Arab April

April holds some special memories for me. It's the start of Spring and although it can still be rainy, the thought of sunshine, and blossoming of flowers gives me hope. Just two years ago, I was blossoming in my own way. I was dealing with some hard times and depression and was looking for waves of inspiration and sheer distraction from my deep melancholy blues. I had ideas for studying Arabic a few months prior from April 2016 but never got around to it. This creeping and cloudy depression took a turn and needed something to keep me motivated and for the creative juices to continue flowing. Arabic became a strong force for me. I jumped into a new endeavor, and experienced a wave of excitement with this language. Arabic helped a lot in terms of my dark mood which put blinders on my eyes and perspective. It didn't cure me since only God can fully do that, but it helped me in moments of pain and despair.

April 2017 wasn't a breeze or a piece of cake either. I had my share of suffering and growing pains in various ways. It was a waiting game, in terms of graduating, and figuring out the next steps as well as looking for volunteer work and ways to give. I was getting frustrated with the results of how these two waiting situations made me feel since it was difficult not to focus on them.There was a day in April last year when I didn't have class and really wanted to see a Israeli cooking documentary. It was only playing in the city and I persuaded my mom to come see it with me. Luckily, she was open and interested enough so we made a day trip of it. It just so happened that it was the last day of showing, so we were extra lucky. This Israeli cooking documentary ('In Search of Israeli Cuisine') gave me a strong power of inspiration and conviction of my interests in Israel, the Arab world, cooking and especially Middle Eastern cooking and how the surrounding regions are influenced by the food. I recognized a good amount of the food being mentioned in the film and it made me excited that I was in the know of this rich culture of food and cooking. My spirits and hopes lifted and I knew my path was somehow, somewhere linked with Middle Eastern cooking, the Arabic language and all that relates to it.

A year later, I have gotten more comfortable with Arabic cooking and only more inspired to learn more and try out more. I have also been keeping up with my Arabic language learning and only want to improve! I now have 3 Middle Eastern cookbooks and love looking through them and using them. For Christmas this past year, I got the large textbook- like cookbook by the director of the documentary film, In Search of Israeli Cuisine who also has his own restaurant. His cookbook inspired by his restaurant makes me reminisce about the day I saw his film, and also how much I still have to learn about the incredible and influential food in Israel.

So, what's next? I guess more discovering and learning which is always exciting! Here is my other blog that goes through everything Arabic and a challenge and learning process for me.
hummusha.blogspot.com

Right after seeing the film, In Search of Israeli Cuisine