Interview Transcript, Mahar Shakarnah Interview, March 23, 2008

Novak Digital Interview Collection: Detroit Immigration Series

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT—MAHAR SHAKARNAH Interviewee: Mahar Shakarnah DOB: 8-21-70 POB: Bethlehem, Palestine Interviewer: Imad Attallah Interview Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Mr. Shakarnah’s home in Commerce Township, Michigan Interview Number: 03.23.08-MS (audio digital file) (Approximate total length 52 minutes) Transcription by Nathan Katzin

Summary: Mr. Shakarnah was born in Bethlehem in the West Bank. He started to cook at an early age and was working as a chef in the Middle . Mahar came to the United Stated for a visit in 1997. He traveled the country and eventually settled in Michigan to continue working as a chef.

Subject Headings: Migration from

Comments: Italicized text is interviewer.

TRANSCRIPT Note: Counter index corresponds to track times when loaded into iTunes.

00:00

Interviewer: Today’s date is March the 23rd, my name is Imad Attallah. I am the interviewer. I am interviewing Mr. Mahar Shakarnah, an entrepreneur from Commerce Township, Michigan. The place where this interview is going on is at his house. Mr. Shakarnah, we went over the informed consent and I explained to you what this interview is all about. Do I have your permission to record this interview?

Yes.

Interviewer: Thank you very much. The purpose of this interview is to be part of the digital collection of the Marygrove Library College in Detroit, and I just had permission from Mr. Shakarnah to tape, record this interview. Is that correct Mr. Shakarnah?

Yes sir.

Interviewer: Thank you very much. Mr. Shakarnah, let me start our interview today by asking you, “How are you doing today?”

Doing so far so good with this holiday. Enjoying the holiday with the family and the kids at home, relaxing, and now we’re doing this interview so I can’t be better.

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Interviewer: Well that’s good. Thank you very much sir. Mr. Shakarnah, you’re from the Middle East. Where are you exactly from?

I’m from Palestine. I’m born in a city called Bethlehem. I’m sure everybody knows the city, it’s where Jesus born. Actually, I’m about a five, six minute drive from where Jesus born. I’m born in the same city. It’s interesting. It’s really, really a wonderful city and I wish for everybody in the whole world to have the experience to come and visit that beautiful place.

Interviewer: Great. That sounds very good. So you’re from Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

Yes sir.

Interviewer: Okay, allright, okay. Now do you still have family back home in Bethlehem or all your family here? How is that?

Actually yeah. I still have a huge part of the family still lives in Bethlehem, my mom, my dad, my brothers- some of my brothers and sisters and all of the relatives so I do have a huge part of the family still lives in that beautiful place.

Interviewer: Allright, so part of your family is still in Bethlehem, is that correct?

Yes sir.

Interviewer: Does that mean that the other part of your family here, or they’re somewhere else?

Actually yeah, it is…. The other part of the family they live here in the in Michigan.

Interviewer: So how many members that you have here and how many members you have back home?

Well we are a family where, eleven brothers and sisters. I have three brothers and four sisters lives back home and I have three brothers plus myself living in Michigan-the United States, and I have three of my nephews live here in Michigan too.

Interviewer: So part of, the other part of your family is here other than the part that is still back home?

Yes sir.

Interviewer: Mr. Shakarnah let me ask you this question, “Why did you come to America?” And my next question will be, “Why Michigan?”

Well, I came to the United States in 1997, March 22nd, and I came as a visitor. I wasn’t ever planning to stay in the United States. I came just to visit the country and I did visit about 32 states the first two months I arrived to the country. And after awhile I felt really, really different.

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I’ve been in so many times and I’ve visited so many different places, but the feeling I felt in this country is completely different. I felt the freedom. It’s a huge country that you can go from a place to another and if you stay away of trouble nobody ever will stop you, nobody will ask you anything. The freedom that I felt in this country, I never ever had this experience before. So I started thinking of staying in this country. That was the first thought of being part of this country.

