In today's episode, my mom walks us through what it was like to immigrate to Northern Michigan and live there for almost seven years - all while watching the occupation of Iraq from afar. We talk about whether she thought she would get to visit her homeland again, and, later, we look back at her journey, discussing whether she would make the same decision to immigrate knowing how her journey played out.

In today's episode, my mom shares more about her journey out of Iraq to New Zealand and ultimately to Michigan. She walks us through the many goodbyes she had to say and what kept her going when she was forced to leave her loved ones behind.

In today's episode, we get to hear a different side of the same story as we sit down with my mom. We start with her early life in Baghdad, including where she grew up, how she chose her career path, and if she ever expected to leave the country permanently. We also get to compare her account of meeting my Baba, learning more along the way about how our perspectives and experiences may vastly differ even when our stories are incredibly intertwined.

In this final episode with my Baba, he tells us more about what ultimately drove him to uproot his family just three short years after settling in New Zealand. He also walks us through his experiences navigating xenophobia in both New Zealand and the United States, what it was like to live in rural Michigan during the American occupation of Iraq, before ending the episode with some parting advice we can all apply to our lives.

In today's conversation, Baba shares his backstory, including what it was like growing up in Iraq and how he met my mother while working in a hospital. Over the course of the episode, he shares shares how the demise of safety and security in Iraq forced him to rethink his place in the country - setting us up to learn more in the next episode about why and how he ultimately left. Also, it's his birthday today, so everyone wish him a happy birthday!