Tatreez Talk
Tatreez Talk is a the podcast that stitches together the vibrant narratives of Palestinian embroidery! Join us as we chat with talented embroiderers and artists, sharing their stories, inspirations, and the cultural significance behind each meticulously crafted piece. Thread your needle, press play, and let the stories unfold…one stitch at a time.
Tatreez Talk
S7E3. Finding Her Way Home Through Tatreez with Israa
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ISRAA IS A TATREEZ ARTIST AND TEACHER BUILDING COMMUNITY IN OTTAWA (@tatreez.by.israa). Her family's story stretches from Al-Falouja to a refugee camp in Gaza, then Saudi Arabia, and eventually Canada — and it wasn't until she left Gaza that she discovered tatreez as a way to reconnect with a part of her identity she felt was missing.
What started as a personal desire to fill her new home with tatreez turned into teaching sessions for local youth and allies, a ripple effect of students who've since gone on to teach others, and a deep, ongoing relationship with her own family's craft. Check out this article Israa was featured in!
We talk about the devastating loss of family photos and heirlooms during the genocide, the recent arrival of her parents in Canada after nearly two years of processing, and how tatreez became a thread back to a grandmother she never had the chance to know. Israa also shares her multi-thobe journey in progress and an exciting upcoming community art collaboration with artist Hala Al-Madi (her website), bringing together tatreez pieces from women across Ottawa into a single gallery installation this fall.
You’ll hear about:
>> 1:29: Israa’s roots in Gaza
>> 6:14: Connecting to Gaza by learning tatreez
>> 11:12: Starting tatreez community in Ottawa
>> 20:35: Israa’s (ongoing) thobe journey
>> 27:29: Art collaboration with Hala Madi
>> 30:10: Teaching kiddos tatreez
>> 32:36: Growing community while energy around the Palestinian cause has waned
>> 36:40: Israa’s life lesson from tatreez
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Links Mentioned
>> Local tatreezer builds community through Palestinian embroidery article about Israa
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Hi, Stitchers. Welcome to Tatriz Talk, where we share conversations about Palestine embroidery. I'm Lina here with my co-host Amani, chatting to chatting with the talented embroiderers and artists, sharing their stories, inspirations, and the cultural significance behind their work.
SPEAKER_03And on today's episode, we are chatting with Isra, a Tatriz artist who is thriving to learn more about Tatriz and is also teaching Tatriz and building local community. So welcome to Tatriz Talk, Isra.
SPEAKER_01Hi, welcome. Thank you for hosting me.
SPEAKER_02Of course, we're glad to have you here. And Isra is a friend of mine. So she has been part of my community. She is making her own thob. And she's also connected with other folks in my community. So it's such a pleasure to see her on the podcast because I knew after seeing, and actually, Amani, one of our dear friends from the retreat last year, did an up did a an article, featured her in an article. So we'll have to we'll have to talk about that too. Yes, yes. Very cool. Very cool. But Sra, maybe to kick us off, we would love to hear about you and your family's connection to Palestine.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it's a long story. As old Palestinians, we have uh a rich kind of uh story to tell. Um I'm originally fl from a village called El Falujah. Um my grandfather was um kicked out from the village in 1948. He went uh kind of seek refugee at Gaza Strip. So um my father, my uncles all grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza. Um and it's kind of like a journey for our olestinian at that stage of life. Most of my dad's generation went to the Gulf or went to other countries to build a life. So my dad went to Saudi, I was born there. I spent all of my primary school there, but then we went back to Gaza, I finished high school, university in Gaza, but then I got married, moved into Canada. So my life is a journey. I have a bit of each country um in my life, um, but nothing like Gaza. Nothing has been shaped me the way I am, like Gaza right now. And uh um for for the funny part, I grew up in Gaza, never been stitching or never touched Tatriz. I just um learned Tatris when I when I came to Canada and I found out that I am missing that part in my life.
SPEAKER_03That's really interesting. Okay, so we definitely are gonna touch on that, but before we do, I'm curious. So you left, um, you moved to Canada, you got married, moved to Canada. Um, how long ago did you leave? And have you been able to kind of continue to go back and visit family, obviously prior to the start of this current genocide?