The second part of your question is “Why Michigan?” Actually, I never ever planned to stay in Michigan. The whole, after I decided I wanted to stay in the United States I thought of staying in Florida because of weather, to be honest with you. The warm place, the beach and…you know everybody dreams to live in a warm place where it’s water, nice weather, and I start. I did live in Florida, in Jacksonville for awhile, and I had to move to Michigan because of my field. I work as a chef and the opportunities were way bigger in Michigan in Middle Eastern food than it is in Jacksonville. So that’s the second part of your question, the reason why I chose Michigan.

Interviewer: So basically you came to America as a visitor. You wanted to visit America and after visiting so many states like you stated you just fell in love with America. Is that correct?

That’s correct. I fell in love with America. I fell in love with the system, with the freedom, with the most important thing.

Interviewer: Now the reason that you moved to Michigan from Florida as you mentioned… Because you said it’s, there is more opportunity for you as a Mid Eastern chef. Can you elaborate more on that, explain more to me in terms of why do you think you had better opportunity here in Michigan than in Florida.

Well, like you mentioned, I am a Middle Eastern, specialize in Middle Eastern chef. In Jacksonville where I was thinking of staying there is like a few small places and nothing to talk about Middle Eastern food. When I visited Michigan, Michigan was one of the states that I visited. I had a friend in Howell, Michigan and I had a friend here in Detroit. So when I visited Michigan I find out that there is so many restaurants, Middle Eastern restaurants in Michigan and there is a huge, huge population, Middle Eastern population lives in Michigan. I just, for visiting Michigan I find out that there is so many opportunities that I can start working from the first day. So that’s why I, you know, I went back to Florida and it was a little tough for me finding a job there and I had to move to Michigan.

Interviewer: So basically you wanted to be where you had a better opportunity, knowing that this will get you a job and this will get you going. Is that what you mean by the…this is why you thought about coming to Michigan.

Exactly. You know, from somebody that- not from this country, everything is new. The language is new, the system, the roads. Everything is new. So when you feel that people lives in a place where they speak your language and they know where you’re coming from. The culture, the part of the culture and the way of thinking. So you will feel comfortable because you need somebody to show you the way. How to start and how the system works and how the country

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doing, and how to stay focused and how to achieve what you want. So that makes you feel more comfortable.

9:06

Interviewer: So basically you moved to Michigan to be around your people and to…because you thought it would be easier for you to be around Arabic people and pursue a career and a job. Okay. Now let me ask you this. You said, you mentioned that you’re a chef. Did you go to school back home or did you go to school here to learn that? Or how did that happen?

Well actually I started this field when I was in ____[Pina] in a kitchen when I was thirteen years old. And when I finished high school I had the opportunity to go to the university back home called Bethlehem University. It is one of the [10:00] biggest universities in Palestine. After I went there I had the opportunity to be the second in the class, so they gave me a scholarship to, believe it or not, to go to Dublin, Ireland. And this is what I actually graduated and I had the opportunity to train with a number of chef- number one chef in the world. His name is George Smith. I trained with him for one full month in a place, in a hotel called Calkea Castle. It used to be one of those huge castles and they turned it though a hotel. So I did, I did went to school for that and I have a Bachelor International Food and I specialized Middle Eastern food.

Interviewer: So you went to school in the University of Bethlehem and then they send you, let’s say on a training trip to Ireland. That’s where you got more trained and more educated in Ireland? Is that correct?

That’s right. It’s actually more of a training trip. It was a kind of scholarship. You know that we had the system of a….school system in Bethlehem University and Dublin College in Dublin. And that’s why they were doing some kind of exchange student. So I was one of the students that had the opportunity to go there.

11:32

Interviewer: That’s nice. Now let me ask you this. When you went training in Dublin in Ireland, did you train on Middle Eastern food or you had opportunity to explore other cuisines like from other cultures, like, I don’t know, like Italian, French, all these cuisines. Did you just train on Mid-Eastern food or other cuisines like I mentioned?

