Meet my Grandma!
By Sarah George
Did you know that my grandma was born in Iraq, Bagdad to be exact?
The ethnic history of my family is Chaldean Catholic. In my family, we
speak English. My grandparents also speak Chaldean and Arabic.
The country where my Grandma lived was flat. It was very hot in the
summer and warm in the winter. There are some mountains north of
Baghdad. It does not snow there. It was 110 in the summer and in the
winter it was 55 to 60 degrees.
The terrain southeast of Baghdad - mud brick buildings and lots of
dust
Life for my Grandma in Iraq was very hard. There was no freedom.
They had traditional values. She lived in an open house with a stone
roof. During the hot summers, they could sleep out on the stone roof.
She was able to wear regular clothes, but they could not be too short.
My Grandmas favorite native food is Dolma, or stuffed grapeleaves.
There was no war when she left. However, a major war was started 10
years after she left. There were no computers. There were no famous
people.
My Grandma did not have a job in Iraq. She was still in high school.
She came to the United States at age 16. She came here because she
got married. She only had one aunt living here when she came. The war
started about 10 years later and her family began to join her at that
time. She did not come because she was looking for a safer place to
live. She came because she was married. The home she lived in while in
Iraq was not destroyed but the area around her home was very
damaged during the war.
She came to the United States in an airplane. She had to travel over an
ocean. She flew straight to Detroit and did not have to go in a taxi.
She settled in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She have always lived in the
same house since she came. My grandfather’s family built this house in
the 1950’s. Michigan was the first state she was in. There was a
change in seasons. She did not live in a big city.
When my Grandma came to the United States she was happy because
she had her freedom. She could go wherever she wanted and could
speak whatever she wanted. When my Grandma came she knew a little
bit of English because she had to take it in school in Iraq. What she
likes the most about the United States is being able to drive because
she could not drive in Iraq. She also likes her freedom and she likes
the schools. When she came to the United States, gas was only $.40 a
gallon.
When my Grandma came to the United States, she had to learn to fit
in. Her aunt was here and she had a new husband. She spoke English a
little bit. She did not have a job in place.
My grandfathers family
owned a party store/grocery store when she came to live in the United
States. My Grandma’s first job was working for a travel agency. She
made around $8.00 per hour. In Iraq, only my Grandma’s father had
worked.
I hope you liked
reading about my
Grandma!
REFERENCES
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