Aa'elah

recently i read that bowling green high school is offering an arabic class. the teacher teaches the arabic language but also teaches their customs, recipes, and traditions. part of the reason for this class is to teach the students to better understand the culture so they do not immediately fear or dislike Arabic people.
I am so glad there are people out there embracing this idea. I am half Lebanese, and I am fully proud of that fact. My family tries hard to keep our Arabic culture alive. We dance the dubki at weddings, we have Lebanese food at our reunions, weddings, and holiday gatherings. We have recently started attending an annual Lebanese Convention.
All of us are so proud of our heritage. To me, being Lebanese means being there for my family. We were raised as a unit - my first cousins feel more like siblings. Being Lebanese also means being civic-minded and hard-working. In the few generations that my family has been in the States, we have made ourselves a prominent family in our community. Although people may judge us because of this, I could not be more proud of the fact. It came with a great deal of dedication and hard work. Those traits have been passed down to every child in my family.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day we lost our grandmother, my mom's mom. She has been gone seventeen years. I want to thank her for the loving family she helped create and the Arabic pride she helped instill. We miss you.