Well it’s a nice question. It’s not, of course it’s not Middle Eastern food, because you are from the Middle East and if you want to get the best training in this kind of food then it has to be your country. No. It was actually in Dublin was more of a French cuisine and some of the Irish, you know, items. More of steaks and stuff like that. It was nothing with Middle Eastern food at all. No.

Interviewer: So it was something else other than the Middle Eastern-

Yes.

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Interviewer: Is that safe to say?

That’s right.

Interviewer: So basically you started your degree in University of Bethlehem and you end up going to Ireland to get further training.

That’s right.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. Now, did you have…or, prior to being here did you have a business back home or you just worked for some company or some restaurant. How did that happen? How did that go?

Well actually back home I was working in a hotel called the Hotel. Named after the city of Jerusalem. I’m sure everybody knows the city or heard about it. That hotel was a small hotel they named after the city. I had, I used to work there until I moved to the states.

Interviewer: So you worked the Jerusalem hotel in Jerusalem?

That’s right.

Interviewer: Now what kind of food did you cook in that restaurant? Was it just Middle Eastern? I’m assuming there’s got to be tourists that come to this hotel because Jerusalem is a place for, you know, tourists or a destination for tourists.

Well it is. Jerusalem is dependent in tourism and the cooking there, or the food or the menu, it was kind of international. It was a little part Middle Eastern food and a huge part kind of international food. Some Italian, some American, some French. But the most wasn’t Middle Eastern. The most was kind of a French cuisine, Italian, because of the tourism like you said.

Interviewer: Let me ask you this Mr. Shakarnah. You worked in Jerusalem. Did you happen to have customers who would come, let’s say tourists, they would come and they would ask for Mid Eastern food- meaning that. Did the tourists know about Mid Eastern food…French tourists would ask for French food or something like that?

Actually no. The tourism…usually they want to try something new. You know, when you go to visit a place you wanna try and you want to have the experience of trying something new. So usually, a lot of the time they ask for something different. They want to try the Middle Eastern food. They’re in a country, they want to visit the country, they want to see the culture, they want to see the food, they want to taste it. So most of the time they do ask for something different but you know sometimes they still, you know, miss the pizza and the hamburgers. So they do. They do most of the time ask for Middle Eastern food and then once in awhile they feel like having a breakfast, you know an American breakfast or you know a hamburger or pizza, but most of the time they try the Middle Eastern food. They want to try something different.

Interviewer: Basically since you’re in a different country, a different place you want to try their

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food, besides you know touring around, so it’s kind of like, “Okay, I’m here. Let me try Mid- Eastern food.” And that’s pretty much what people ask besides, you know like you stated, missing their own cuisine. So it worked on both. I mean both kind of food.

That’s right. And this actually was the unique thing about this hotel back home. It kind of…the menu was kind of a collection of everything. It wasn’t only a Middle Eastern or American or a French cuisine. It was kind of a little of everything. You know, since they been developing Jerusalem-tourism from all over the world. So it was kind of mixed.

Interviewer: I see. I see. Let me ask you this. We’re going back to- you’re back home. Is there like a difference between Mid Eastern food and let’s say Israeli food? Is there like a common thing between the two culture? Is it the same food? By asking you this question I’m trying to like explore more of the culture that might, you know, interact between the two cultures. Can you elaborate on that please?

Yeah sure. As a matter of fact I did work in an Israeli restaurant for a number of years. Believe it or not, it’s the same food. In a Middle Eastern world, each country had a specialty in probably one or two items. For example the Palestinians, they’re very popular of something called the maqluba which if you want to translate it it’s “upside down.” It’s really unique and nice. Then if you move to the Israeli part they have a special dish they call it chamin which they cook it in a weekend. They put it in the stove Friday night and it stays in the stove until the next day. Which is like chicken, eggs, rice, potatoes all together. This is like, they specialize in this dish. Now when you move to they have the mansaf and of course the Iraqis they’re the first people they create the shawarmas. Every country have like one or two dishes they specialize in, but the main items they’re all the same. The fatoush is the fatoush wherever you go in the whole Middle Eastern world. Plus . And the hummus is hummus. The falafel, the shawarma. They’re the same items. But every country of the Middle Eastern world they have one or two dishes that they only, you know they’re very, very popular of this kind of dish. So it’s the same food. It’s basically the same food.

