There’s much in the news these days about conflict in Syria and about the people fleeing that country.  It’s been twenty years since Aiman Tulaimat moved to Chicago from his native Syria. Tulaimat is a doctor at  John Stroger, Jr. Cook County Hospital. He met his wife Dima Turkmany in Syria when they were both in medical school. She came to Chicago a few months after him, so they could finish their studies here.

Last weekend the two of them joined StoryCorps Producer Bill Healy at the booth in the Cultural Center where he asked them about their ideal vision for how Americans would recognize their homeland of Syria.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from the current visit, as well as from previous trips.