I am a second generation Australian Lebanese. My grandparents arrived in the early 1920's from Kfarsghab in Northern Lebanon. My father arrived in 1949. I have strong desires to travel to Lebanon and visit my town of origin but will probably wait till my children are old enough to treasure the experience. The Kfarsghab community in Australia is extensive and maintains a close relationship with its lebanese culture and roots.
Every family has stories of their past.
Apparently, the authorities at Ellis Island didn't understand our last name, which now has been lost, so they asked my great-grandfather for his father's first name, and wrote it down Abraham. 4 generations later, here I am, a California native, in search of where I really came from. I'd love to hear other people's stories. The name thing is only one aspect. In day to day life in this white washed land of America it's easy to forget where one comes from.