Ahmed Omar and Nedal Kawash

00:06 Hello, my name is Ahmed / somewhere and turn 9 years old. I'm in Chicago, Illinois. Today's date is Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. I'm here with my friend on the dog and we're recording Historic Site.

00:26 Hey guys, my name is nedal. Kawash. I'm in downtown Chicago right now. Today is Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 record recording with my buddy off Plex in the known each other for a little bit now. And how old are you? I'm 28. Excellent. Excellent. Thank you so much for joining us today. When whenever we do these interviews, we would like to start with the individuals basically where their Journey Begins. So can you tell us a little bit about you know, where does your journey began? Where were you born at think we can start over there? Okay, so I was born and raised in Amman Jordan.

01:15 And I grew up with after my dad passed away around when I was 4 years old. Then I went to school there till last my sophomore year and Jordan then moved here when I was a sophomore.

01:32 And my journey honestly started when I moved here. That's when I started experiencing a lot more what the real world is because back home, you know, you had family and get a lot more closer people to you. So moving to a foreign country. And if you don't know much about that's where I would say, that's when the things kind of started going for sure sure and take us back a little bit. What year were you born? I was born in 1993 and 1893 and what are your earliest memories of honestly was a lot of it was a lot of it was around basically my high school or like my school years cuz I mean that way I grew up along with most of my cousins. So we would it be if we would go to school together go home together. We will play sports at school together. It was a lot with my

02:32 My clothes Families my first cousins for someone who is not familiar with what can you tell us about a very beautiful country right now. It's so by the from the with the royal family and I would say King Abdullah definitely help a decent amount of the people and you know made it easier for a lot of people live there.

03:06 Sure. Sure. Sure. And then you mentioned earlier your dad passed away. Correct? H. How old were you I would for you were too young to remember the little bit. I would say a few memories could probably count on one hand and family and you still felt you know that that void you don't learn things till you make the mistake till you go through to the through the process and have to learn everything yourself.

03:49 There is no debt figure there to teach you how to be a man. My mom was there when she was amazing by the lots of raised us and told us they have all new always be thankful to her. Absolutely. How many siblings do you have? I have a brother and a sister. Are you the youngest oldest the oldest boy and my sister is older than me or more like friends not not another parents and we still have our arguments.

04:35 That's that's that's cool. So how many years did you spend in a month?

04:40 About 15 years quite some time and you finished high school over there. No, I finished it here, but I was just like the last couple months when I was a sophomore.

04:56 Okay, I was here for my entire Junior and Senior year then I went to college to page right after and English school or are you tired? It was all I was mostly Arabic it was it was a public school and they there was English but it wasn't a main thing at least for my generation of it. It started out it was like

05:25 Just a language there. A lot of people didn't even try to learn it. And why did you move mid-year was as a family decision? My mom got remarried and then we by the time everything got approved. Are green cards, and that's when we were able to move.

05:46 I see I see and so when did you start picking up the English language? I mean you speak it. So well with your back home. The only thing I know is yes or no.

06:02 Got it. Got it. Got it. So did you come to Chicago right away or where did you go straight to the suburbs? We were in the in the Heights.

06:15 I see the group over there till my second year of college then got to move that she the first year. What's your first memory and lending in America?

06:26 It was so scary. I would say it was interesting at the same time is definitely exciting to come to see a new place and she comes from a different country hear a lot about America. You want to come and see it then? What do you move here? You see how everything is and you you don't know how to speak the language and

06:50 Becomes very difficult in the beginning and especially trying to talk to anybody hard to cuz you don't want they don't understand you and you don't understand that.

07:00 But after answer the first year, I would say things kind of got a little more interesting.

07:07 And you start enjoying it more cuz you're able to express yourself you're able to talk to other people and that kind of pushes you before you before you arrived. It was amazing. As you know, it's definitely easier than being back home. And where are you familiar with the Chicago suburbs or not at all. I do Chicago but it was that was it a second week. I think are like two weeks after we moved here. I got started.

