**Caution: This post is intended for linguistics nerds.** đ As we walked into the famous Atlanta pizzeria, âAntico Pizzaâ, a bright green sign on the door caught my eye. âAPERTOâ, the poster proclaimed, the Italian word bold on the solid background. It was our last day in Atlanta, and we were about to head home … Continue reading A Slice of Pizza and a Linguistic Query
These past months, after returning from Jordan, I have been avidly following a lot of the NSLI-Y year program blogs, especially of the students who are studying Hindi and spending the year in Indore, a city in Central India. Reading their experiences has really made me think, and I have realized that I am getting … Continue reading Different Faiths through Different Lenses
Itâs been seven weeks since I came back to the States from my amazing summer in Jordan. When I first arrived, and was surrounded by English, Hindi, and essentially anything but Arabic, a frantic stress gripped me. Every day, hour, minute I was forgetting words I had spent weeks learning. In Jordan, I was surrounded … Continue reading Continuing with my Arabic Studies in the States
Code switching. The ability to seamlessly transition from one language to another without faltering. To some, it's second nature. To me, it's still a very distant dream. Growing up bilingual, I have found it easy to fluently switch between Hindi and English with the snap of a finger. However, as I continue to add more … Continue reading Code Switching: My Distant Dream
Picture yourself in high school. Youâre a high-performing student who works hard in school. Your grades are stellar, and you are invested in your extracurriculars. Youâve started looking at colleges so that you can pursue the career of your dreams. You have your eyes on some top, selective schools, and youâre all set to apply, … Continue reading Time to Turn Dreams into Reality
Before I left for Jordan, I made a couple of videos in which I practiced Arabic and shared what I knew. Now, after my NSLI-Y experience, I wanted to make another Arabic video, just for comparison's sake! Actually, when I told people I was in Jordan studying Arabic, a common question I got was, "Are … Continue reading Then and Now: Gauging my Arabic after Jordan
Today marks two whole weeks since I came back from Jordan, and I wanted to take some time to reflect (in this very long post) on these six weeks that changed my life, and the lessons they taught me. In addition to language and customs, I have come back with a lot of new insight … Continue reading Memories and Lessons: My Takeaway from Six Weeks Abroad
These past weeks, I have written many blog posts reflecting on my experiences in Jordan, ranging from language, to culture, to daily life. Its been a couple of days since I arrived in the US, and I am looking back on my memories. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let … Continue reading Snapshots: Six Weeks in Under 10 Minutes
Itâs early August and tensions have been brewing in Jerusalem, known to many as one of the holiest cities in the world. July marked increased conflict over a religious site known as Al-Aqsa to Muslims and Temple Mount to Jews, and regarded as incredibly important by both. To add to that, the killing of two … Continue reading Breaking Down Stereotypes
âYalla ya shabab!â, our teacher, Ustadha Salam called our attention with an enthusiastic, âCome on guys!â âStudy time is over; we are going to eat!â And with that, we abandoned our textbooks and notes for a surprise feast, wherein we were given a chance to taste the dishes that we saw in pictures, and savor … Continue reading “Bayti Baytak”: My Home is Yours
