Cultural Glimpse

August 18, 2013

He Slam Dunks It at the Church Picnic!

Tents spread over the green front yard of the church. Hot dogs and hamburgers were on the barbecue grill. Tables of food extended long and wide, serving snacks and homemade summer salads. One woman brought over her delicious juicy barbecue ribs and cowboy bacon beans. A paper explaining the small $1 and $3 fees for the food was initially placed on the table, but it soon flew into the air and landed on the ground. No one bothered to pick it up. No one noticed it was missing. There wasn’t anyone to collect money, just servers serving food, with a happy smile on their faces. After five minutes of searching, I finally spotted someone to give my tithe to.

Something about the atmosphere reminded me of the community in “Little House on the Prairie.” I watched one pastor kick a ball around with two little boys. Another pastor walked to the water slam dunk and pressed the button so the person inside fell in the water. An older couple at our picnic table told us they’ve been coming to Freedom Christian for four years. The husband played the piano. He was blind, but he could see more than most people I knew.

It was a wonderful and blessed way to start a Sunday.

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August 17, 2013

Burger King is Healthy Food!

A few days ago my nieces spent the night and the next day, I decided to take them to Burger King for lunch. I’ve been trying to eat more healthy so I observed the menu and pushed myself to order the chicken Caesar salad with citrus vinaigrette dressing. I placed the tray of chicken nuggets, whopper Jr.’s, fries, ketchup and sodas on one table where the kids immediately attacked.

At a separate table I sat with my tray of salad. I undid the plastic lid, looked at the salad and without even touching the thing, I got sick. I couldn’t do it! I couldn’t sit at a Burger King and not eat a whopper! Not when everyone around me was doing it. I returned the salad to the front, apologized profusely and asked if I could swap it for a whopper.

“Of course!” said the manager. She totally sympathized.

I immersed in my whopper, all the meanwhile remembering the wise words my son spoke last winter, “Burger King is healthy.”

It sure is. After enjoying my whopper, I was able to exercise at the gym, focus on my writing, make my husband a nice dinner, tell my kids a bedtime story – all with a smile on my face!

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August 13, 2013

Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

I went to cover a story at Eastern University entitled “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?” One of the main speakers was a Muslim who flew to Michigan from Turkey. I guess this is a debate that has been going around for a while, and all over the world.

The speakers each had very valid points to think the way they did. But one of the Christian speakers mentioned that the fear we had of Muslims was not an exaggerated one, that we were not fighting an ideology but Islam itself. He was concerned that if we didn’t put a stop to “it” we could be under real threat. He used Hitler as an example.

“Look what he did to the Jews,” he said. “He wanted to wipe them all out.”

True. But wasn’t Hitler a Christian? As was the American Presidents who bombed, sanctioned, and again bombed Iraq until Christians had to flee their land and live in Diaspora? There are a load of other examples of how violence was second-nature to some Christian men throughout history and even recently. But that definitely does not mean that all Christians are a violent group of people. Quite the contrary!

Regardless of what the speakers said, it was wonderful to see them respectfully engage in a dialogue and afterwards, hug each other. They proved that communication, not violence, is the real way to peace!

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August 8, 2013

Enjoying a Bonfire and Smores at Church

I was determined to make it to my church’s Bible Class today, but once I got there and dropped off the kids in the daycare, I was informed that for the month of August we are to do whatever we choose during that hour and a half – read our bible or mingle with peers to discuss religion. I sat in the café and enjoyed some time to recollect my thoughts and read.

When we walked out of church, on the way to our car, we noticed a bonfire in the backyard. The pastor invited us to join everyone else. Well, needless to say my children and I had a wonderful time. We sat on picnic tables, watched the young girls and boys play ball, the little children waddle around, fall in the mud, then pick themselves up and play again. Someone passed around 40% off coupons from the Gap – perfect for back-to-school shopping.

The clouds had a hint of red from the sun behind them. The weather was not too hot, not too cold. The grass was green and the mood was heavenly. The spirit of this church, Freedom Christian, is always serene, friendly and truly holy.

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August 3, 2013

Fifteen Years Later…

We were the “four – sometimes five – musketeers” until one by one each of us, with the exception of Jehan (in the grey dress), got married and had kids. Now it’s Jehan’s turn to get married. In an attempt to spend some quality time together before she moves to California, we met at Mon Jin Lau for dinner.

“Do you know it has been 15 years since we last went out like this?” Jehan asked.

We did not know that. She could calculate these numbers because unlike us, she does not have to juggle so many things at once – at least not yet. One thing I must give our little group credit for is how little they have changed these past fifteen years. They still maintain a healthy active lifestyle while maintaining a home and raising a family.

May we continue to meet like this, but not wait another fifteen years to do so!