SPEAKER_01Yes, so uh I left almost 15 years ago from Gaza. I visited Gaza twice during the 15 years. The latest one is in 2022, it was really recent. Um, I was happy, I feel I was lucky, but at the same time, it was more painful because I saw Gaza the way it was right before the genocide. It was beautiful, there's a lot of things happening, people are building a life from nothing, like literally nothing. It just blew my mind off how the youth, the young people there trying to prove to the world that we can do it. I felt I felt proud there to the point I'm like, I actually want to move back and live in there. Like I thought about it seriously since my family, my parents were there too. I was like, why am I alone there? Gaza looks beautiful. I feel like my kids loved it, everything was awesome. But then the whole genocide happens and it just took another turn in my life. Uh I don't like to go there, but um we lost my brother in there. Alright. Alar Hamo. And uh after I think nine months of the genocide or ten months, I managed to evacuate my family to Egypt, and then finally they're here in Canada. Alhamdulillah. My parents arrived in November of this year after almost two years of processing. Yeah. But um it doesn't feel right, neither for me, neither for them. They still think about going back, they still think why would we leave? We like even though all of my uncles and aunts still there, they're telling them you're lucky that you're safe and you're in a better place right now. But you know, it's their home, it's everything they know. So it's a big adjust, especially for my parents.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can imagine. I remember you fighting for that, for them to get processed to to Canada, which is just unreal that we're in if in this experience having this experience, you know. Um but I'm happy that they made it and they're with you. I know there's a lot of families who have been separated and yes, and they're still struggling.
SPEAKER_01And unfortunately that that program was not much helping even for the family that made it there to Canada, they still feel like left out. So a lot of things need to be done.
SPEAKER_02Well, maybe we can start talking about your Telriz journey because I know that it started when you were there last in 2022. Do you want to share more about how you got started with Telfriz?
SPEAKER_01Um, so I I just felt like when I had so I bought my house. I was in a rental for a long time, but when I bought my house, I felt like I'm missing my identity. I want stuff that is having Tatris in my house. So when I went to visit in 2022, I saw all of the things that you can imagine of Tatris, like this little billows, like the map that I have in the back here. Um, even the car accessories was made of Tatris. It just blew my mind, and I was like, wanted to buy everything. And my mom looked at me and she's like, you know, you can't do that by yourself. You know how, you know, like you can't do it. It just you need to learn. And it just clicked in my head. And I and I said, uh, why not? Yes. Like instead of waiting for the chance I'm back home to buy something, why would I made it myself? And it just still there in my mind until I came back. And for a coincidence, I saw a page of uh a girl uh from Gaza, it's called Kinar. Um, and she's like amazing, and she was like, Oh, I'm doing online courses. So I'm like, Oh, let's take an online course and see. Even though my mom is a Tatrizer, my sisters are Tatrizers. I never been into Tatriz, I never wanted to learn. And I think my mom had that idea of like you can do it. So she I remember when I was a kid the first time she gave me like a big map, and she's like, Yeah, do it. I'm like, does it work with my brain? I can't function this way. But um, this lady, I I loved the way she teached me Totris. She like took it bit by bit. The second I had the hang of it, I was into it, and then I saw Lena, and it just like inspired me of like, oh, I need to have my own thob, I need to have my own thob. But it was like in the back of my head of I want to have my own thob. And um, so I started like only on Ida fabric, just like doing some stuff decoration, some stuff for my friends and stuff like that. But then when the genocide happens and we lost every picture of my grandma, and like I felt that little thing that hold me to know how her soap looks like just felt make me feel devastated. And I'm like, I don't I like I don't have any picture of her, I don't know how her soaps are look like, and these kind of the things like you feel you have it for granted, but then out of nowhere you lose it. Um, so I started the questions. I asked Lena, I asked people, like I need something from Al-Faluja, I need to more to learn more, I need to find motifs. I even asked relatives about their grandmas, like soaps, and all of that just like kept me going. And then I like I Lina thankfully made me join her community, um, and it just blew my mind. The amount of Totrezers that have the same feelings that me as me, like we just felt immediate bond right away because the the second one of us talking, we know how it feels. So I felt like I'm home in that community. I felt like the second I'm speaking up, it just I don't have to explain more. Like, people are getting it. Unfortunately, did not finish my thob yet. Because of all of the things I've been doing for the past two years and a half. It's it was a lot, it was advocacy, it was teaching tatries, it was it was I was like spread thin, so I never had a chance to to finish my thobe, unfortunately. But um, I I can say that I succeeded in different aspects in the community locally in Ottawa. So I I feel that is okay, I didn't finish my thob yet, but I did this and this. So um these kind of the things that I'm I'm kind of proud of it because I I just touched a lot of youth lives around me, a lot of ladies that they needed to learn, and they have their own pages right now, they teach the trees right now. It's just like that dominion effect that you just start with teaching someone, but that someone can teach another one, and I and I love that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let's talk a little bit about that community that you've been building. You know, you mentioned it. Um how did this start? How did it start that you decided, like, I want to build a local community? And what did you do to start that?