08:00 Tell us about that first day you remember it just like yesterday we walked in and my stepsister actually took us there got us enrolled at to take the placement test as soon as you walked in. So I walked and I'm like, I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't even know English Amina. You said you didn't to English at all. You didn't study English but anything with an Arabic, right?

08:35 Yeah under person. I wish I was still struggling with it even there when I was back home. I see.

08:43 Legos are you become that that's just a bassinet. Did you use your struggle with the school that they try to place you lower because of my classes. Honestly. It's a great program for old Foreigner.

09:03 The reason why is because again you're sitting with people that are on a similar level even though they speak different language. You don't feel

09:13 Complete like the It doesn't feel as bad. You know where other kids are doing better than you are. So you're still able to be on the same level with them.

09:24 Got it. Got it. So then how long were you in the supper in the suburbs in the emission? It was at Glen Glendale Heights Glendale Heights way that we were there from 2013 until 2008 to 2011. I think since 2012 over there was their big Community from Jordan. Not at all surprisingly. There wasn't that many. Not even our school there. There was maybe one or two people.

10:12 Did you hear who is your first friend? Do you remember that?

10:17 It was honestly someone that is not even Arabian. Okay that we barely knew how to speak and can I became friends? Yeah. Yeah. What was it? What was that his or hers Heritage Mexican?

10:36 Yeah, for some reason I was hanging out with a lot of Mexicans would like a lot of different ethnicity more than anybody else.

10:47 Yeah, great.

10:49 Apps apps absolutely. So you're going through, you know, obviously busy this new experience like what are some teachers are some people that helped you along the way because you had to like Oprah come. Yes, they did again. We had a lot of teachers that were specialized in like ESL classes work. They start you with the grammar and everything else in English as well as with meth. It was like

11:22 Literally almost from starting with 1 and 2 will just a small numbers.

11:28 Gotcha. You're so then what did what did you decide doing after high school? Did you go to college or did you just get when I want to come? I want to College of DuPage. I studied business management majors in the in the middle.

11:49 And I've been automated manufacturing technology for like a year and I honestly thought about it. I was like do I want to go back to business management? So I'm back to business management, but I've never finish. I got a different new job that that I was able to make more money than I would have made with my degree. So I was like I might as well just stop taking the loan and in what way did you transition into? I did I did I went to ensure Insurance dad from insurance. I did Dan Insurance can I didn't like it after a couple of it? Like after I did it for two years I had something is something that happened that I thought. I was just done with insurance at that point then I switch to

12:44 Like real estates

12:46 As of right now I'm doing real sage and I own my own company, which is freaking.

12:54 Thought it was a how did you get into those businesses? Did you have mentors or a lot of times was that I knew a friend there I say and I was or I always have the the scale of selling and things like that. I did also Car Sales actually after the insurance at the car sales real estate that then after car sales at the Dead real estate. They've been doing it for over a year now.

13:24 Which Wich deer enjoy more the real estate or that I don't like being in the same spot in the same area or same building I would say office for the whole day drives me nuts

13:42 Got it to you like the go go to different places. What are you in a particular geographic region along comes to do in real estate or you will write out both and doing Leasing and buying and selling also working with some investors in a little bit of everything.

14:05 Got it. Now. Have you faced any type of adversity any type of bias in your called? Yes course High School from the first day. I moved it at that. I was at school, you know, you get called a lot of different names even tears just going to have to deal with it. I just think Nord it I was laughing about it. I got I got a I got offended the first couple times, but I just trained myself that it

14:40 Just another day. So is it something you realize that if you ignore them eventually, they'll stop because a lot a lot a lot of a lot of them did stop after ignoring them. Yeah.

14:55 Like you'll still try to prove your point in a way or just explain it talk about your heritage and who you are and where you come from. But a lot of a lot of the kids in high school was going to tease you a lot. Is it even in college or things like that? A lot of people going to have their own opinion on it? All you can do is just do your parts talk about who you are and where you come from a people decide whether to

15:24 Relate to your story or they don't.

