of Lebanese surrounding the clock, anticipating the event, this will be a precious memory that will remain etched in my heart and a treasured experience for the rest of my life. As a family, we visited every part of Lebanon because of my father’s numerous clocks, and had the privilege of getting to know our homeland up close and personal. I am blessed with a photographic memory and remember everything vividly. In fact, it took me twenty years to return to Lebanon, and when I did, I was giving the drivers directions to all the places I wished to revisit. Even though the war destroyed most of his beautiful clocks, there are still quite a few that survived.
demonstrated by the brave step they took in moving the family to California permanently.
Did you have any trouble adapting to life in America? Since English was our second language, we were able to settle fairly quickly into the American life. In fact, one week into our move, I was able to complete my last two months of high school at Lawndale High to graduate with the class of 1976. This Bicentennial year was most significant in the history of the US and I still have the tassel of “Red, White, & Blue” in my memorabilia. We also immersed ourselves in church activities and got to meet many wonderful and warm neighbours in the community. As a family, we made it our goal to introduce the Americans to our Lebanese customs and culture. My father, Michel Medawar, was widely known as the Lebanese inventor of the “Talking Clock” and the local newspapers were eager to write about his story and our journey to America. Since my mother and I were a performing duo, we were also invited to many churches to perform hymns and spiritual songs. This led to an Arabic TV show which my parents and I presented every Sunday on a local station.
What were the circumstances of your move from Lebanon to the US? The civil war that started in 1975 brought us to the United States. Our first visit was during Christmas break of 1975 and then we came to settle in LA in the spring of 1976. My parents’ desire to give their children a safe and brighter future was
This opportunity allowed us to meet a large number of people of all cultural backgrounds.
How did your interest in music develop? What were the early influences on your taste and practice of music?