lebanon, so they can have one of them elected in their list. Either this list, or this list. And I really feel bad about that because they have to find something to talk about Lebanon, the whole Lebanese. Not this religion, or this religion. It has to be like one thing is Lebanon. This is what they need to find: election law (Lebanese election law) not religion for Shi’ite, not religion for Sunni Muslims. And the Christian, or Durzi, or other minority, Jewish, in Lebanon. They cannot have somebody that represent them! This is a problem.”

21. What impact has influential music from your childhood had on your life?

“Every session of my life, let’s say before the war, during the war, and the peace, there is… like in the morning, I used to get up to the songs of Fairuz. This is the morning, Fairuz. The first thing they do is turn on the radio, make the coffee, turkish coffee, we sit down outside at the front, we listen to Fairuz, and we have a nice morning conversation while listening to Fairuz, and then every person goes to their work, or before we used to go to school. It’s just like, you cannot feel it is a good morning if you don’t listen to Fairuz, because this is the sign of the morning. And then, the happiness, like, we used to hear “Sabbah ya wel Saffih” In our parties, Sabbah, I was like [Singing] ‘Za-fee, Za-fee, ya Shabab!’ We used to sing it all the time when we get together. All of us the same age, we start dancing, and singing all together. Music in Lebanon is really awesome because it makes everybody happy, and relax you, and for some reason, in each part of the day, you listen to different music. You feel like, ‘Oh, at night, I’m listening to Sabbah. Oh, during the day, let’s say Nancy Ajram, something that makes me move and active, energized. In the morning, I just want to relax, I just get up, I wanna listen to Fairuz and drink my coffee and chit-chat with my mom and my dad.’ Music had a big role in our life.”

22. How would you compare democracy in Lebanon to democracy here in the U.S.?

“Well, Lebanon is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has a democracy. Let’s say, in Iran, they have a theocratic regime over there. Religion is, like, controlling the whole country. In Lebanon, they practice democracy. You go and vote, you are free to choose whoever you want. But, this is all on paper. What happens is, religion is controlling. Muslim Sunni, they put a list, and they drag everybody to vote for this list. They don’t do that, ‘Oh, you don’t like us, you don’t belong to Sunni society.’ Even in Shi’ite, too. It’s like, they tell everybody that they practice democracy, but in reality, at that time, I didn’t see democracy. Compared to the United States when I came over here, I went and I voted for a president for the first time in my life. I did not even do it in Lebanon, never did it in Lebanon. I did not believe in that. I went and I did it, like, nice, behind curtains, you write, nobody tells you what to do, nobody tells you who you need to vote for. It’s your decision, it’s your goal. You have something in mind, and you wanna do it, and you can do it here! It’s very simple.”

23. Pretend as if all conflict in Lebanon had just ended today; would you go back and live there again (temporary or permanent, it doesn’t matter)? Why or why not?

“Yes, and no (I know, it’s confusing). Yes, because I love the social life over there, and I love to be around family, and I love to just live my old life over there. And I won’t lie: I know I’m gonna be happy. And no, because I know my son, who’s gonna be living here, or my stepson, they’re not gonna be moving there. And this is really painful. I won’t be happy, just to live in Lebanon and enjoy my time and enjoy social life, away from my son and his family. So, my decision is, I want to live here, with my family.”

24. What is your position on the government’s role in modern-day Lebanon, and what could they improve on to restore Lebanon to what it once was many decade ago?

“The government, or whoever represents the government in Lebanon, they’re not doing well. Everybody thinks about themselves: what can he make while in the government position, what can he steal (money, and be rich). All they think about is how they can be a super-millionaire there in a short time while in a position that represents the government. I think the best way is, they need to get together, talk, solve the problems. Do not solve other countries’ problems, solve the Lebanese problems before. Think about, how can you find a solution for the trash that has been stacking in the streets of all of Beirut, or all over Lebanon. They need to find a solution! Instead of finding a solution, they fight! Every person is going to bring a different company that he can make money from and steal the money, and not find a solution to remove the trash from the road! Is that possible? That’s really, bad! In Lebanon, all their life…like, I grew up in Lebanon, and in Lebanon, even in the war, it was really nice and clean. And now, when there is peace, they cannon find a solution to remove the trash from the streets? That’s not right, something’s not right. So, the best way is: they need to forget about what they want, or how they can steal from their country. They need to sit down and talk about how they can improve and get their country to the best. That’s how I think about it.”

25. Why did you decide to move to the U.S. and not Europe or some other region? Would you have moved to the U.S. had my father not met you?