15:27 I'm absolutely tell me what are your hobbies outside of real estate in trucking like it's very recently got into snowboarding. I love it. Yeah, I like playing soccer football. That's for sure. I haven't used to see a lot of my friends that used to go or I love the cold myself. I love the snow at the way. It looks. Okay. So I decided to go to Colorado not a couple weeks ago and I loved I loved it. I started with duh skiing then I went snowboarding. I love the snowboarding a lot more.

16:17 Yeah, just as I love adrenaline myself, I used to ride motorcycles so that Hannah.

16:25 The same thing if you don't rush yeah, or did you are a handsome man? Just looking down a mountain. I thought I was literally running into the tree. I literally have to drop myself.

16:48 Yeah, it was it was definitely interesting never takes no for an answer. I kept trying going up and down the mountain till I actually got it the hang of it few hours later or able to go do it last by myself.

17:03 XX real that's that's really that's really cool. I'm personally not a winter sports person crazy for even being in this though, but I love it more pop more power needs more power to you and you played soccer and I mean, I never made it to the team here cuz I again I was older than most kids to be on a team.

17:34 I say I say I say other than my gym Quest.

17:43 I got I got I got you. So, how do you do you live in Chicago? Where do you reside now? Okay, so, you know being in the suburbs and how's the city being treating you like a city a lot more? I always thought the suburbs was just

18:06 For someone that is Young and want to expand and grow I thought the city was a lot better. It's a lot quicker philotic a lot faster than I would say the suburbs. The suburbs is like on a slope add than talk to do at much of the suburbs. There you go. I got the pace is going to be very slow there. And how long have you been living in the north also for a couple months then I was at up North so I was kind of run the city for the past two or three years.

18:52 Batter and in here enjoying the West Loop, huh? I like it's a little more quiet than you're still in the city, but not as busy as the River North

19:02 Envelope. I got you answer. What what other projects are you working on these days? I mean you seem to be quite the entrepreneur in a while can disclose yet, but hopefully soon pretty well. It made me realize the things that I should have that you should have set up in case of that something ever happens.

19:38 And just gives you a better understanding of what's going on and what you could do and how you can expand wood and do better for yourself.

19:48 Gotcha, Sarah for you it

19:53 How to become more focused taller you're able to beginning obviously we couldn't tour or meet with any of our clients for a while and then a big Egyptian is it into a virtual and it's kind of hard it was harder for to get it to get that feel one-on-one with your clients.

20:28 How do you sell a home on Zoom? I mean that in a lot of things like that, but you do still have to be still have to see the house more than buying buying there was still a way of like you get me to set up the time they can clean up the place or make sure to hear you're having a mask on and everything else. So was it was for certain things that was kind of harder than other things got a little bit easier since the start of the yeah. It's been definitely a lot easier right now. Now they're able to do it at a certain percentage capacity or there is a certain amount of appointments between each will have to clean the apartments.

21:28 Play Ry things down.

21:31 Gotcha. Got you. Now coming now and living in the city. I mean you mentioned in the suburbs that there was not a big Middle Eastern or Unity. There is a end in the in the suburbs. That would say not the Star Wars that I ruined I say, but I definitely like the Southside areas like Bridgeview Orland Park Oak Lawn Middle Eastern there or Arabs.

22:04 And you even able to connect with people now that you were in the city or I definitely connected with a lot more people when I move to the city you're able to meet new people different type of people. So it's very interesting.

22:24 That's cool. So do you have any plans on moving anywhere else or you sticking with Chicago? I'm sticking for it with Chicago for a little while. We'll see what makes a Chicago unique. I traveled it a lot of different states. But every time I come across people like I would say Chicago has the more diverse than more like a Melting Pot have all kind of different people and a lot of them know how to treat each other at least not as much as other state.