SPEAKER_01It started when we had the talks with youth um meeting up in protests and meeting up in advocacy meetings and stuff like that. A lot of youth felt that we want to learn more about our heritage. I don't know how to do tatris, I never touched tatries. I love to have tatris in my life, and I think it's a it's kind of a like a result of the genocide. People were more like feeling thirsty to feel that connection to our roots. And I just felt, why not? Why not I teach them how to do a little kind of a motive just to uh feel that connection? And it started from there. I started uh having here and there sessions with the advocacy and the youth, but then later a friend of mine, she's like, you know what? I'm gonna create the page for you. I'm gonna post that you are hold held helding um a learning session for beginners. She helped me pushing that aspect, and she's one of my students too, the first group. Um so I'm I feel like very, very close to that first group because we kind of like bond a lot in a way that allow us to be friends right now and see each other. Um and and she's now doing her own sessions too. Like I stopped because I because of my personal like life, I stopped having more sessions like that, but I see her now advertising for having like little cafes uh sessions with a lot of ladies that just want to talk and have their own tatries with them. So I feel like it just kicked a start of a series of events that could bring the community together. Um, and we did we did this map. Actually, this map I I got it from Gaza, but then when they saw it, they're like, we want to have this map, so we planned the sessions to have these maps, and we delivered at the end, I think around 11 maps, and most of these maps have been sold out for Gaza, like the benefits of that map went to Gaza for donation. But the ladies felt really proud. I was really proud of them that they finished it, they they worked on it and they saw the final product. Um the faces when I when I meet the ladies or the youth the first time, but then see them again while they're showing me off their their tatries, like beautiful tatries. I just feel like oh, that's so nice, you know. It's just it just the part of the healing journey that I want people to be in, and it really helped everybody around me, I know, and and to feel that connection and feel the healing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's so beautiful. And these are are these women all Palestinian, or did you have like allies in the community who were yeah, they're they're mixed.
SPEAKER_01They're mixed. Uh I have uh two Turkish sisters, I had um uh Yemeni uh uh uh girls, I had I had an actual session with only non-Arab, non-Palestinian, non-Muslim. Like it was like just allies, and and these people were a unique because um some of them actually visited Palestine and they are pro-Palestinian right now. So for them, it is to learn the history part of Tatriz. I was able to put that in in the session, um, make it very interesting.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know that's so beautiful. A lot of the allies are are doing really good work, which you know we're you know, I think it's beautiful to see. And um it's it's beautiful to share Tatriz with allies who are respecting it in a way that's that that makes sense and they're learning from Palestinians. And um, so it's really powerful that you're able to kind of curate that experience in Ottawa. Um, so is this account that you mentioned? I know that maybe you're not teaching as much, but is it it's still up and live? What's the name of the account for people who maybe are in Ottawa?
SPEAKER_01Uh Tatris by Isra. I can't share the uh the um link with you. Yeah, we can do that after.
SPEAKER_02We'll we'll put it we'll put it on the on the show in the show notes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it's Tatris by Isra, yes.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Okay, so that's the one that you created for yourself, and it just became uh more of like a hub. Perfect. I love it. Yeah, so now we can tell people if you're in Ottawa and you're listening, you have uh your resource to go learn from and um practice with. Uh, I'm also curious because you mentioned that your mom and your sister practice tatriz. How has that relationship maybe changed as you've gotten into tatriz? Are they do you now practice with them now that you guys are together?
