In honor of Mother's Day, I took the opportunity to interview my Mom, Ban Altoumah, alongside my sister, Layan Halet.
Recounting our own family stories, we chat about motherhood over the years, what it means to truly be resilient and raising good kids.
My favorite is when my mother shares her experiences raising my sister and I in Baghdad where we were both born and had to leave due to the Gulf War.
Ban Altoumah was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. Shortly after completing high school, she traveled to study abroad at Glasgow University. Upon graduating with a Bachelor's degree, she returned back to Iraq and got married having 2 children. She had witnessed 2 wars (Iran-Iraq and Gulf) and decided to migrate to Australia for her family's wellbeing.
Settling into Sydney, she obtained her Master's degree while working as a Laboratory Senior Scientist and playing her main role as the Best Mother Ever. When we moved back to the Middle East and made Dubai our home over 30 years ago, my mother decided to join academia full-time and is now a Senior Lecturer in Medical Laboratory Science in Higher Colleges of Technology as well as a recognized figure in her academic field.
Her story is one of true resilience, grit, and what it is to be truly happy.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed recording it.