23:01 And I fight list I felt that there is a more genuine people here.

23:07 Daughter got it. Now. It's like a little bit of a combination of small town, you know, neighborly Vibes and also the big city amenities which is which is which is cool, you know to have him in person for me personally. That's why I enjoyed living in Chicago. We move to the city. Like, what did you discover that I found out that there's some jobs actually exist. Like there are certain thing. You learned a lot about a lot of new things like that. You could actually make some money off of doing this then that

23:54 It teaches you a liar would say you're surrounded with a lot more people that you're able to get more ideas and pray your own eventually.

24:05 I say so just the energy in the Bible that yeah, definitely interested you.

24:20 When it when you first when he first moved to the city, I like a lot of things in Chicago, but for me, it was mostly about being an entrepreneur about like finding new things that what that's what interest me the most places in the city that I never been to living here for a while. Yeah. I love the boat season in Chicago. It's amazing in the summertime. Yeah. It's definitely nice with the playpen and everything.

25:10 Language of the energy for that 12 when my sister got married and how old were you back then? How did it feel coming back?

25:37 Coming back is definitely going back to Jordan. It wasn't it wasn't a huge change because was only about four years. Okay, and we went the year before we went 2011 and 12.

25:52 But I saw a lot of the things in Jordan changed look like they changed and it was getting more modern that they were building new buildings. Some of the people were the things that they cared about before or being strict about stirring things. There are more now open-minded about

26:16 I said so there's a development on the part of the government the country that the people now where you mean at this point, you're speaking English or what it what how did people perceive you when he got there to Aaron's in Jordan? Yeah. Yeah, you know you got a different accent.

26:44 How do you say yeah, I know. I know even when you speak your own language, they're still get it. They're still teasing about like yeah, you're trying be there.

26:55 To be Americanized but you're not that's I mean use I know and yes the whole of with almost every other senses. Sure. Sure sure, and then I'm used to be your sister. I got married in the Jordan correct and Jordan ordinal the wedding in Jordan just out of the tradition tradition.

27:24 I grabbed his family and our family most of them are in Georgia. And so it would be better for the both crazy girls like about it almost three four days or engagement party. A lot of them do it like a year in between get engaged to the 20-20 for example.

27:57 And then it so the next year 2021 you'll be getting married. Actually my cousin. Did it getting married this year?

28:07 And for the wedding day, they'll be some are they called henna for on both of their or Builder on both of their hands and do that type of stuff. They'll have a party then the next day there is a dinner then at night time the wedding.

28:34 Oh, that's how many people here in America?

28:48 Between 2 to 400 or 500 people imagined back home in like an open land bill. Can I put the gates around and lights and everything and it's interesting that is real. That is really cool. I mean, it's just a and it's a four-day celebration and it's just out in the open as beautiful as it is.

29:38 What are obviously you know, you know the work that you know, Molly doesn't thing that we do have you done Dino work in terms of volunteering in your communities are in a certain social, you know causes that you're passionate about going to talk about that.

30:02 I ate back when I was in high school and I definitely was there was a mosque kind of bile Sunday. I was going there on the weekends or unless Fridays Jamal Lake health and would like to park in any things like that and a few other things. I just because again, I was living away from liking the Middle Eastern culture. We weren't able to be involved in that much that type of stuff later on. My my mom was I actually start teaching Arabic at the summer school on Saturdays like Ron and things like that.

30:47 That's incredible. You said you were the guy that did the Menace the parking help if they manage to do that to me. That's for sure. I mean, how is that experience because usually the parking lots are so tiny that we were atoms such a small parking lot. You have to show up early to find a decent parking spot. Otherwise you're walking opportunity for people to catch up while in the car situations are sorted. So it's just part of the calendar. Now, you said your mom became a teacher when she teaching in the in the mosque.

31:47 Car was younger kids that didn't bet, you know how to speak Arabic but they didn't know much about that car on his back home where she was also an instructor for Quran for religion started.

