January 14th, 2017. I remember walking into the Austin Library last year, waiting for the 30 minutes that could possibly be my key to a life-changing experience: my NSLI-Y interview. Having arrived half an hour earlier, I was convinced that I would spend the time stressing out about what the interview would entail. In the … Continue reading From Applicant to Alumna: Volunteering at NSLI-Y Interviews
Matching names with faces. Profile pictures and speech bubbles on a Facebook group chat come alive. Last weekend, I spent four days in the busy capital of the nation, Washington D.C., for the 2018 NSLI-Y Alumni Representative Workshop. NSLI-Y Alumni Representatives lead the NSLI-Y Alumni Association, and work to bring alumni in their region together … Continue reading 2018 NSLI-Y Alumni Representative Workshop
I was lucky to spend my last two days of Morocco in Rabat, a small but vibrant city on the Atlantic coast. Rabat is special for many reasons. First and foremost, it’s the capital of the nation. The city houses embassies and consulates, government agencies, and of course, the royal family. Most importantly to me, … Continue reading Meeting with NSLI-Y Students in Morocco!!
You develop an interest. You go abroad. You learn a language, and become steeped in another culture. You come back home. You connect with alumni. You exchange ideas. You give back to your community. Months after my experience in Jordan, I feel like my summer abroad has finally come a full circle. For the past … Continue reading Coming a Full Circle: Giving Back after my NSLI-Y Experience
Jerusalem. Al Quds. Temple Mount. Al Aqsa. Israel. Palestine. Regarded by members of all three Western religions as one of the most holy cities in the world, the piece of land has been fought over for eons. President Trump’s decision earlier this week to officially declare the coveted city as the “capital of Israel” was … Continue reading Opinion: Trump’s Decision on Jerusalem… America’s Newest Diplomatic Catastrophe?
I am so honored to say that I have been selected as an alumni representative for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program! Being an alumni representative has been a dream of mine ever since I came back from Jordan, and I can't believe it has come true! As a Virtual Representative, I … Continue reading I’m a NSLI-Y Alumni Representative!
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
Shraddha Joshi 