Before I begin posting about nearly everything that fascinates me, I think it's important to get introductions out of the way. I want to tell my readers what shapes me as a human being, and how I have the convictions and ideals that set me apart ( or maintain similarity ) to the rest of society. Enjoy :)
My name is Jordan Saleh. I currently live in Tinley Park, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. I am 24 years old, and my birthday is June 16th. Yes, that makes me a Gemini. Although I enjoy reading about my astrological sign and the traits associated with it, I don't take it all into consideration based on the fact that A- It seems mildly illogical and B- I'm empathetic to situations whereas a majority of Geminis are said to not be. Enough about that. Let's get to the important stuff.
I was born in Evansville, Indiana to an American mother and a Palestinian father. Although my biological father was Arabic, he had no bearing on my life and used my mother as a pawn for obtaining citizenship. He was no-good, but I didn't let his shortcomings determine my opinions on an entire race, so I managed to immerse myself into the Arabic culture from a young age. I remember having a very heavy attraction to the culture from the time my mother married my previous step-father, who was from Egypt. Although I disagreed with a lot of his conservative views and child-rearing ideals, I was a minor who had no choice but to obey what I was told. I honestly must say that one of the few good things my mother did was marry my stepfather, because while we were far from rich, we had a sense of financial stability that could not have been obtained by my mother- due mainly in part to her narcissism. I am not here to bash my mother, BUT she is a fundamental reason it has taken me so long to gain any form of independence. We are products of our environments.
Let me take you back to my childhood. I don't know why my memory does not correctly serve me, but I don't remember much before I was 12 outside of minimal bits and pieces. During middle school and high school- I continuously had problems maintaining my identity. I was either up or down- forcibly attempting to assimilate myself into any clique which would accept by mannerisms or behavior. I had one true friend throughout all of middle school and high school. Her name is Ruby Ragar. I watched her succeed in life despite the way she was raised and not once did she ever judge or disrespect me. She is also the reason I am writing a blog today. After moving from Evansville, I ended up in Louisville, then to Ohio, then to Michigan. If I recall I have lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Temporarily in New York, and now in Illinois. This is over the span of my life and without being in a military family.
Because I don't want to drag this out for hours ( which I could ) I will let you know a few things about me that may or may not be relevant to this introduction:
-I used to weigh 220 pounds, and lost about 60 over the span of a year ( and it's a pain to keep my weight down)
-I am married and have been for two years- and although we have a lot of issues because inter-cultural marriage is not easy- we are attempting to make it work.
- I have generalized anxiety disorder which prohibits me from doing a lot of things I enjoy- and I went through a period of alcoholism for self-medication that I'm still working on breaking today.
- I love cats. I have had them my entire life and soon you will all have the pleasure of meeting Armani- My most recent and beloved addition.
- I am very much on the liberal side of things in terms of politics and just tonight had an argument with a Romney supporter. YES, I support gay marriage, I'm pro-choice, and I do NOT SUPPORT the integration of religion in politics. We are all entitled to religion, as long as we make it personal and don't implement it where it does not belong.
- I trust very easily and have made a habit of determining my worth based on my quantity, unfortunately not quality, of friends.
- I can be fake, manipulative, and rude BUT I do have a heart, and I am empathetic to those in need based on the fact I didn't grow up on a high horse.
-I am a full-time college student and am majoring in social work.
-I want to graduate and do a lot of things which would positively affect our world. I want to be an activist, a humanitarian, and an overall positive and caring person.
-I will not take anyone seriously who has racist views or someone who believes anyone from a lower socio-economic class is not capable of the same things a privileged person is capable of.
- I miss Kentucky. I miss my sister, I want to see my nephew and be a part of his life.
-I have had few real friends in my life, and looking back I can count them on one hand.
-I'm tall, 5'11, and hate buying jeans based off of this.
-I have a lot of siblings, but maintain a relationship with barely any of them, for very sad reasons.
As with all people, there is probably so much more I can talk about, but I want to save something for later. If you got this far, thanks for reading. Now tell me what you guys enjoy and how I can cater to you! I look forward to making friends and hearing input. :)