Interviewer: So you’re trying to say that it’s the same food except for some exceptions, like some traditional dish that each culture is, let’s say, proud of or something that, it’s kind of like goes through the generations. Is that safe to say Mr. Shakarnah?

That’s correct. That’s correct.

19:16

Interviewer: That’s good to know. Now let’s shift topic to America. Mr. Shakarnah, are you married?

Yes I am. I’m married with two beautiful boys.

Interviewer: Allright. Okay. How did you meet your wife?

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Well it’s funny. It’s an interesting story actually. I used to work in one of the restaurants called Anita’s Kitchen in Farmington Hills. I was taking my break, having my break, my lunch break and the next table was that beautiful girl sitting next to the next [20:00] table. And the minute I saw that girl I knew she’s the one. Believe it or not. She was a customer. She was a customer just having a lunch and I saw her and I asked the manager that it was a manager, a girl who works for us, with us- I asked her to try and get her phone number some how. So she sat with her, she talks and she got her phone number and this is how I met my wife. She was a customer in the restaurant and from the first moment I knew she’s the one. She’s the right one.

I had a feeling that moment that I never ever had before. So I knew she’s different. I never had this thing before so she must be the one. Yeah, she’s the one. I been married for, it’s gonna be eight years in July. I have two beautiful boys, Adam and Zack. Zack is the troublemaker of course. Adam is six years old and Zack is four years old and I never asked for better.

Interviewer: Allright, so just like that you saw her, you fall in love with her, next thing you were asking for her phone number. Is that how it happened?

Believe me this is how it happened. Probably think it just happens in a movie but this is exactly what happened.

Interviewer: Simple as that.

Simple as that.

Interviewer: Sounds good.

She was a little hard on me in the beginning but when you focus and you know what you want and you are mature enough then if there is a will there is a way.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. So Mr. Shakarnah, let me ask you this. Is she of an Arabic descent or is she American. I’m asking your wife. Is she Arabic? Is she American?

Well believe it or not, when I first saw her I never knew what she is. I never knew if she’s Christian, if she’s Muslim, if she’s Jew, if she’s Arabic. I never knew. I just I saw her and I fell in love with her. She end up to be a Canadian, originally from and she moved here about twenty years ago, she lived in Canada and she was a student in Wayne State University. So she was just passing by chance to eat at that restaurant in Farmington Halls and where it happened I saw her.

Interviewer: So your future wife, at that time she stopped by to have a lunch or a dinner, whatever it was, and you just fell in love with her- and she was Canadian.

She was- that’s right.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. That sounds interesting. Now like you mentioned she was Arabic. She was from Lebanon, that means she is Arabic. How did you proceed in like the process of getting

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married to her. What was? What did you do? How did you approach the topic with her? How did that happen?

You know in our culture, nowadays people are a little different. You get the chance to know the girl a little bit. If you need to spend some times with her to know her so she knows you too. And after that, you know, she’s like, “I have to let my parents know.” And I respect that and I have no problem with that so she did, she did ask her parents and they came actually and I sat with them. And this is how it started. I started talking to her parents. They started talking, asking questions of course about me. If I ever been married before or not. “Where are you from, where’s your parents?” In the beginning I had to meet her older brother. He was actually lived here in Michigan. So it wasn’t a problem you know. He was very well understanding. He was a nice guy. Then her parents came. A little bit you know, her mom was a little scared. “You want to get married to somebody that we don’t know.” You know how the culture back home. You have to know the whole family. They want to ask about you, your birth, parents. They want to basically know the whole family. Here is different. I don’t have that whole family, first, here. At that time actually I was by myself. My brothers and my nephews they weren’t here.

