Weblog assignment: Identity

I'm so sorry this is so late, everyone! You wouldn't believe how insane this week has been.

So finding identity symbols for me were kind of difficult ! I mean, how do you find pictures or things that really symbolise who you are? Not so hard, but not so easy either! Especially since what I currently have around me are vaguely impersonal in my shared space! I can show people the things I like, but how do I show people things that define me or separate me from every other 21 year old uni student who loves cats and doctor who and pizza? You could probably find a million people on the internet who fit the same description!

But in the interest of attempting to complete the assignment, this is what I felt best described me!

This is my mother's side of the family, with the majority of my boys. Micah (5), Kais (17), and my parents, Rebecca and Tony.

This my Baba and my little Zaytoon (Zeid) at the beach (the rest of my boys!). Not pictured is Samar, Baba's wife and my step-mother!

Neither my cat nor my dog were willing to pose for pictures, but they complete my family. Family is super important to me, and definitely what I'd consider as part of my identity because ultimately they shape who I am and have done so over the course of my life. (bear with me on the size of the photos, I'm having difficulty with technology!)

I don't want any judgement on these two cool guys! I've had them my entire life, and they are Bert the Hippo and Mouse. They travel with me whenever I move, so they've been to their fair share of countries.

This is my soulmate Maija eating at my favourite restaurant in downtown Amman (Hashim)

This is the oldest (and dearest) friend I have, Michelle. I've known her for eight years now, which is kind of a record for me. She lives in Germany right now so I don't get to see her :( we haven't lived in the same country for about six years now(?) but she's a big deal to me.

Things that shape me that I can't show you, mostly because I don't have photos of them, are my favourite foods: Mansaf (a yoghurt soup that sounds weird when you describe it but tastes like heaven), Ma2loobeh (rice, lamb, cauliflower, and potatoes!), and any and all types of pizza. I could also show you a picture of each of my friends individually, but then you'd be looking at a bunch of strangers, so just know that there are a group of people out there that I value over any material object I own. I'm also fond of Mahmoud Darwish's poem, "The Raven's Ink" (it's actually my favourite poem!) but there's a line in particular that I absolutely love. In Arabic the line reads, "لا ليلَ يكفينا لنحلُمَ مرّتين and it translates to, "There is no night long enough for us to dream twice" I'm considering getting it tattooed, I absolutely love it.


Aside from family and friends, I don't particularly know what to show you guys. They're the most important part of my life and they're the reason I am who I am. My house in Amman and my grandparents' house in Illinois are also two major markers that have never changed in my life, but I don't have pictures of either.

This weblog journal assignment was hugely difficult and I'm not really sure why! I guess I'll just leave you guys with a video of one of my family gatherings at our house in Amman. Warning: Prepare yourself for some really loud Arabic music and potentially my giggling. I can't promise you the latter won't happen! (Edit: we're singing El Bosta by Fairuz, if anyone is interested.)