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Transcription: [00:37:44]
hire a buggy for them because they had the nightgown on and the police won't take us back. So I have to hire a buggy, horse and buggy, and take them there. And that I remember.

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Well that's in--

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
They have to learn.

{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Yes I know but [[?]]

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
First I remember the time they call me, someone call me. They used to live in apartment house. Will be maybe 10 15 of them would lived in one apartment or one flat.

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
How did they cook? How did they sleep?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
They sleep on the bathroom. They sleep on the floor. They sleep on the [branch-?] or anything. All what they-re do-- Those days they used to make a week. The best among them used make is $9 a week.

[00:37:44]
And from that $9 a week, they save their money. They build a church, first before anything. They ask for one of them-- took one well educated man from among them and ordain him a priest. And after that they support that priest, in that church, and save money.

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
And they still lived in these rooms?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
Yeah. After that they begin to get a little higher and higher.

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Were these all single men?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
All single men, there is no married men among them. Because all the wives was left in the old country.

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
How early was that Mr. Malik?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
I would say, up to about 1900 1905. They begin to come from-- The time I came to this country, in 1910, then more women. I remember on the boat there was at least about 50 to 75 women and wasn't many men came from the old country. And believe me I was their speaker and their leader. [[laughter]]

[00:37:44]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Well that's very interesting. Do you think they kept up their own Syrian habits that like this [[egal?]] is that gone very long?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
Oh they kept them for short time.

{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Oh I see.

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
They kept it for a short time till they begin to till their wives come.

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{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
How bout-- How are they doing like -- the way they remedied themselves with? I know they have different kind of remedies in the old country. Did they-- When they got sick did they use their old remedies do you think?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
When the-- The men they didn't because this is the woman took care of the remedies.

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{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Well I'm talking about--

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
So they didn't have-- The men they don't know nothing about these remedies. They have to go to a doctor. And there is one doctor, I still remember him, and he was drunk about 90% of the time he took care of you. And he was very good doctor when he is not a drink. [[laughter]] Because he used to come there and drink with them and take care of them.

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{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
He wasn't a Syrian?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
No, his name was Selizman.

{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Oh!

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{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Well it's interesting to me because it seems they had to bring some of their customs with them. And it would have taken time for them to change.

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
It took no time, I tell you. Men at one would begin-- Of course when I came here-- And I noticed lots of them their habits-- I use to go and preach to them and tell them.

[00:40:52]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
What kind of habits for example? Can you think of anything?

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
Well ah-- yes, many ways-- When I was first here, they come here because the men from the old country coming from certain family he get all the attention and all the respect even if he was the youngest among them. He get-- He was their leader, rather than applying to me. You see, that is not right. You see, I don't believe in that. I believe that they should of just-- What in the old country it won't work here. You have to depend on your own.

[00:41:28]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Right.

{SPEAKER name="Alexander Malik"}
What's my family, I left behind. Of course, naturally, to have a good family but to live good according to the American way. Well that, I tried to change, that's the reason I organized many clubs for them. And another thing--

[00:41:43]
{SPEAKER name="Selma Bonahoom"}
Well then they were able to change. I mean, it took people--

[00:41:48]

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