Bloom 360

WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP A JOURNAL? Journaling is a powerful practice to improve mental health. Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a journal or diary is a tool for self-reflection, personal growth, and creative expression. Documenting your thoughts can have many benefits for your mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.?How is that?

The advantages of journaling range from helping you reduce stress to propelling you forward in your pursuit of personal and academic growth.

Journaling allows you to explore your thoughts and emotions. By taking the time to reflect on your experiences, you gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your values, and your aspirations. It helps you identify patterns, triggers, and areas for personal growth.

Writing provides a safe and non-judgmental space to express your emotions. It allows you to release your feelings, frustrations, and worries. It can help you process and cope with difficult emotions, reducing stress and promoting emotional well-being.

Keeping a journal allows you to preserve memories and experiences you went through. By documenting them, you can create a tangible record of your life journey.

RIP: Egypt bids farewell to world renowned and her first Prima Ballerina Madga Saleh. Saleh died in New York where she had lived for many years with her late husband. She was 79. Magda started her ballet journey in the 1950s in Alexandria, Egypt; a journey that took her from Egypt to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and ended in New York.

SPORTS: Egyptian tennis champion Mayar Sherif captures the WTA Makarska 2023 title in Croatia. With this win, she jumps in the WTA Rankings to career best 40.?

DNA: Treveina Basily?made the discovery of a lifetime when she found out that her DNA directly descends from an ancient Egyptian mummy dating back to the?Saite dynasty, that lived in Egypt between?BC 664–525.

AWARDS: Egyptian Soprano Neveen Allouba Received France’s Order of Arts and Letters in the grade of Chevalier (Knight) from France’s ambassador to Cairo.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Marguerite El Helou (Margo El Helou) of Lebanon as Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Cairo. She assumed her duties on 1 June 2023.

Fran?oise Gilot, acclaimed artist who produced art for well more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with?Pablo Picasso?— and for leaving him — died in New York City, where she had lived for decades. She was 101.

TEA LOVERS: On June 10, Google Doodle celebrated the anniversary of Afternoon Tea; a mid-day light meal usually served between lunch and dinner. It's a set meal consisting of three courses of savories, scones, and sweets to be enjoyed as an occasional luxury.

Afternoon tea started in the 1840s in England?by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. The Duchess would get hungry before dinner, but she didn’t want a full meal. The concept of afternoon tea grew once she started inviting friends over and it became a social gathering for women in the wealthy social class.

FITNESS: Beat the Heat & Stay Cool & Fit With Aqua Aerobics

Aqua aerobics is a fantastic way to stay cool during the hot summer days while still getting a great workout in the pool. Adding aqua aerobics classes to your summer activities will help you burn calories, lose weight and stay in shape while having fun.

Traveling can be a truly transformative experience that offers a multitude of wonders and benefits. And there is no better time to explore the world than in the summer. Enjoy your vacation wherever your destination is. Before you embark on your next journey, just remember the dos and don’ts of traveling. And don’t forget to read travel packing checklist for tips and tricks.

INTERVIEW: Haya Bishouty is Palestinian by blood, Jordanian by nationality with a bit of Greek, Emirati and Egyptian by residency. In 2020, she created Haya's Kitchen, an experience-based concept that's a tribute to Palestine, Tetas and Traditions.?

Haya runs Sufra dinners to bring people together around a communal table, workshops to preserve the ancestral traditions and skills, and pop ups to spread the love for street food.

What inspired Haya’s Kitchen?

Haya Bishouty: I was born in Greece and have lived in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Cairo and Amman. I’ve lived a very typical expat life, which I’m very grateful for. I was able to blend into the communities and learn about the different cultures. But, as a Palestinian who has never visited Palestine I’ve always felt a disconnect with my heritage and identity.

I wanted to reconnect back to the land and find a way to preserve the traditions that I grew up celebrating with my own family, and the idea of Haya’s Kitchen came to existence.

Haya’s kitchen started with your sufra dinners? Can you please explain what you mean by surfa dinners and how they led to Haya’s Kitchen?

HB: The Sufra is where it all began. Sufra, meaning communal table in Arabic, is where I would gather with my own family at my grandparents houses and our own home. It was a time where we would take a minute in the fast-paced world we live in and enjoy a meal together communally. And those were my favorite memories growing up.

Living in Dubai, people don’t really take the time to enjoy a meal, get to know new people and share comfort food together. I wanted to recreate that feeling I had when I was growing up through my Sufra and decided to run with it.

You have been given the title of the community Teta (grandma) who loves to feed everyone. Why you were given this title and what it means to you.

