I am back with my guest, Samira from episode 37 and today we are doing some old fashioned name dropping. Most of all, we are having fun. We are exploring the unexpected places that education takes you as an expect woman, but there is a big takeaway for every living soul that comes straight from the heart. So keep listening till the end. welcome to starting over in the USA, the Expat Woman's Guide to overcoming homesickness, embracing cultural differences, and creating a new home away from home. On this podcast, we talk about leaving behind the familiar, you know, the pangs of homesickness and culture shock to the journeys of reinventing yourself. I'm Yolanda Reshemah. And after relocating six times, I know firsthand what it's like to start from scratch, feeling like both a foreign child and a foreign adult in a new world. I'm reaching here to tell you a little, a degree that I took where it took me. That's, yeah, that's my point. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So when the Congress went to Jordan they invited my cousin to come to the prayer breakfast, the national prayer Breakfast. There is a presidential breakfast in Washington, DC. That the president on the first Thursday of February, oh yes, yes, of course. I do know about that. Yeah, so, so I belong to that. Oh, you do. yeah. So what happened is they invited my cousin, then my cousin told them, oh, I really want you to invite, give them my name, my address, to invite me to the prayer breakfast. my cousin in Jordan had the shipping agency. He had so much respect for me because of what I accomplished and that I came here. I finished my degree, so I was very high in his eyes that he gave my name to Congress and the Senate to be invited to Washington with him at the prayer breakfast. So I received the invitation. It was the year 2000. Okay. First invitation, and I went there with my husband and my cousin from Jordan. They seat you with presidents of the countries like Albania, Romania, uh, Serbia, France, England. So this is where they seated us with one congressman with us. You just said, ah, what's going on here? It's just huge event with lots of presidents of the world. I mean, 130, 160 countries will be there, and they're all the governors, the presidents, the kings, I mean, all that caliber. So amazing that I saw myself among all those people. Yes. And this is all because of your education. If I didn't have that degree, I wouldn't be nowhere. That's my point in the whole story. Education. And ever since that time, I, uh, I've been invited every year. Oh, you are? For 25 years. I'm still going there. So what I developed there good friendship internationally. So while I was there. God opened another door for me to be involved in the breast cancer. This pink stamp that you buy from them? I was involved in that internationally to implement the cancer stamp overseas Mm-hmm. With the doctor that he founded, that stamp. Mm-hmm. Someone gave him my name to help him internationally. I was just about to say Samira, your name is well known. You have all the right connections. Yeah, I, you know, that's all, go back to that degree that I took. Mm-hmm. And that opened the door for me. Okay. I get to meet Princess Catherine of Serbia and Prince Alexander of Serbia. Mm-hmm. That this is another side story. Maybe I should let you about it. No, I want to hear it. You want, want hear? That's an interesting story. I was invited to the Cedar House, which is the government house for dinner with some officials there, and one of them was Princess Catherine and Prince Alexander. and Princess Catherine and the first lady of Macedonia, they want to have the breast cancer stamp established in their country. So we have to travel with the doctor for cancer awareness two days of lecturing cancer prevention From early detection. Yes I have pictures if you ever come to my house, I'll show you all those pictures. Okay. Early in the morning we flew to Serbia and this is Princess Catherine, plus Alexander are waiting for us in their cars. One of us was grace Nelson who? Her husband Bill Nelson. He was the congressman from Florida and he was the astronaut. Accompany us here from America, and we were sitting on the table breakfast. We were sitting there and Prince Alexander, he had the list of names in front of him as guests to the palace because he has to know all the names. Mm-hmm. And he said, Samira Kawa. I said, yes, it's me. And he looked at me, he said, I met a man in Jordan. At King Hussein Palace. And he was invited with us. King Hussein invited him for dinner and I didn't jump and say he's my brother. I just kept quiet. Grace Nelson, she said, oh, maybe this is family. He kept saying, no, no, no, no. Then I jumped in, Is his name Samir Kwar? That's it. That's it. That's it. Yes. Yes. His name is Samir Kawar. And I start to describe to him the house and about all the mutual friends there, Oh my gosh. I was stunned. but he kept talking and asking me questions, this and that. That kept me going. And then after we left at dinner time, there was two cars waiting for us. so this man came and he knocked at my shoulder, he said. Um, princess Catherine, she wants me to go there. In her car and, and ride in their car. Oh, how lovely. So I rode in their car back and forth and treat being treated, you know, royalty. Wow. Moving to the US has worked out for you in the most exquisite and successful way imaginable. Prayer breakfast turned into the cancer awareness project and then became this incredible gateway to international advocacy and unexpected royal friendships. You've experienced what so many people have not. Is it even possible that there could be any regrets at all? No. At the beginning it was difficult. It wasn't easy, but as I start to progress in my life doing something. Always I do something, but I was involved in too many things in my life and the trust of the people, you know, being truthful is very important. When you say truthful in what way? About dealing with projects. If I say I was involved in the Cancer St. STEM project. I was very truthful, reporting to the doctor, reporting to the nation. Everything was on time. Every information was truthful. There is no room to promote myself. I focus on establishing the project and the doctor I was working with. One time I asked him, why did you choose me? Because so many people were jealous. He said, Samira, you have no agenda. Do you know all those people who are crazy to work with me? Either money or show off but you have no agenda. I never asked for money. I never asked for expense of traveling. I never asked for anything. Samir, in case it's not clear, I need to let you know I'm having so much fun with you right now. I'm visualizing everything that you've said, I