Shon Week 2 - Operation Identity
Recently, I learned that my mom grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates during the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm. For those who are unfamiliar, the Gulf War began in 1990 when the country of Iraq, led by dictator Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait, prompting a United States intervention called Operation Desert Storm to liberate the people of Kuwait. My mom and her family lived near Jebel Ali Port in Dubai which was the home base for the American military moving through to fight on the frontlines in Kuwait. On this week's episode of the Shon show, I will be conducting an interview with my mom to get a first-hand account of what life was like during the war.
Q&A with Mom!
Q: Hi, Mom, can you introduce yourself to the audience?
A: Hi Shon's English Class, I am Shon's mom, Ramani Gokhale and I teach at the California School for the Blind!
Q: What do you remember about living in the UAE during Operation Desert Storm?
A: I remember seeing the American, Canadian, and British soldiers and tanks through the streets. So, when I used to go with my mom during the one hour time allotted for grocery shopping and essentials, I would see soldiers all over the city. We were five families in a two-bedroom apartment and all the windows were sealed with wet cloth and foil to absorb the chemicals since Saddam Hussein threatened to strike the UAE with chemical warfare. School was closed, on the bright side, since we were little we thought that was fun even though we were still given homework that we had to drop off at our teachers' homes.
Q: How did living through the Gulf War change the way you viewed aspects of your identity?
A: Even though it was a very scary event, it makes you strong; it makes you so scared that you have to sit with that thought and it increases your resilience to negativity and you feel like you can survive in any bad situation. Also, by staying in Dubai it taught me to never run away from my problems–there is always a solution to every problem. It made me a lot more empathetic and sympathetic person to others who have gone through hardship or lived through conflict. When it all was over it gave me a weird sense of peace and pride that we had gotten through it.
This conversation with my mom made me realize the sheer impact that global events and history have on our identities. The Gulf War influenced her view on resilience, empathy, and hardship because it became an integral part of her childhood. In the same way, the COVID-19 pandemic will remain a keystone in our generation's identity shaping our education, relationships, and community. History is not something that happens in the abstract; it becomes a part of the people that live through it, becoming one with the generations it affected.
Hi Shon, I really liked how you experimented with the new format! Perhaps I will use it in my next blog. I like how you interviewed your mom (kind of like a journalist) to get her personal perspective. Usually, when I learn about history, I’m hearing/reading it from a textbook or historian (meaning the information is in a third-person point of view). By hearing/reading your mom’s experience, it felt like I was learning about these things from a new lens (a first-person point of view; more credibility). I found it really interesting how your mom experienced this part of history. The idea of being a part of–or experiencing historical events intrigues me because it makes me realize the actual influence and impact inflicted onto citizens. My mom didn’t experience anything similar because she lived in a farming village–so I don’t have any stories to share.
ReplyDeleteHello Shon! I love that you are pushing a new format for our blogs, and I think you did a great job employing this creative style. I remember learning about the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm last year in history, and how even though it was only thirty years ago, it felt like ancient history. Hearing about these “ancient” historical events from people who have experienced them and are still alive and well today is always a jarring experience. It reminds me of a recent doomscrolling session where I came across Malala’s instagram, and I realized that she was, in fact, still alive and part of gen Z! Merely the fact that these events feel so far away is an issue, since many of these recent wars and struggles were fought for reasons and rights that affect us directly and indirectly today. The recent COVID-19 pandemic that you brought up may be our own historical event, that children ten, maybe twenty years from now, see as a distant past that has no effect on them, even though COVID-19 was a major catalyst in throwing the world, them included, into the rapidly expanding internet. Beyond the internet, it set up the groundwork for hybridized workplace environments, a pivotal change that allows parents today, and possibly in the future to spend more time with their children. Maybe, the extra time parents spend bonding with their children allows for conversations like yours, where they can ask their own parents about how “distant” events impacted their lives and identities.
ReplyDeleteHi Shon! This blog style is so interesting and I can definitely see how your creative liberty took charge. When I was reading your mom’s answer to the second question, I noticed that she said she was happy that school was cancelled. It made me realize she was just like me and so many other students. Yet one of us was living near the frontlines of a war. Even today, there are so many children living in such horrible conditions that are simply too complex for them to understand. It’s definitely an ambiguous moment when school gets cancelled because of a chemical threat. For me, it made me rethink my privileges of access to education and a safe learning environment. I really love how your mom took such a life-changing event and turned it into a strength. I admire her ability to never give up and always find a solution. Her resilience is truly an inspiration to me!
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