The bus vibrates with the rhythm and melody of the latest Bollywood songs. Twenty girls clap, dance, and sing along, speaking intermittently in Dari, Urdu, Pashto, and Arabic. The large American flag waving outside the window is my only reminder that we are indeed in the States. Growing up, my parents told me many stories … Continue reading A post about bus rides… and being bus(y)
It’s June 29th, 2018. To some, it’s just another day. To me, June 29th is incredibly special. On this day, exactly a year ago, I landed in the Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan, marking the first day of a life-changing stay in Jordan. On June 29th I gained my first glimpses of a new … Continue reading Another nostalgic reflection about Jordan… except this time it’s been published!
“Thank you so much for applying to….” Those words. Those six words say so much. They’re just a benign “thank you”, right? Sure, but when those words are the first six words of a decision letter, you may as well not read on. They’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing-- a kind way of saying, “Sorry, … Continue reading For Every Door that Closes…
[VIDEO BELOW] It’s hard to believe that I started my real Arabic studies a little over a year ago. One year ago, I was counting days until my summer in Jordan. One year ago, I was feverishly reviewing conjugations and basic phrases. One year ago, I was trying hard to perfect my Arabic self-introduction. When I came back … Continue reading Video: One Year of Learning Arabic
Arabic in math class. Arabic in biology. Arabic in French. Arabic in English. Despite my school not offering an Arabic class, I have managed to incorporate Arabic language or culture into nearly every one of my classes. Of course, there's my study hall period, which I have transformed into a legitimate Arabic class. Every other … Continue reading Weaving Arabic through my Junior Courseload
It is possible to be addicted to language learning. I know, because I have all the symptoms. When I have an essay due for my IB HL English class, or a test in calculus the next day, when I am crumpling under academic stress, when I tell myself I am going to finish my homework … Continue reading Perfecting the Art of Procrastination: So Far(si), So Good
I live in Round Rock, Texas. Outside of Texas, I like to say that I’m from Austin, which is only minutes away, but to be honest, Round Rock and Austin are worlds apart. Round Rock is small suburban town that looks nothing like its big-city counterpart. Round Rock is quiet, whereas Austin is said to … Continue reading Finding Our Voices in a Small Texas Town (March for Our Lives in Williamson County)
**Caution: This post is for language nerds.** It’s Spring Break, and unlike many breaks, this one has been incredibly busy for me. In addition to seeking out summer opportunities and filling out program applications, I have been planning my very first NSLI-Y Alumni event, an information session about The Language Flagship. All the while, I … Continue reading Levantine Music and a Linguistic Epiphany
Imagine being surrounded by so much knowledge that all you can do is stare in awe. Imagine seeing so many shelves, stacked top to bottom, with books filled with hidden treasures. Imagine walking through rows and rows of books in hundreds of languages. Spending a day at the Perry-Castañeda Library at the University of Texas … Continue reading French, Arabic, and My New Favorite Library
Sitting in the small university lecture room, I flip through my notes. The girl on my right speaks Spanish as her first language, the student on my left knows French fluently, behind me sits an Arabic speaker, and the boy in front of me has grown up speaking Hindi. The past five minutes have been … Continue reading Diplomacy, Language, and a Weekend in Canada
