BREAKING KIBBEH

I am currently on my first international work trip to the UK after a long delay due to COVID, and almost every day, I have shared meals with a variety of people which has included work colleagues, clients, extended family, close friends, and even new friends.?

After emerging from restrictions, the opportunity to share these meals is a privilege, outrageous fun, and very cathartic. For me, sharing a meal is fundamental to physical and emotional well being.

There is one meal this trip that impacted me more than all the others. It was when my colleague Khalaf invited me to lunch with his family at their home.?

Not wanting to put them out for me, I resisted…but he insisted. “My wife is a good cook,” he said. “Plus I only live five minutes from the office.”

I was warmly welcomed with a feast of Syrian food. I was struck both by the deliciousness and variety of the food, as well as the love and effort they had put into preparing it. The food told a story - about their family, culture and journey to become part of the community in Cheltenham.?

Khalaf and his family arrived in the UK nearly three years ago fleeing conflict in Syria. They were assisted by Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), an organisation which matches displaced people with valuable skills to employers like Iress in countries happy to welcome them.?

Over lunch, Khalaf told me about how he and his family didn’t speak English when they arrived, but now do with confidence. While living in Lebanon after crossing the border from Syria, Khalaf was deprived of being able to work legally - now he has a secure job, in his field of expertise, and is a valued contributor to his team and Iress. Khalaf’s eldest daughter has settled in well at her new school, and the family have made many friends in their new community. They love their home and where they live in Cheltenham.?

But home is far more than where someone lives. Home is where people feel comfortable, a space that acknowledges and welcomes their culture, customs and ways of living. For Khalaf and his wife, sharing a meal around their family table is a way for them to share a little piece of their Syrian heritage while building meaningful relationships in their new home.?

There is an irony about travelling to the other side of the world to be reminded about the importance of home, as well as the strength of relationships and social bonds. And then the contrasting risk of over-reliance on virtual communication, and the impact this may have on the relationships we build with friends, family and colleagues. I strongly believe we are better together. Humans are social, and there is a magic to being physically (and mentally) present that technology doesn’t match (at least not yet). Teams are better when they’re together, because being part of a team and being creative and innovative and solving technical problems is about much more than productivity.

I could have Zoomed Khalaf and his family and worked hard to get to know them. But I would have missed the little details that helped me understand and appreciate them so much more. The smell of the food lovingly prepared. The laughter of their daughter running joyfully through their home. The sounds of their one year old son who woke from his sleep during lunch.?

Breaking kibbeh, sharing stories, and getting to know each other better, as people. It was an absolute privilege. Something I won’t take for granted again.