Written on May 10, 2015
I am going back to the Arab World this summer and living with a host family in Jordan for 9 weeks. This time I am going with 10 other people on a program called DukeEngage in Jordan. Unlike last year’s summer abroad, I won’t be taking courses rather I’ll be working in the capital for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is an environmental organization that works with corporations, governments, and other organizations to enact environmental initiatives.
The Arab World as we all know is going through tremendous change with revolutions, oppression, and war being the predominant words of choice when talking about the region. Jordan has an interesting role because she is at the heart of this unrest but is a safe haven for refugees and foreigners. To the North and Northeast we have Syria and Iraq which have been taken over by ISIS (or known in Arabic as Da’ish ) and other militant groups. To the South we have Saudi Arabia, and we also have Yemen, which is going through its own civil war. To the West we have the conflicts between Israel and Palestine that many of us are familiar with.
Many have asked me why I want to spend my summer in a region that is relatively unsafe where at any notice my group might have to suddenly evacuate. The truth is, the Arab World has drawn me in for the longest time. My first interactions with the Arab World was when I was in elementary school watching footage of America bombing Baghdad post 9/11. At that age, I felt that America was fighting for justice. Older now, I definitely don’t think that was the case. My second most significant interaction with the Arab World was when I participated in a volunteer program called Conversation Partner during my junior year of high school where I was paired with a 22 year old Saudi Arabian woman to help her improve her English. We rarely ever did small talk. Instead, I questioned her on Saudi Arabia’s government and the oppression of women and she questioned me on my then Agnostic faith. She handed me my first Qur’an and taught me the Arabic alphabet. From there, I started learning Arabic during my senior year of high school, and now I have completed 3 years of studying the language. (To be honest I’m still not that great at it, but I hope to get better by the end of these 9 weeks!) Then, during the summer after my freshman year at Duke, I studied the Moroccan dialect and Moroccan culture in a study abroad program called Duke in the Arab World. I guess you could say that the Arab World has been a significant part of my 20 years of life.
There is something that draws me to the Middle East that I don’t think I necessarily understand just yet. I feel challenged when trying to learn Arabic and understand the issues in the region, and the complexity of these issues feeds my curiosity. The Arab World is a beautiful place filled with rich ideas and cultures that makes me want come back and explore some more. I want to start this blog as a way to reflect on the challenges that I may face as well as a way to document all the explorations and great food in Jordan. I am by no means great at writing, and since the start of my engineering degree, I honestly can’t remember the last time I seriously wrote anything. Bear with the grammar errors and pictures of vegetarian food.
I am going back to the Arab World this summer and living with a host family in Jordan for 9 weeks. This time I am going with 10 other people on a program called DukeEngage in Jordan. Unlike last year’s summer abroad, I won’t be taking courses rather I’ll be working in the capital for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is an environmental organization that works with corporations, governments, and other organizations to enact environmental initiatives.
The Arab World as we all know is going through tremendous change with revolutions, oppression, and war being the predominant words of choice when talking about the region. Jordan has an interesting role because she is at the heart of this unrest but is a safe haven for refugees and foreigners. To the North and Northeast we have Syria and Iraq which have been taken over by ISIS (or known in Arabic as Da’ish ) and other militant groups. To the South we have Saudi Arabia, and we also have Yemen, which is going through its own civil war. To the West we have the conflicts between Israel and Palestine that many of us are familiar with.
Many have asked me why I want to spend my summer in a region that is relatively unsafe where at any notice my group might have to suddenly evacuate. The truth is, the Arab World has drawn me in for the longest time. My first interactions with the Arab World was when I was in elementary school watching footage of America bombing Baghdad post 9/11. At that age, I felt that America was fighting for justice. Older now, I definitely don’t think that was the case. My second most significant interaction with the Arab World was when I participated in a volunteer program called Conversation Partner during my junior year of high school where I was paired with a 22 year old Saudi Arabian woman to help her improve her English. We rarely ever did small talk. Instead, I questioned her on Saudi Arabia’s government and the oppression of women and she questioned me on my then Agnostic faith. She handed me my first Qur’an and taught me the Arabic alphabet. From there, I started learning Arabic during my senior year of high school, and now I have completed 3 years of studying the language. (To be honest I’m still not that great at it, but I hope to get better by the end of these 9 weeks!) Then, during the summer after my freshman year at Duke, I studied the Moroccan dialect and Moroccan culture in a study abroad program called Duke in the Arab World. I guess you could say that the Arab World has been a significant part of my 20 years of life.
There is something that draws me to the Middle East that I don’t think I necessarily understand just yet. I feel challenged when trying to learn Arabic and understand the issues in the region, and the complexity of these issues feeds my curiosity. The Arab World is a beautiful place filled with rich ideas and cultures that makes me want come back and explore some more. I want to start this blog as a way to reflect on the challenges that I may face as well as a way to document all the explorations and great food in Jordan. I am by no means great at writing, and since the start of my engineering degree, I honestly can’t remember the last time I seriously wrote anything. Bear with the grammar errors and pictures of vegetarian food.