A week after my last official day as an intern at GirlForward, I wake up to a phone buzzing with messages: “I miss you so much.” “How is school?” “You need to text me more!” Their messages brighten up my day. I’m not going to forget them. Although I have only known most of the … Continue reading Friendship Knows No Borders
Maria* and Catherine* chat quietly in Swahili, while Noor* and Farida* speak to each other in Pashto. I sit in the middle, a student of Arabic and a native speaker of Hindi/Urdu. Leading a literature circle of English language learners has been challenging, exciting, and deeply rewarding to say the least. Furthermore, working with the … Continue reading “Wow! I know some Pashto words!”… and other interesting observations
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
