Sometimes, when I sit in Arabic class, I feel like an imposter. I’m the literal definition of “fake it till you make it,” or so it seems. Those are the rough times. The days when my teacher expresses her surprise because there’s a basic grammar concept that I don’t know, or I mess up for … Continue reading My Relationship with Arabic: It’s Complicated…
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!
When I saw the NSLI-Y challenge for International Education Week, the question got me thinking. “How would you convince your neighbor to apply for NSLI-Y? Share about the benefits of cultural exchange.” I mused over the question for a while, and tried to think of the best answer that would truly capture the enormous impact … Continue reading I would go again in a heartbeat…
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
It’s 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
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
It’s 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
“Yalla ya shabab!”, our teacher, Ustadha Salam called our attention with an enthusiastic, “Come on guys!” “Study time is over; we are going to eat!” 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
Shraddha Joshi 