have this video running in my mind of this chap coming up to you, tapping you on the shoulder this memory not only lives on with you, but it's going to stay with me and the expat women listening forever. As much as you've found yourself in these incredible situations, there is this question of identity and who we are at core, and that's always constant because it never goes away. I'm curious to find out how, how did you blend the best of both worlds? Your culture is very strong and your family structure, and it means a great deal to you. How did you stay connected to your Jordanian roots, living in the USA and hobnobbing with these international people, with this lifestyle. I. That's really a good question because the combination of, to take the good things of my background,'cause I have many good things. Being, being yourself, being truthful being sincere, being uh, knowing who you are,. And always act as I'm a protector of the family. Name Uhhuh. That was very important. Uh, and take good things from America'cause there is good and bad in each culture. If you take a good thing from there and good thing from America, you come out with the best person, really? I'm not saying I'm the best, but this is as a theory. I try to remember who I am that I have to keep the name of the family intact. And I take every good thing. America gives many good things. But we have to know to focus about the good things, to know what it is. Maybe the good thing for me is not a good thing for others. maybe the bad thing for me is good for them. For me, I was able to discern the good things and proceed in my life, and many things I was offered to do because of my reputation. Efficiency. Hard Work. If I can sum up a couple of gems that I've heard so far that you want the expat woman listening to take away. Uh. They would be education, ambition, to keep being industrious and truthful. That's about integrity and Yeah. always striving for a good name, which comes back to character. Yeah. Yeah, of course. That's not something that I've touched on yet. I'm glad you mentioned keeping your family's name intact, Absolutely. um, because, uh, that's always at the forefront of my mind. Um, that's a discussion I would love to have with expats But right now. Let's go back to something you mentioned earlier in the conversation. There was just this one thing that you regretted. Nothing to do with you moving to the us but it's something else. What is that regret? You haven't let go as of now. if you are comfortable, because I think it's gonna be helpful. The only thing I regret always, always, always, that I didn't major in physics. That I regret because that was my interest. When I went to college, my minor was physics. The job situation forced me to go to business, it's not my favorite, but I regret that always very, very harshly. So I really recommend people to major in what they love and what they like. Major in what you love. oh, let me just hang out there for a second. I'm hearing you say, spend your time and energy on the things that capture your heart greatly. Don't let fear or even practicality continue to override passion. Yeah, hmm, That is beautiful. Very kind of you. my husband was encouraging me to go for business'cause of the job situation, but I shouldn't have, listen. Sounds like your move to America and your subsequent life there has reshaped you. Would you say that's the case? Oh my gosh. Lot of shaping, I will never be able to have the friends I have now if I've stayed in Jordan. No, the beginning was difficult, but I overcome that difficulty. By getting myself busy with education, going to college, having good time. I was just jumping from happiness that I'm doing something. I really recommend anyone in this country that had the opportunity to have education here. it's open for them. It's like something like water here, just you go drink. I'm wondering if those opportunities are still as vibrant now as they were back in the sixties and seventies and even the eighties. I'm imagining there's been a lot of change. It's inevitable. No, I don't think so. I remember in those days that was Vietnam War. People were coming from war. They were under, drugs. Many of them. Mm-hmm. And, but when I was there, many foreigners, Japanese, Chinese, Arabs. You find very few of the American students there. I mean, they were deprived from having good background of mathematics, science, algebra. They were very weak in that, while we came from Jordan, from French schools, we were very strong now I can see the young generation, and I hear this from my friend working for Lawrence Livermore lab she was my professor I asked her the same question. She said, young generation are not motivated for education like before. And this is a sad part. Very sad part. Is there anything else about your experience as an immigrant woman in the USA that you would want expat women listening to know? I. I really want people to know, especially foreigners, how good Americans are. They're beautiful people. They don't mix the government with the people the people were very supportive I can see the help they get overseas, the children, the poor, the needy, we have to remember that American people are good people. I noticed something with foreigners, especially Middle Eastern people. They brag About their life. Get along and blend with society, don't brag about your life back home. I am going to say thank you very much for your time. We've been an hour already. Okay. Very fast., You're welcome. Thank you for your journey. Anything you need, just let me know. My episode with Samira leaves me with two takeaways. The first is just be brilliant. We can take hold of every opportunity presented seek them out. Make the family at home proud if that's a thing for you. I would want that. But the second is something that is really deep in my heart. It's so easy to walk past a person, perhaps look at them across the road, across the table, and make assumptions based on external factors. But unless you listen to somebody else's story, you have absolutely no idea who they are. What they've accomplished in life. You don't know their challenges, the overcoming they have experienced. They have stories, answers to questions you need to have The person walking past who might look very different sound very different to you, their accent thick from something foreign, but it's still your language. You have no idea of the impact that they are having in the community in which they live, your community. How they are changing lives one day at a time. This is your reminder to not make assumptions, but to tune in to the stories of other human beings and hear from their own mouth who they are and what they bring to life. That's the takeaway for today. Bye-bye.