So it was a little tough in the beginning. It was. It was some kind of challenges, like I said. If you focus and you know what you want and you know that the girl wants you as much as you want her, nothing is impossible. Then things will work out, things will be very, very good. It turned out to be a very, very nice family. To be honest with you I consider myself the happiest man on earth. I have a beautiful wife, I never ask for better. I have two beautiful boys and I consider myself to have two families. I have family back home and I have my parents in law, that second family here. And a lot of people they say they didn’t get along with their mother in laws, but believe me, let me tell you this. She’s not here. My wife is not sitting with us. Just you and I. And I have the most beautiful amazing mother in law ever. She loves me. Believe me she loves me more than her kids. And I love her too. God bless her and god give her the good health.

25:47

Interviewer: That’s good. So basically, because you didn’t have any family here your wife’s family they were kind of, like you said, I’m just elaborating on what you said- they were kind of like scared a little bit because you’re kind of like a stranger and they wanted to know more about you. That’s why you had this meeting with her brother, her older brother and her parents and like you said at that time you didn’t have any of your family here at all. Not your brothers, not your nephews, so you had to make it all by yourself.

Well that’s true. And you know how it is in our culture. When you wanna go and ask for somebody’s hand, it’s not really nice, it’s like a disrespect if you go by yourself. The culture asks you to bring somebody old in your family. And this is how it goes, and to be honest with you what I did before I go and officially asked for her hand- I called my mom back home. I told her the story and of course she was the happiest person and the next month she was in the United States. She came all the way from Bethlehem in the United States and she went with me to ask for her hand. It was to them a real something. An older woman, she’s seventy years old. She flew all the way, fourteen, fifteen hours flying to come here, to go with me, ask for my

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wife’s hand. This is change a lot with the way they were thinking. It makes them actually feel more comfortable when they saw my mom, an older woman, she of course, she didn’t have to act or to say something that she’s not. So she was very simple. The way she is and this is, believe me that make things way, way easier than it is. It was really nice. My mom went with me. I had engaged. Seven months later we had a little party here for my friends and then we went all back home, I took her back home to that beautiful city Bethlehem and we got married there so it would be a blessing. So, so far it is blessing.

Interviewer: Sounds like that. Sounds like that. To make things official, from my understanding, from what I take from what you just said, is that you called your mom and your mom flew over and it was your mom that went with you to ask for your wife’s hand in front of her family as a matter of respect and that’s how it goes in your culture Mr. Shakarna. Is that safe to say?

That’s absolutely correct. You’re right. This is like part of the culture and this is how it went to.

Interviewer: Mr. Shakarnah, can you elaborate on that. Why the family? Why the whole family has, it’s your decision, to be involved in your marriage?

Well the thing is, it’s not like involved. It is my decision. I’m the one who chose the girl. I’m the one who decides. And usually, you know, my dad is 73 years old and my mom is 72 and usually they never, ever interfere. It’s your choice, this is what you want. But the culture part force you to do some things that we cannot- we have to do it. The decision is yours. The choice is yours. Nobody will force you to do something that you don’t want to do. Nobody will force you to marry somebody that you don’t want to marry. Nobody will interfere in your marriage. But, this is how it is back home. The brothers wanna help. The brothers wanna be around. The sisters, the mother, the nephews, the uncles. This is how it is. It’s like, to them, it’s like everybody’s wedding. It’s like everybody’s happiness. They wanna feel, they wanna share with you the happiness [30:00]. They wanna be there for you. Because in the past, some of my family was part of their happiness and they helped them to do so. So they feel it’s their rule. They have to help you out and be around you. Help you in any way, whatever makes you happy and make things easier for you. So this is like a cultural thing. It’s not like a part of your life, part of your marriage it’s like they want to decide for you or they want to force you to do something or marry somebody that you don’t want to. Basically they want to be involved in the process to make things, at least they think, to make things easier even though sometimes it’s not.(laughs) But this is at least how they feel that they want to help you out to do.

