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Marwa Kuri
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Palestine - Halifax
Art by Emily Honderich
Marwa Kuri story
Marwa Kuri is a Palestinian occupational therapist, a mother, a reader, and multilingual. She moved to Nova Scotia with her husband and two kids two years ago, and now she is a School Settlement Support Worker at YMCA Center for Immigrants, a Peer Leader at YWCA, and works as a Research Assistant at the IWK.
How Covid-19 Helped Me Discover My Inner Baker
When the world started to realize that Covid-19 was indeed a real threat to human lives and as it began to spread all around the world, Nova Scotia declared a state of emergency. Immediately survival scenarios started to play in my mind.
My motherly mind became sharper. I was focused mainly on securing essential elements of life, food, water, and shelter. What types of food should I store? What if we run out of water and electricity? Are we going to succumb to death due to the lack of necessities?
These concerns inspired and motivated me to look for ways to help me deal with my concerns. Baking was the first thing to come to my mind. I started mixing different types of flour, pouring water, and creating recipes. The kneading and shaping, the dough texture, the creation process, and the smells brought me a lot of joy.
The smell of bread at home during Covid-19 healed me. It carried me straight home to memories of my childhood, and it spread a sense of pureness at home.
For six months, we haven’t bought a single loaf of bread. I ended up creating my five-bread recipe. The bread scents at home are crucial to my family; they remind us of life, our strengths as humans, and that eventually, we will overcome all obstacles.
Thanks to Covid-19, I discovered the baker in me.
"Thanks to Covid-19, I discovered the baker in me."