Six months.

“Don’t get involved” from my father. (Since I did get involved and married, I guess I didn’t adhere to it very well).

My wedding ring.

Convincing my wife to marry me.

With two children under 7, I have none at the moment. As far as I can remember, my favorite hobby was/is sports-card collecting.

Wilt Chamberlain. Chicken marsala, roasted red potatoes, salad (as long as I’m not expected to prepare it).

I would like to try making/marketing sports cards. I would never want to be a politician.

Canada (specifically Nova Scotia and/or Prince Edward Island). These are the provinces where my wife and I went for our honeymoon and visited again a year later with my parents and oldest brother. Its beauty and quaint nature is the main attraction for me. Plus, it’s still relatively close to home.

Two years.

The best advice is “Beware the ides [15th] of March,” from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Seriously, the best advice that I ever received was from my grandmother. She was a walking book of history. Born in 1892 and died in 1981, she lived under the Ottomans, the British and, after the 1948 war, under the Israelis. In her life she was an adventurous person and very feminist. She was an active member of the community and took an active role in the extended family’s decision making. In her personal life she instilled in her children and grandchildren the idea of self belief and daring. One needs to remember that during those years, life in the village was mostly divided between the spheres of adults and those of children more than between men and women. Village life was more egalitarian than in the city in terms of men’s and women’s roles. So, as a child, she used to tell me not to fear adults and to dare to do things. From her I learned the art of life, and she instilled in me the drive to explore.

I treasure mostly my books. They contain the stories of other cultures, the philosophy on the essence of humanity, and most importantly they give me a sense of wealth that no other object can provide.

In addition to my personal academic achievements and surviving my second year at FDU, my greatest achievement is that I was able to give my children the opportunity to experience life in different cultures and make them citizens of the world.

… travel, see other places, meet people and work in my garden. In the past, I loved photography. My favorites were taking portraits. For many reasons, I gave up on that.

My perfect dinner guest would be the king of all fortune tellers, Jinn, and I would ask him when FDU is going to expand the parking spaces on campus, provide more office space and pay more so I do not need to teach summer classes and instead do some research. I will serve him stuffed zucchini, humous, maqloba (an Arab dish), rolled grape leaves and lamb chops cooked with white wine.

I would like to attempt to be a carpenter. Carpenters can have immediate results and can enjoy the products of their labor. In my profession, it is often the case that the products of my labor go unnoticed. I would not want to do anything with business. I do not know how to make money and how to trick people.

Malta, because when I was a child, whenever my parents were mad at me they would say, “We will kick you as far as Malta.” Then, Malta for me was like a place on Mars. Later, I realized that it is a tiny island in the Mediterranean. People who visit it say it is a very special place. Although I have traveled 10 times as far as Malta is from my village, I feel I must visit Malta and see that “remote” place where my parents threatened to send me.

I’ve been here since June 1988.

“If you believe you can do, you can!” from my mother.

The home theater organ my parents gave me when I was starting high school.

I survived in a family with three older sisters and an older brother (the “Prince”).

… listening and playing classical music, reading at the shore on the weekends during the summer.

My algebra teacher, and I would serve her “crow.” She yelled at me in front of the class and said that I should be in a special education class because I was so dumb and that I should not be wasting her time because I would never make it to college.

I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. I love nursing and teaching, so teaching nursing is a perfect profession for me. I could never be an entomologist — I hate bugs. Snakes I can handle, but never bugs!

I can think of no other country that I would like to live in. The “country” I would like to spend time in would be in the hills of West Virginia or Kentucky, working with the families that have very little, if any, health care. I can imagine myself staying there for six to 12 months.

How long have you been at FDU?

I started here in 1994, left in 2000 and returned in 2002.

“Follow your dreams,” from my parents.

My Claddah ring.

Overcoming a personal obstacle.

… scuba diving, basketball, softball and attending WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) games.

Sue Wicks, from the New York Liberty WNBA team. We would have takeout.

I would like to attempt being a search-and-rescue diver; I would not want to be a mortician.

Greece, for the beautiful beaches and people.

February 2003

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Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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