SPEAKER_01Actually, yes, I didn't expect that. So my mom is very, very like neat and specific in her tatriz, and it was making it hard for me to compete with her.
SPEAKER_02It's not a competition.
SPEAKER_01For her it is, it's like, no, you got it right, you know. But um, she did her own thob without the waist cannabis, you know, the type of fabric that you do they call it Tatris Albat. So, and she did it like a long time ago, like um when she was in her 20s. I still have that though, and uh yeah, and I'm I love that fabric. I know it's you can't find this fabric anymore.
SPEAKER_03I know, uh it's so frustrating.
SPEAKER_01But um, I had a friend, her daughter was graduating in June, and she's like, I would love to have like these graduation sashes, and uh but with Tatris, can you make me one? And I'm like, Yeah, sure. But I didn't have the time to finish it. Oh, because she came like her her graduation like mid-June, and she's like first of June. I'm like, ah wow, it's too quiet, yes, yeah. So I I told my mom, I need your help, I need your help right now, and we work together, so I finish a part and she's like finishing the other part and we switch. But it was it was interesting um to see my mom doing tatris with me and just for her to see my tatris, and she's like, Oh, I like your tatris now.
SPEAKER_03Have you improved?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, kind of the approval that you're looking for. Yeah, that's funny.
SPEAKER_03She gave her stamp of approval. That is that's a big one when you get like your elders' approval. It's like, oh yes, I didn't embarrass I didn't embarrass my ancestors.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and even my dad, he looked at me while I'm doing tatries and he's like, You look like your grandma, and that alone just it just you know make me. I never saw her in my life, like she passed away when I was young, so I don't remember anything. But like him saying that, and he's like, Your grandma was really good tatrizer, she used to do a few projects in Gaza, and the lady of the project, I think her name was known, but I can't remember her name right now. Um, she specifically went to my grandmother to finish some of the important part that she wants to finish because she liked the way she did her tatries, and he's like, Oh, I see you like your grandma. Like, uh-huh, that's so cute. Oh, that's really you know that connection that you feel that's finally there. I just felt I'm proud. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I love that. That's really beautiful. Yeah, I think a lot of us can relate to having those moments and those experiences. Um, so you talked also about your thob um and your kind of journey to find something that is traditional to like your region. Can you talk a little bit about your soab um and you know the inspiration behind it, your journey so far?
SPEAKER_01So I started with Lena. I practiced cutting the thob, practice all like all of the steps, but the tatries part is not done yet. I did the digital form of the vision of the tatriz, and I think I just told Lena before my IT background kicked in into having that digitalized. So I I looked at one of in the beginning, I didn't have a lot of resources, but one of the motifs is Kentel Basha that was like uh done on the side panel of a thob from Al-Falusha, and the picture was like really not detailed, so I tried to mimic it and make it digitalize. That's my first vision of the thob. I wanted to have the khabbah with but using it with that unit, Khimtil Basha, all the way here, and on on the um sleeves, and the rest I want I didn't want to put much, I wanted to look like kind of like a simple dress more than a soap. But then I knew about the majdalawi fabric in in Egypt. I jumped into it, I bought my own majdalawi fabric, and now I have a different idea of a soap of using yes, right? Using uh the kabbe of Gaza on it, but I was thinking to add that side panel maybe on the side, and the idea is that's my root coming in from Fallujah, but I'm a Gaza daughter that's representing the kabbah, that's the idea of the thob. I'm hesitant to cut the fabric, that's why I'm still scared a bit. I I contacted the lady, a Palestinian lady, that she's doing some sort of sewing and stuff, and I'm like, maybe I want you to cut the fabric because it it's really expensive, and I don't want to. Yes. Yeah. Well, we're waiting for that.
SPEAKER_02How was how was that experience? Because I also ordered the Majdalawi fabric um from Husam is his name. Yeah. Hassan. Yeah. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Did you see him in person or you just ordered online? I can't remember.
SPEAKER_01No, ordered online, but my parents back then were in Egypt. So I just like did the connection between the two parties. They they delivered the fabric to my family, but I waited until my family came in in November and I had the chance to touch it. My mom laughed at me because the second I touched it, I'm like, oh my god. It's just a fabric. And I'm like, no, you don't understand. It's not just a fabric.