32:06 Absolutely.

32:11 No recently in a we had the Muslim ban on Muslim countries did where you expected at all. It was your family affected by the band.

32:23 Sports with what the country you know, it did delay at what am I my cousin's wife's?

32:42 Visa Ghana got affected and she was she had to wait another year till things going to come out.

32:50 I say what it was. She able to get it sorted. Yes. She was able to move and she was here right now experience or was that I had I had friends that did but not me not me personally speaking and it says inauguration day. So someone was listening to let a hundred years from now cuz it's the digital recording. What would you like to tell him? Like what are you what is your basically your message for, you know for patients and do things will come you just got to work hard for everything harder than edit. And then whoever is next to you it just because we come from a different country and we have to work harder for

33:51 We don't speak the language. It's. Things are basically a lot of things that are against our odds. You just got to put your time and be patient than just.

34:02 I can't be more patient at all, or was it mostly friends that help you along the way right for each for each job that I did with selling cars. I don't have a friend that will bring me in that time a little more about selling cars Jordanian guy. Also there was

34:30 For insurance. Also, I had a friend that brought me and that we used to work together and that kind of helped me along the way and then our manager kind of took.

34:41 The steering wheel on top both of us and now we're actually me and him are friends that we both left the company people try to help as much with my brother right now and kind of my family and hopefully for the future I will do it to other people to teach them and do the best I can.

35:08 Apps apps apps absolutely. So what advice do you have for nou-nou mentioned in a working hard, but for a younger you if you're 18 18 year old in the dog, what would you tell eighteen-year-old I would just say, whatever you got to do do a little more research about it. Don't be as impulsive as I was and take the time to understand what you need to do to be able to see you don't you're not making as many mistakes make mistakes always going to make mistakes and never be afraid to make a mistake.

35:50 If you if you feel like you there's one thing that you want to do it do it regardless whether you're right or wrong. Just do it. You'll find the right way on your path you will eventually well. It seems like you've found your past and you seem very excited about the work that you're doing right now, and we definitely wish you all the success in the world and thank you for joining us today and being willing to share your story, you know with us because beyond the next young person that's listening to this recording from Jordan pretty sure it's going to get fired by Empire store in the adversities that you were come before I wrap up the recording. I wanted to ask you about an important person that we didn't talk.

36:50 Which is your stuff that I know you lost your father. So can you just talk a little bit about your stepdad my stuff. I'm very thankful to my stepdad for even bringing us from back home. And he was always right next to us for everything that we did and always helped us out with everything with showing us and teaching us everything that he knew.

37:19 And so I'm very thankful for him. He definitely helped me to become where I am today with certain things and certain ways that he knew and I learned a lot from that's for sure and he's Jordanian. Okay. I was born and raised in Jordan. My my said that is was born and raised in Palestine.

37:51 Palestinian for people that don't understand that Dynamic of Palestinians, you know being in Jordan or being Jordanian or like how does that how does that work? I know we are 2 minutes, but I'm putting you on the spot here and there difference. We moved our ancestors or my grandparents movies after 1948. So after that, they move to Jordan and then from there I from then

38:27 So now we have our entire family and Jordan so I would say I'm I am Jordanian but my blood or my ethnicity is Palestinian.

38:39 The obviously that that's something that we should always be proud of sure as Palestinian because jordanians took us in and we became as one people.

38:53 And that's really remarkable. And that's really beautiful. You know, it is to hear any of that sense. I'm guessing there's a big population of Palestinians in Chicago.

39:08 Others, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you a big population of Palestinians. Yes. Definitely in Orland Park and British for you. All a little Palestine. That's that's awesome. Well, thank you again for joining us. And also I hope that you know, you find a home as well with Mala and with our community and are you looking forward to it? I love you guys and miss you and it's definitely a grade Noble thing and I'd love to see more on it break through all definitely be able to contribute.

39:55 Thank you so much for joining us today. Of course. Thank you so much.