Ali was born and raised in Baalbek, Lebanon, which is not too far from the Syrian border. He spent his childhood having fun like any other child. As he got older, Ali took on a job as a nurse at a hospital and deeply enjoyed helping others, even if it was just a smile on his face. After seven years of working at the hospital, Ali then took on a part-time job as a home nurse helping elderly patients with illnesses that prevented them from doing basic actions such as walking and eating. While working as a nurse and at a hospital before the financial problem in Lebanon, Ali stated: “I was earning about $900 a month. ” (slightly below the average salary in Lebanon at the time).”I was very happy with this pay and everything in my life was good. I was able to buy everything I needed to support myself and my family. Now I earn just $40 a month and must save up anything I can and spend my money very wisely. I now travel by taxi and buses” (in Lebanon, the “buses” are dirty old vans with no AC and very small and uncomfortable seats). “I buy the cheapest food I can find, and every once in a while, I buy meat. Life is pretty hard right now, but I just graduated as a health advisor, and I am currently looking for a job in the field right now. The pay is better than a nurse, so I pray that I find a job to support my family.” When asked about why he takes on so many jobs and degrees, Ali said: “In this country, a person must have many majors to be satisfied in his life.” Though Ali is in a stressful situation in life, we still see he is very optimistic and loves talking to and helping anyone he sees on the street. In his final remarks, Ali stated: “The most important thing in life is to find joy and help others find that joy.”