SPEAKER_02That fabric is special. It is it is. It is.
SPEAKER_01And going through fabric stores in Ottawa, it was some sort of a pain. It just like either you see the right fabric, but you don't like the color, and you're waiting for them to have the color that you want. And it just like that circle versus that one. I just I loved it without even putting tattooes on it. I loved the fabric.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I can understand that. I also um do not like cutting fabric. Um, I'm always scared I'm gonna mess that up, and especially with something as you're saying, like it's so precious. I know it's a different type of fabric, it's it's very it's very precious. Okay, so now you have multiple thulbes in the works. Is that what I'm hearing?
SPEAKER_01Yes, that's a typical of me having multiple projects running at the same time.
SPEAKER_03It's all right. I feel like that's a typical like the Panzer thing. So you're fine. No, no judgment. This is like a no judgment zone.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03So for you now, like you have gained this community online, you've built this community um in person. And you know, you've mentioned kind of the fact that your mom, your sisters, your all tatrizers, how has your Tatriz journey shaped or reshaped your relationship with them, with your own family?
SPEAKER_01Um, I just felt closer, and I just felt wow, my mom is an amazing lady doing all of that tatriz, you know? It just the second you do tatriz, you understand how much effort and how much you put from your soul in that piece. And and for my mom, I I grow up seeing my mom doing tatries for for other family members and um as a gift. So for me, it's like when I was young, I didn't understand it well, you know, it's just like my mom doing her own thing, you know. But now I see uh her as like you're an amazing lady doing that for people around you and putting that effort and give them a beautiful pieces to decorate their houses, it just means a lot. And it just Tatri's brought me closer to mom, to grandma, to my roots. I just felt that connection immediately being better, and uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02So special. It's so, so special, I think. Uh, and I we need those connections more than ever now. Um so I'm so happy that you were able to tap into this and tap into your uh to your lineage and to your family and all of these people. Um, so I know you're working on these different Athwab, but what are you like currently working on? What's is is the priority the Thoab, or do you have other projects that you're working on? They could also be not necessarily Papri specific, but more advocacy specific in Ottawa. Curious what you're working on.
SPEAKER_01Advocacy, I took a break.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, fair enough.
SPEAKER_01It's for a health reason. I I just felt I needed to step away a little bit. Yeah, but because of um the articles, the interviews have been done. I've been introduced to that artist. Her name is Hala, and uh Hala Modi, she's she's amazing. She just randomly contacted me and she's like, I would love to learn how to do tatries because I'm thinking of this project. She's working in a project to make paintings and tatries in together. And her idea is she wanted to do her own tatries, but she wants to bring different ladies from Ottawa and have their pieces added to that painting too. And um we met, we met so many times, um, and um she met the community that I have been like have a relationship with, and the ladies were very, very like it just touched my heart the second she said, I just want your tatries and your story to be added. The ladies like just give her everything. And it just touched my heart a lot that we all see the same vision and we all wanted it to show Palestine in the best beautiful way. So um I think her gallery will be held in Ottawa around October. I don't have a date exactly, but that's what's happening, and I am eager to see the the like the last version of her work because it has a multiple Tatris pieces from multiple ladies and me. So that's what we're we were doing with her. I'm thinking recently to go back in uh kind of like sessions that have a finished product at the end of it with the ladies um joining. So for example, instead of only teaching how the techniques maybe we can do um a little bookmark, a little mirror that have your tatries on it. So just to have them have that final result that they can be proud of, I think that's what I'm aiming for now to plan for, but still in the planning. Besides the though, I'm still waiting for that lady to respond to me.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I actually oh I forgot. I I did want to ask about your you said you have kids. Are you teaching them tatries?
SPEAKER_01Um, not yet. Not yet. I have two boys, but the youngest is really in tatries. But um uh I don't know if you can hear them. No, no, no, that's good. Uh the youngest is in tatries, and it's so funny. He got me his teddy bear, it was it was um like need to be sued, but he's like, Can you do the tatries thing on it? Oh, that's so sick. I love it. He wants to cover it, but not with the actual suing. He wanted it with the tatriz, and he's like, I want to learn tatries. I'm like, okay, we'll learn, but um I'm looking for uh materials that make tatris easy for kids because I remember as a kid it was really hard for me to follow the small openings in the fabric, like the Ada fabric. It was harder for a kid to hold the needle, and I remember that was my struggle. I'm I'm thinking of how can I help them? And I was thinking about the mesh kind of like wider opening, maybe we have materials like that, but I didn't look in the details for the market if we have anything or we need to customate some sort of stuff, but that's what I'm thinking of. Like these kids, what I want them to enjoy it, not feel the pressure of that details in the Tatris.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know several people have talked about you too, Emani.