30:45

Interviewer: Okay so basically, it’s your decision. You make the decision and once you’re ready for making the decision you inform your family. Your family come along with you for help, for to show the support for you in front of your new family, or, your future wife’s family to show that everybody is involved in this, we are backing him up on this decision. Is that correct sir?

Yes, it is. It is correct. This is exactly what it is. I think, to be honest with you, I like this part. You know, here after being living in the United States for about twelve years, everybody’s busy, it’s a busy system. Everybody’s running. It’s like everybody- all of us wishing to have

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like thirty hours a day, not twenty-four, just to finish what you need to finish. So you don’t have the time to sit a lot with the family and spend times with your cousins, nephews or brothers. Everybody is busy. Everybody is trying to do their own thing. See, back home is a little different. Back home most people work daytime. By five, six o’clock everybody home. So we gather, we sit together, we drink the Turkish coffee, our tradition, and we enjoy sitting together. Here it’s like really, really tough. The more you work, the more you spend. The more your bills, the bigger your bills- I’m sure you know that. So it’s a little different. Not, I’m saying it’s bad, but the culture wise completely different than it is back home.

So, I mean, I like it here. I love it. I have my, you know, my own business and I like the freedom about it and I, I like you know, the safeness- even if you, wherever you are, if you chose to be a way, you’re going to be safe as much as you chose to be. And that’s nice too. But like I said, it’s the culture a little different than it is back home. The system is different. Things way more, things more complicated when it comes to business and something like this back home, but it’s way easier here- where you have to work more hours, and more time…something like this.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. So basically, back home has it’s own advantages with disadvantages. Here you have advantages and disadvantages in terms of business comparing business back home and business here. Social life here and social life back home. Is that safe to say sir?

Yeah it is. It is. It’s exactly is. You know, the advantage there that you have more time to spend with the relatives with family. But the advantage here, it’s way more. The advantage here, you know we, we basically changed the subject, but the advantage here- you don’t have that- you are so busy that you don’t have that much time to spend with the relatives and family, but if you focus you will get what you want. It’s way easier to get what you want if you are focusing and if you are a hard worker than it is back home. You know the system here makes things easier to achieve things, and to start things that- it’s way hard back home to do so.

For example, back home if you want to start a business then you have to have all the cash to start a business. Here, no, if you have a good credit then you can pull up a loan and start. Even if you have something a little, you can start. This is what happened with me after being in the country for five years I started my own business, a restaurant, and I’m doing very, very well. Can’t complain at all. I have a restaurant here and we just started a new restaurant, believe it or not, in Windsor a few months ago and we have a coffeeshop too in Royal Oak. So we’re doing very good. I have my own house and the system here make things easier if you are a hard worker. I’ll put it this way. That’s one.

And the second most important thing, the freedom in this country. You know, I’m an American citizen and it’s going to be the first time for me, to be honest with you, to vote. It’s gonna be this year. It’s a very, very unique feeling. It’s beautiful. It’s really nice. You feel like you belong to something. You feel like you can make things different and you have the chance to turn things around and this is the most beautiful things in this country, one of the most beautiful thing. Besides working, having a business, this is nice, this is important too. But when you feel that you’re free and you can talk and express yourself the way that you wanna, or the way that you feel, the way you think…then it’s amazing. When you feel that your kids growing in a safe

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place. In a place where the most educated people, and they have the opportunity maybe one day to go to Harvard, that’s really, really unique and nice. If you’re a hard-worker and you stay away of trouble you can get what you want. Back home it’s a little different. With the problems, I’m sure you heard, with the problems back home it’s never safe. You might leave the house and you never come back. For us, simple as that, even though if you stay away of trouble. It’s not your choice. And, when you want to do a business like I said it’s not as easy as it is here, you have to have all the cash and you know it’s really hard. When you just graduate you have school payments to pay and loans and stuff like that. If you don’t-How you going to have all that cash to start your own business? It’s tough. So it is easier, way easier here.