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August 2, 2013

Interviewing My Mom

The story we leave behind is the best message we give to our children. My mom does not like to tell stories, but she has lived her life in a way that says a lot. Still, for years I’ve been trying to get detailed information from her about her childhood, her early marriage and motherhood. But while I have been successful in doing great interviews with the most prominent members in the Chaldean American community, I have not been too successful with her. She always tries to divert my questions.

Finally, on Wednesday, with the help of my sisters, we poked around until we learned that in the village of Telkaif in northern Iraq, snow did sometimes appear, during which time my mother and other children would slip and slide over it – basically ice skating with shoes.

“What was the biggest lie you ever told?” I asked her.

“I didn’t lie,” my mother said, indignantly.

“Yes, you did,” my older sister responded. “I remember when Babba gave you spending money, you would put it away and when it totaled to two dinars, you gave it to your mother.”

My mother shrugged. “I did do that. They needed it. They didn’t have much.”
“So that was for a good cause,” my sister said.

Even when my mother lied, it was out of the goodness of her heart.

Well, given that my mother is now 80 years old, I have a lot of catching up to do – with regards to jotting down her stories. So I pray that God blesses us with her presence for a long long time.

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July 31, 2013

A Proud Aunt

My nieces have grown up to be wonderful women, wives and mothers – most of whom also juggle work. The other day one of them invited us over her house and she proved, once again, to be a great hostess. Watching them do what they do, I am proud to be their aunt, and to have played a role in their lives. I’m a godmother to a few of them, have at one point or another babysat all of them, as well as tutored some, put others to work, gave them quite a bit of advice, and of course, engaged in arguments with them.

Stepping back and observing their lives, I’m once again reminded how sacred family life really is. In the end, the work we put towards our loved ones does pay off.

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July 26, 2013

French Food Tasting

This evening I entered my friend Elisabeth Khan’s house and truly unwound from the family drama that had consumed much of my afternoon. My husband was supposed to join me, but when he saw the absence of other men, he quickly excused himself and said, “I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

I was left in the company of five wonderful women, sitting around a kitchen table filled with French salads, bread, and Paris à Vous food products. Paris à Vous is a new company that wraps up the romance, indulgence and tradition of France, and delivers it to U.S. consumers by way of authentic French packaged goods like cookies, mustards, oils and vinegars, and chocolate.

With French music in the background, we drank natural fruit syrups such as lemonade, mint, and grapefruit. We talked and laughed and tasted French bread with butter spread and cocoa sprinkles. For dessert, we were served a bowl of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries with a choice of yogurt or ice cream topping. Then various types of chocolate bars – my favorite being white chocolate with raspberry – were passed around.

In the end, we moved to the cozy living room and were served red wine and coffee, with solid chocolate to dip in the coffee, if one so desired. Given what we ate, I wondered if it is true that French women don’t get fat and hoped that I had somehow adopted those genes if even temporarily while sitting in a French woman’s home.

By the time my husband picked me up, my mind, heart and spirit were rejuvenated. Having been served so well, I was able to come home and serve my own family well.

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July 24, 2013

Love, Greece and the Movies

I was nineteen years old when I first watched Shirley Valentine, a comedy about a 42 year old bored housewife in England who takes a trip to Greece and while on holiday, decides to change her life forever. As a result of the beautiful scenery of the Greek islands in this film and the message it gave, that we should love ourselves and go after what we really love before it’s too late, I began following my desire to travel – first and foremost to Greece.

Today I went to the Main Arts Theater and enjoyed watching an intelligent and mesmerizing film. Before Midnight is an American romance drama film and the sequel to Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004). It takes place in Greece and it’s about a couple who ironically are in their early forties (guess I have this thing for the 40s). This couple gets a little time off from their twin daughters and end up confronting each other with some interesting conversation that challenges the questions of commitment and acceptance.

It was exciting to see that such wholesome smart stories still get created, even though they are put in one theater. It’s unfortunate that only certain types of people go to see them. Today, for instance, the majority of the twenty audience members watching this film had grey hair. Still, all that really matters is that they are being made and there is an audience for them!

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July 22, 2013

I Don’t Speak Your Language, But Let’s Talk!

Today two of my nieces, who are also sisters, each baptized her baby son. After church, we gathered at a lovely restaurant in downtown Rochester. Neither of my nieces’ husbands is of Middle Eastern backgrounds. One of them is originally from Central America. Well, he decided to have a little chat with my mom. Mind you, he does not speak Arabic or Chaldean. My mother does not speak Spanish or English.

They talked about totally different subjects. My mother raved about what a good person her granddaughter is and how much she loves her and he accused my mother of knowing more English than she leads on (probably doesn’t help that his wife, my niece, always felt like my mother is an undercover FBI agent who understands more than she has everyone believe). Yet even though their words hit in various directions, the two enjoyed some nice communication. And believe me when I tell you, it is not easy to get my mother to talk!

Goes to show, one need not know the same language in order to enjoy each other’s company or have a good conversation. One need only have a big heart.

My mother with my nieces’ husbands

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