SPEAKER_03You've talked about your nephew and uh using like plastic needles and yeah, yeah, but there has to be better options, honestly, because it is hard for kids. Um, and so many of them, especially when they see you do it, they do get interested and they would do want to learn and play with it. And I think it's good to get them off of their little iPads and get them off. Of course.
SPEAKER_01Of course, yes.
SPEAKER_03So, Isra, what is you know, you have your your thob, you have um, you know, you have this like exhibit. What do you want to do next in your Tatriz journey down the line? Like, what's your long-term goal with your Tatriz world, your Tatriz community?
SPEAKER_01The long-term goal is to build more community around us in Ottawa that learn about Tatris, that know about Tatris. But the thing that I'm facing now facing right now is that that eagerness once the genocide started, it faded a little bit right now. And it just maybe Lena touched into these in her videos. And in the second I saw Lena's videos, I'm like, yes, I I feel the same. I feel like if people never try Tataris, they don't know the value of it or the amount of work that you put into it. So I'm facing these kind of things too. Not because just thinking about it as a project, just in thinking about it the perspective of when you actually advertising for a session, the the the people are coming to registers not the same as before, even though it's still going on. It's it's the genocide never ends, but I guess it's a human being. Um I don't know, just get used to it. We shouldn't get used to it, but this is what's happening, unfortunately. So I feel that I feel the struggle in that part. I don't know how to overcome that part.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I actually completely relate to that, and I've seen the same thing because I teach classes pretty regularly, um, and definitely seen a slowdown this year, um even within our own community, honestly. Um, so it's interesting to see that, but hopefully it is um a short-lived issue. Uh, because I think we all know how important this is um to our culture and the preservation of our culture in the long term.
SPEAKER_01Yes, 100%, yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know Amani, you and I have spoken about that a lot together, like privately. Like the interest is like no longer there. It's it's yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's very it's just it's interesting, like I said, it's it's very interesting to see that shift. Um and I'm not sure exactly when it happened too. Like, you know what I mean? Like I know it happened this year. I've definitely seen that shift this year, but um again, hopefully it is something that's short-lived. Um, because I think this is it's just like such a beautiful way to connect. Like you talked yourself throughout this conversation of like connecting with people in your new community locally and also connecting deeper with your own family. And we talk about it all the time, Nina and I, about this connection that um we get with other Palestinians and non-Palestinians through Tahriz. Um, and that I think is one of the most beautiful parts of Tahiz.
SPEAKER_01Yes, 100%. And it's just a a beautiful side of Palestine. Because all the time when you say Palestine, people are getting uh either scared or don't want to talk about politics, or I don't want to get involved in this, right? But the second you talk about arts, about the trees, it's kind of a calm, a beautiful way to introduce Palestine, to talk about your heritage and your history without going into much of the details of the politics and all the bad things that could trigger unwanted emotions for people. And I understand it's not an easy thing to go through.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, Israel, this has been a great conversation. Um, now one thing that we always ask people um is are there any major life lessons that you have gained from Tatriz that you would like to share with everyone?
SPEAKER_01Um, patience. I learned how to be patient with Tatriz. It just um I'm a kind of a person want to do projects and did projects, did learn hobbies and live these hobbies and unfinished projects around the house, but Tatriz always had that in it of I know I can do a few stitches today and a few stitches tomorrow, and by the end of the month I'm gonna have my result, right? And that that and I think it's an important skill that you need in life, and I didn't have it to be honest. I just learned it with Tatriza, learned how to ground myself, even though when I when I'm tired or don't feel it, it's just I feel that Tatriza's like, I'm here for you where you left me. The second you start, I'm gonna finish, right? So yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Oh, it's so and it's so real. I love hearing because there's so obviously patience comes up a lot with this question, but it's always so wonderful to hear how people describe patience, like as more than just the word. Um, because it's true, it it is a really important skill with for for many things in life, you know. It's um you you do have to have some sort of faith in the end, uh, you know, or the goal, or like accomplishing whatever it is. And faltris is a very nice way to experience that. It does force you to wait. But as long as you do like one stitch a day, one stitch at a time, it it does complete itself if you stick with it. Um, so it's I like the way you described that.