37:16

Interviewer: Okay. Technically things are way better here in terms of starting a business. You like the freedom. I saw you getting so excited when you started talking about being able to vote. That’s a real nice feeling. It seems that you’ve nailed the thing. You sound like you’re pretty well educated about how to start a business, how to run a business, how to make a business successful with three businesses already that you have- a house, a wife, beautiful kids. It seems that your life has changed a lot since you first came here to the U.S. from the way you were in your back home. That sounds so interesting.

It’s really nice. You can say a typical young American family.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. That’s good. Now Mr. Shakarnah, probably a couple more questions before we end this, actually I call it exciting interview. Thank you for giving me the time, I mean some of your busy time- I appreciate that.

Thank you, you’re welcome.

Interviewer: Thank you.. Let me ask you this Mr. Shakarnah. Do you plan on staying in the U.S. forever or…do you want to live here forever? Are you planning on moving probably? Going back home? Do you visit back home? All that kind of stuff…

Well I just, actually you know, by being, planning to leave the United States- no. I’m American, this is my country. This is where I love to be, this is where I love my kids to grow. I’m an American. I’m going to be an American forever and I’m going to live here for the rest of my life, hopefully. In terms of visiting my back home, of course. You know, it’s where the place I born. I have feeling for it. I have family and- definitely. I visited actually last year and I’m going this summer too. I’m taking my kids and my wife so they can see, the kids can see where their father came from. And I did take my kids last year too with me so they can visit grandma and grandfather and uncles and all the whole family. So I’m gonna try my best to go there at least once a year, to visit back home and to let the kids know where they came from[40:00] and to let them speak the language- which they do, they speak the language very well. I will never forget where I came from, of course, this is very important and it has a lot of feelings for me and I loved it. But I love the United States after I see the freedom part and the opportunities and the, the nice things that we never had the chance to do. So I am American. I’m going to live here for

11 Interview Transcript, Mahar Shakarnah Interview, March 23, 2008

the rest of my life, but I’ll definitely going to go there every year at least, if I can financially, to visit my parents and my country back home too.

Interviewer: Okay. So you’re an American but your roots, from the Middle East. You want to stay connected to your roots and you’re so proud to be an American. This is your new home. Is that how you feel about America now?

Yes it is. And believe it or not, you know I’ve been in Europe so many times and I’ve been in Canada so many times and everywhere. Here is different. It’s different than all the places in the world. Here it’s everybody from all over the world and they came and they created- this a new home. This is what makes you feel that you are part of this community, that you are part of this culture, part of the whole new country. When you go for example to England, England has been there forever and you are going to feel always that you are a stranger or you are a foreigner. In this country you won’t- the way, you will never feel this way, because everybody, when you ask everybody “Where you came from?” “Oh, I’m from Ireland. My original parents from Russia. My original parents from Italy.” So you don’t feel that you are less than them in anything. You know, this is the most beautiful thing in this country that you’re not gonna feel anywhere in the whole world. So that’s why I decide I want to live here, I want to be part of this community. I want to be part of this new home and I want to build this country and be part of it too.

Interviewer: Okay, so welcome to the melting pot Mr. Shakarnah.

That’s right. That’s right. Thank you.

Interviewer: Well, I’m afraid this interview is coming to an end. I mean I really enjoyed talking to you Mr.Shakarnah, and it’s been a pleasure having you for this interview and I really thank you very much for your busy time. I know you have to cancel at least two three things to give me this interview but I really appreciate it on behalf of me and the people who are going to listen to this really richful interview. I appreciate it and thank you very much sir.

No problem and I want to just add one more little thing. Look how, what’s the, how’s the coincidence. Today is Easter and we had the chance to talk about Jesus and where I came from, where he came from. So for everybody gonna listen to this tape, if they don’t know where Jesus came from, here we go. (laughs)

Interviewer: Bethlehem where Mr. Shakarnah is from.

That’s right. That’s right. That’s right.

Interviewer: Thank you very much sir.

My pleasure. Thank you.

43:22 End of transcript

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