Joanna's Heritage by Joanna Albalouh

First Relative in U.S.

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 16:50:21 UTC

My uncle Souhel from my mom's side

Flag

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 16:53:30 UTC

This flag represents the Syrian Arab republic

Push and Pull factors

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 16:57:07 UTC

What pushed my mom into coming to America was that she was curious and wanted to explore. What pulled my mom was that her mom, my grandma, was there

Translation

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 16:59:49 UTC

أنا أحب الجبن
(I like cheese)

Arabic is read from right- left instead of left-right

Holiday with a Twist

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 17:05:07 UTC

In Syria, you have to make a certain type of cookie to celebrate Easter. It is called Ma'amoul and it is a semolina dough that is stuffed with either dates, pistachio, or walnuts. Around Easter there usually has to be a smell of that type of cookie

Recipe for Kibbeh

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-22 17:08:31 UTC

Ingredients- ground meat, creamy meat, bulgur, onion,salt, 7 spices, cumin, hot spice
Steps-
1. Soak bulgur in water until it absorbs it
2. The put the bulgur in a mixer and add all the spices, salt, the onions, and the creamy meat
3. Mix it until the consistency is like dough
4. Then prepare the stuffing by cooking the ground meat, onion, spices, and salt
5. Start shaping the Kibbeh in a hollow diamond like in the picture
6. Put the stuffing inside the hollow half diamond shape
7. then close the diamond up
8. Last step is to fry the diamond- like shaped Kibbeh until it turns a golden-brown and is fully cooked

Current Leader

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-23 17:27:55 UTC

Bashar al-Assad is the 19th president of Syria who has been president since July 17, 2000

How Leader is Elected

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-23 17:42:41 UTC

They vote for their leader.

Something I Learned

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-24 05:17:24 UTC

When you greet someone you can shake hands or hug, but you can also kiss their cheeks from, side to side, if they are the same gender or a relative.

A Religious Practice (instead of a rite of passage)

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-24 05:20:51 UTC

On Good Friday, all girl and boy scouts of any age go on the street walking and performing sad music on french horns, drums, and crash symbols while walking around the church during a ceremony.

Currency

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-24 05:30:31 UTC

A Syrian coin is called a lera. A lera is $0.002 compared to a dollar, 500 leras can become a dollar. It used to be 50 leras is equal a dollar but since the war, it is now 500.

National Monument

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-27 04:56:35 UTC

Palmyra

The Bride of the Desert – important oasis where travelers can rest and replenish themselves to continuing their travel through the dessert.
Tadmor – means “the town that repels” or the “indomitable town”. The place got that name because even when the city was conquered by Romans and the Muslim Arabs, it was pretty much left on its own.

What America "Adopted" from Syria

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-27 05:01:53 UTC

America "adopted" some food from Syria. One food America adopted from Syria is hummus.

Interview

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-27 05:49:57 UTC

My Heritage

joannaa2414 — 2017-03-28 20:50:09 UTC

I am Syrian