SPEAKER_01And I and I want to add that to the way I see people tatris online, it just inspired me of color matching, and you feel like there's no wrong color and tatries. Like whatever you put colors together, it's an amazing end and result. So that too, it was a struggle for me in the beginning. I hesitant because I I struggle in matching the colors that are good together, but seeing uh people around me have an amazing Tatriz results, it just made me more um courage uh to use whatever colors I see could be fitting together. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. Such a great tip as well. Like, don't get hopefully folks who are listening, because I know a lot of people struggle with the colors. It's uh you just want to you just want to know that this is right or this is what there's no right or wrong, it's just a preference and exactly. Yeah, oh it's so beautiful. Thank you, Isra, so much for making it on here with us. Uh, we've just so enjoyed having you. I've I love having you as part of my own Taltriz community um and being in community with you and learning from you and what you're doing in Ottawa. Uh, we'll need to link the article that you are featured in. If there are also other articles that uh that I don't know about, please like send them over. We'll I'll be in touch with you after the after we record. Um, but in the meantime, you mentioned the Taltriz account, but do you want to share it again, the name and uh if there are other ways for people to follow or get in touch with you besides that account?
SPEAKER_01Um I have my WhatsApp number that people can reach out to me. And um, but I don't like to put it on public.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, I wouldn't either.
SPEAKER_01You could start, you could start with the Instagram page, and I can give you my number when you DM.
SPEAKER_02Amazing. Okay, so we'll we'll link the we'll link that Instagram account for sure. Yeah, thank you so much, Israel.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, Asrat. We'll talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_01Talk to you. Bye.
SPEAKER_03Bye.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I love talking to Asrat. She's so calming and so beautiful. And I just I love hearing her story. Um and I wanted to I wanted to actually put a plug-in for her. Like if you are from El Fallujah or you know someone who's from Al Faluja, please let us know if you have resources or photos of your Tetazaswab or people you know from the village, because I'm sure that I know I know another person also whose family hails from Al-Faluja, and it's just hard to find those types of resources. So for anyone listening, if you do happen to have anything, uh, please let us know. We can connect you to Israel. I know she would be forever grateful to have some sort of inspiration to finish the soul that she started, insha'Allah. Um, but it was so it was so lovely to hear from her. And for those who are listening, she's our first guest for the new season using this new platform. So it's great to kind of experiment here. Um, but uh it was so great. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. You know, as you were saying that, it made me think of something because I have I personally I've seen plenty of thobs from Romle, but not from specifically my mom's village, El Kabab. And I'm always like, oh, that'd be like I would probably just replicate it exactly if I found one. Um so yeah, we we need a digital archive of all these thobs. Um, because as we know, so many of us have had our history ripped from us. So I think that I'm not gonna say that that's a project we should take on. I'm not, don't worry.
SPEAKER_02I'm just gonna say we should take on. Oh my god, we love it doesn't have to be, listen, it doesn't have to be like anything super formal. It's like a community like contributed type of digital library. That's what I'm imagining.
SPEAKER_03Is something maybe we could do something like that on the website eventually.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that could be phase three of the website. Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_03Planning as we go. Um, anyways, yeah, no, it was a great conversation. Um, I always love hearing about people using three's to create local community. So um it's cool. And it's cool, like it started with the youth, you know. Look at that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh, but always a fun conversation. Excited for the rest of the conversations we're having this season. Um, and as always, you know, we thank you so much for listening, but we do want to hear from you and we want to hear about your Thetades journeys. Um, so feel free to share your stories with us at theties talk at gmail.com. And we might have you on an upcoming episode. Don't forget to subscribe um to the podcast on your favorite listening platform, and of course, leave us a five-star review. You could follow me at Min Emmanny, and you could follow Lena at Lena Slobe, and of course, follow the podcast at Thug Ladies Talk. We'll talk to you soon.
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