“No. My plan was, a long time ago, after half of my family moved to Europe, was to move to Europe. And, we were working on the papers to move to Europe, and I met my husband in Lebanon, and we married, and I move to the United States. But, moving to Europe was a really good opportunity to me, but not staying in Germany, honestly. I know half of my family lives in Germany. But, my goal was to go to France and continue my education there, live there, and work over there. But, I married Mr. Wafic Baradei, and I came with him to San Fransisco, and I have a wonderful son, Omar Baradei.”

26. Compare living as a Muslim in Lebanon to living as a Muslim here in the U.S.. How different is it? Also, do you believe living in Lebanon as a Muslim today is any different then how it was a few decades ago?

“The first part of your question (the difference between living in Lebanon as a Muslim and here): actually, I did not have any problem living here as a Muslim. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t practice [Islam] here. Half of my family is Christian, so, to me, living here is a normal life like I lived in Lebanon. I didn’t have a problem with anybody until the 9/11 attack. And, it was horrible. I felt like I had to improve [on being] more and more and more supportive to the United States, even though I joined as a Linguist in the military, and I served the country for two and a half years in Iraq working with the Air Force, translating and being in the first line with them. Finally, I felt like, ‘What am I doing?’. I feel like really normal here; everybody respects me. I did my job as a Linguist in Iraq, and I didn’t feel the difference between me and any other agents I worked with, or any other soldiers I worked with. All of us, we were like, all under one umbrella: American citizens. And now, and tomorrow and after, I feel like an American citizen. Now, the second question: there’s no difference. Let me tell you, the religion in Lebanon, it’s not like other Arab countries. They’re not that strict. If you don’t wanna practice Islam, you’re free. If you wanna practice, you’re good. Nobody’s following you with a stick and forcing you to practice Islam over there. It’s an open-minded country over there. I don’t see any kind of difference in Lebanon in practicing Islam over there as a Muslim. To me, I look as Lebanon as a European country, because, well anyway, the Arab countries, they don’t look at us as Arab. They look at us as like, European more, because we are way more open, that we don’t practice Islam or something. By the way, Christian is number two over there in Lebanon. The majority in Lebanon is Muslim, and then there is Christian, which has helped to have a Christian president! We have a Christian president, and this doesn’t happen in any Arab country, that they have a Christian president. We do have a Christian president in Lebanon.”

Post Oral History Questions:

● How does your tradition-bearer’s story relate to your community in both the present and the past? How does it relate to you?

My mother’s story is quite different than mine, but if you look at the bigger picture, they actually show some resemblance. We both grew up with a strong emphasis on family, and as we grow older, we tend to rely less on our family, and become independent individuals. While my mom had to leave her family and go live a new, alienated life halfway across the world, I had to leave my home and go live alone in college and discover who I am. More or less, everyone experiences this same situation to some degree, so I was able to relate to her in that sense.

● How did your perception of community history change, from before the interview to now?

I definitely took a lot of things for granted. If it wasn’t for my parents being brave enough to leave a war-ridden state of Lebanon and come to the United States, I would not be blessed with all of the opportunities I’ve been given. I would not be attending UGA, but rather would be taking care of my family and working a small-paying job just to survive. I think it is safe to say that I am more thankful for all that I have because of my parents, and I definitely have it a lot easier than they did growing up.

● How did this project inspire you to learn more about your community?

The stories my mom told of Lebanon before and after the civil war inspired me to learn more about how life changed after the civil war, and what it’s like living there now. Some of the issues my mom mentioned were the stacks of garbage unattended on the streets, and mostly how the government struggles to find any solutions to the problems the country is currently facing. I feel that these issues can be compared, to a lesser extent, to the United States. Although we don’t face some of the more drastic dilemmas like the ones seen in third world countries such as Lebanon, our society is governed in a way that is destructive and Machiavellian, even.

● What were some of the challenges you faced during this project? What could you do differently in your next oral history interview?

One challenge was finding the best way to record my parents without using my iPhone’s camera. I finally settled on using the front camera of my MacBook Pro, although I do believe that it would have been much more beneficial to have a dedicated recording device for this interview. Unfortunately, I did not have access to anything of the sort, so I had to make due with what I had. Additionally, it was hard to find a decent length of time to interview my parents. My parents work almost every day, so finding a time where my parents and I were available was pretty difficult, but I managed to make it work in the end. Lastly, due to my parents not speaking perfect English, it was quite a challenge to transcribe what they were saying, as they tended to rephrase their sentences a lot. I found myself having to omit a lot of words they said, but didn’t actually mean to say.

● If the roles were reversed and you became the tradition-bearer, what stories would you like to tell?

I would talk about the different experiences I faced growing up as an Arab in a society that was just recovering from the 9/11 terrorism attacks, and how these experiences drove me to become the best person I could be. My brother and I are the first generation of our family to grow up outside of our home country, so there is definitely a lot that our children can gain from being exposed to their family roots.