Face Time with Rawan Alhalabi

Sycamore resident Rawan Alhalabi, 34, was at her restaurant, Eden on the River in St. Charles, when she answered questions for the Kane County Chronicle's Brenda Schory.

Schory: Where did you grow up?

Alhalabi: In Jaramana by Damascus in Syria

Schory: Who would play you in the movie of your life?

Alhalabi: Catherine Zeta Jones

Schory: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Alhalabi: I was planning to be a lawyer. I studied law, and I was a lawyer in my country. But when I moved here, like everything was different. I became co-owner of a restaurant here with my husband, Omar al Musfi, and another partner.

Schory: Favorite charity?

Alhalabi: Syrian American Medical Society Foundation

Schory: Favorite local restaurant?

Alhalabi: Eden on the River in St. Charles

Schory: What is an interesting fact about yourself?

Alhalabi: It is so bad in Syria, you can’t imagine. I came to America in 2010 when I married my husband. … Six months later, the situation became really bad, the revolution started.

Schory: When did you learn English?

Alhalabi: When I was in my college, I used to go to the American school to improve my language at the American Embassy.