ذكريات الطفولة Childhood memories recuerdos de la infancia

سلافا: بنحاول نتمسك بكل شي نحن بنتميز فيه، هادا شي كتير حلو بعاداتنا السورية، لسا حاملين كتير من هالعادات ومفتخرين فيها لأنها ايجابية. Slava: We try to hold on to everything that makes us who we are. This is what is so great about our Syrian customs. We still hold fast to many of these customs and are proud of them because they are positive.

ديما: في عنا دكان قريب جنب البيت هادا دايما بصير من اهل البيت بالاخير، يعني كل ما بدك شي بتخبريه تلفون بتقوليلو انا بدي مثلا كيلو كوسا كيلو بيت نجان ما بعرف شو. Dima: There was a shop near our house and its shopkeeper eventually became part of the family. Whenever you want something, you call him and tell him that you, for example, want a kilo of zucchini, a kilo of eggplants, etc

لأني جاييني ضيوف، ضيوفي جايين من السفر بدي اطبخ ما بعرف شو، فبيعرف تفاصيل كل شي، وبيعرف شو عم بنعمل، فبصير هو من اهل البيت. I tell him that guests are coming over – my guests have been traveling and I want to cook this and that. He knows all the details and he knows what we're doing. So he eventually becomes part of the family.

سلافا: انا بتذكرو هادا كان اسمو ابو احمد، ابو احمد عندو كل شي بالحياة، يعني انو هو صيدلاني، بتلاقي عندو كتير شغلات جوة بالمحل بالصيدلية، يعني مو الشغلات المفروض تنباع بالصيدلية Slava: Ich erinnere mich, dass er Abu Ahmed hieß. Abu Ahmed hat alles im Leben. Ich meine, er ist Apotheker. In der Apotheke findet man eine Menge Dinge in ihm. Ich meine, Dinge dürfen nicht verkauft werden die Apotheke. Slava: I remember Abu Ahmad. He has everything you could possibly need in his store. He's a pharmacist but you find many things at his pharmacy – not items that are normally sold at a pharmacy.

المهم مرة من المرات امي كانت مكربة ونحن بدنا دوا للسعلة ودوا التهاب، وعم ناخذ ونعطي معو ونشرحلو، وبابا كان بالشغل، فبابا بالشغل كل النهار، بيجي المسا ما بعرف، بيمرء بسلم عليه "مسا الخير ابو احمد" بقوم بقولّو ابو احمد "انشالله المدام تحسنت، يعني اُمورها منيحة، تعبانة كانت من الصبح"، ابي مو داريان. At any rate, one day, my mother had a cold. We needed medicine for her cough and inflammation and we explained her symptoms to him. Meanwhile, our father was at work – he was at work all day. In the evening, he stopped by the pharmacy to greet the pharmacist with, “Good evening, Abu Ahmad.” Abu Ahmad said, “Hopefully your wife has gotten better. Is she okay? She's been sick since morning.” And my father had no idea she was sick.

ديما: بصير هو شخص مهم بالعائلة. Dima: The pharmacist becomes an important person in the family.

سلافا: كل شي عنا الو استخدامين وتلاتة، ما تفكرو بطالع حقو وزيادة، طب والله هاي انا لهلا باساويها، علبة البيتي فور... Slava: Everything we have has two or three uses; you get your money's worth and more. I still do it to this day. A tin of cookies ...

ديما: بتتحول لعلبة خياطة. Dima: Transforms into a sewing tin

سلافا: ودايما بتخشخش عرفتي وانت حاملتيها، اديش كنا نركض فيها لعند امهاتنا، امهاتنا زمان كانوا يخيطوا، بتتذكري انو معظم النساء السوريات كانوا ايام زمان موظفات وبيشتغلوا بالبيت وبنفس الوقت بخيطوا وبشتغلوا صوف وما حدا يتذمر. Slava: It would always rattle when you carried it. We would often run to our mothers carrying it. Back then, our mothers sewed. Remember how most of the Syrian women back then were employed and did housework. On top of all this, they would knit and sew without complaint.

فهاي علبة الخياطة كتير مهمة وانا راكضة فيها عم بتخشخش عرفتي، وبقلبها علبة تانية ما بعرف علبة شو، علبة دبابيس وزرار... This sewing tin was very important. It reminds me of how I would run with it and it would rattle. And inside it was another tin containing I don't know what – safety pins, buttons...

سالفا: آخر شي بدنا نحكيه، انو اي زيارة سورية نصها على القاعد جوة على الكنبايات المغطايين ونصها على الباب وعلى سيرة "والله لتظلوا تقعدوا". Slava: The last thing we want to talk about is that in any Syrian visit, half the visit is spent sitting in the house on the covered couches. The other half is spent at the door, in the process of leaving, saying, “Please stay, sit down” "لا والله مستعجلين ما في وقت دوبنا نوصل". "لك بالله تقعدوا". "لا والله". and “No, we're in hurry; we don't have time; we have to go,” and “Please stay” and “No, we can't.”

ويستمر الحديث على الباب قد القعدة اللي قعدوها الضيوف جوة بوقفوها على الباب عم نتذكر كل شي عالباب، كل شي نسيناه بالحديث "وتذكري لما قلنا مادري شو" وهي تفرجيك "انا اشتريت ما بعرف شو" The conversation continues at the door; the guests spend just as much time at فhe door as they do sitting down. Everything that we forgot to talk about while sitting down is remembered when we are at the door, leaving. For example, we would say, “Remember when we said such and such.” Then she shows you something, saying, “I bought this and that.”

وهالرجال واقفين"يالله بقى يالله خلونا نمشي". And the husbands are standing there, saying, “Hurry up, let's go.”

سلافا: بنتمنى نكون رسمنا الابتسامة على وجوهكن وجوه كل السوريين اللي عم يسمعونا جوة سوريا وخارج سوريا. Slava: We hope that we have put a smile on your faces – on the faces of all Syrians listening to us, both inside Syria and abroad.