Saturday, August 12, 2006

A New Beginning

August 11, 2006


Hello, this is teresa/iman...i have started a new blog, i'm not quite sure what happened to the other one, all i know is that i spent many days trying to figure it all out...i will not spend anymore time on that old blog..so, a new beginning and a new start...please bear with me while i experiment with the "blogosphere" , posting pictures, etc.

Anyway, as i stated in my old blog, i am an american woman living in the united states with 7 children...i have been married for more than 22 years to a man from libya...my family (grandparents) came from mexico and i have been raising my children tri-culturally, i speak to my children in spanish and english, i wish they knew my husband's language (arabic) but, my husband thought it might be too difficult... nonetheless, they are being raised in three different cultures (american, mexican and arabic), we are also muslim and within the muslim community my children are exposed to people from all over the world...my theory is that this makes them more well rounded and gives them a better understanding of different peoples...i believe that knowledge is power! most americans in my opinion have very little knowledge of other cultures and beliefs, ironic isn't it, when we are the melting pot of the modern world or so we have thought...anyway, from my own little niche, i have tried to raise my children with an understanding of others...

I traveled to libya in 1990 when i only had 3 children, we were there for 6 months and i really enjoyed much of it...i am thankful that i have wonderful in-laws, it was difficult at times because of a lack of transportation (no car), also, i didn't speak the language, but i learned quickly, i have forgotten some of it, but i still have to communicate with my libyan family. there are certain things i refuse to be without, one of those things is a decent washing machine and dryer (for the winter months), i found the country and people fascinating, so many things that people around the world don't know about libya...because i love archaeology and anthropology, i loved visiting sabratha (ancient greek and roman ruins), even though it became difficult at times, it was a wonderful experience...

As i have said, i have 7 children, with the exception of my oldest son (he plays soccer in college) they all play competitive soccer here in colorado. i have 5 boys and 2 girls: siraj (21), safia (18), sabri (17), aneese (15), usama (13), yasin (12) and jamila (9)...they are on the top teams for their various age groups and we travel to different tournaments all over the country...my oldest has gotten an academic and athletic scholarship (partly due to soccer)...anyway, it keeps them busy and out of trouble, there's a lot more involved witih soccer than soccer, there's the discipline; and so many other things...