HB: It’s a title I hold very close to my heart and is the ultimate compliment for me. Growing up, my grandmothers would love to feed people. Their homes were always open to neighbors, friends and family and they were always ready to feed anyone. They would grab your plate, pile on a big serving of comfort food and would have big smiles on their face when everyone would compliment their food.

When I’m hosting a Sufra, running a workshop or running a pop up, I channel my grandmothers with my own guests. I’m always telling people to keep space for a second serving and I feed people like a Teta would. I feel even more connected with them when I’m feeding people, and now that they’ve both passed it’s a feeling I greatly cherish.

What are popups. What does Haya’s Kitchen focus on in its pop ups? What is your approach in creating your own dishes for your pop ups?

HB: Everything that I do with Haya’s Kitchen is with the intention of preserving traditional food and dishes. So, everything I serve to people is truly traditional, without a modern day twist on it. With my pop ups, it came about as a way of me preserving street food and I discovered people’s love for my falafel sandwiches and decided to pursue it. I participated in a few food festivals this year to celebrate the beauty of Palestinian falafel and street food flavors.?

At Sufra, people come not only to enjoy the flavors of Palestine, but also to listen to stories. Where do you get the stories from?

HB: During the Sufra experience, guests sit at a communal table where I share with them the origins of the dishes, my own personal stories and the diversity of Palestinian food across the land. Throughout the courses, I offer a glimpse into the significance of the dish, its relevance to Palestinian culture along with the traditional ways of eating the dishes.

The stories come from my own family traditions and from my research of the land and culture. There are some dishes that I serve at the Sufra that my own family hadn’t tried, and so I’ve put time into researching and discovering new flavors to introduce to people. Because of the diversity of the land, different regions of Palestine have different dishes and there’s so much to discover, enjoy and create awareness for.

Do you have favorite chef/s? Do you actively seek inspiration from other chefs or cuisines?

HB: Growing up, I gathered cookbooks from my travels and I’ve now collected a decent amount of books from around the world. But, my biggest inspiration comes from my grandmothers and my mom. I was blessed growing up understanding good food and I believe it’s essential to keep that food alive. As the generations continue, recipes get lost and food is forgotten. And through Haya’s Kitchen I hope to keep the food alive for as long as I can.

How do you ensure that your customers have a memorable and enjoyable experience at your popups?

HB: Haya’s Kitchen is very personal to me and I put my heart and soul into everything that I create within it. When people see the passion and love that I put into it, they always appreciate it. And I’ve been blessed with an incredible community of people who support me.

What do you hope to achieve with Haya’s Kitchen?

HB: There are so many things I’d like to do with Haya’s Kitchen. Opening a traditional restaurant isn’t one of them. But hopefully one day I’ll be able to create a space that celebrates Palestine in all its forms. To support other Palestinians and come together to create something beautiful.

EAT: Eating Just 7 Grams of Fiber Every Day Can Cut Your Stroke Risk and Boost Your Overall Health

An older study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke found that a person’s first-time stroke risk dropped by 7% for every 7-gram fiber increase in their daily diet. The AHA recommends most adults get at least 25 grams of fiber daily. Foods that are high in fiber include: beans, lentils, fresh fruits like strawberries, oranges, blueberries, apples, and pears with skin; fresh vegetables like broccoli, Brussels' sprouts, green peas, and potatoes with skin, popcorn, avocados, oatmeal and nuts.

More fiber foods you should eat.

READ: CHOCOLAT, a novel by Joanne Harris is a delicious and charming summer read. Published in 1999, Chocolate tells the story of Vianne Rocher, a young single mother, and her daughter, Anouk, who arrive in a fictional French village named Lansquenet-sous-Tannes.

Vianne opens a chocolate shop called during the Lenten season, which goes against the conservative traditions of the village.

"Chocolat" is an enchanting novel filled with magic and romance. It portrays the power of the sights, smells, and tastes of chocolate as a means of breaking barriers and connecting people.

Chocolate was adapted into a successful film in 2000, starring Juliette Binoche as Vianne Rocher and Johnny Depp.

WATCH: INSHALLAH A BOY by Amjad Al Rasheed is a first feature from Jordan to compete at Cannes Film Festival?

The movie tells the story of Nawal (played by Jordanian actress Moana Hawa), 30s, wife and mother who finds herself suddenly a widow in Amman, Jordan. Grief stricken and trying to survive for the sake of her young daughter, also discovers that she has to fight for her part of the inheritance in order to save her daughter and home in a society where having a son would be a game changer.

Inchallah A Boy won the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail d'Or Award for feature film at Cannes Film Festival.?

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