Reflections of a Cultural Mutt

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Half Breed: I’ll admit it, I’m unusual. I was born in the USA, but when my father took work overseas, my family began a life a world-wide travel, with our homebase in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This lifestyle brought me from the Vatican to Mecca, from the pyramids of Egypt to the streams of Venice, from the Taj Mahal to the plains of Kenya, from the beaches of Malaysia to the cafés of Paris. My father is a native-born Palestinian Muslim, while my mother is an American Lutheran. Yes, my life really has been as bizarre and contradictory as it sounds. Somehow, though, I’ve managed to reach age 18 without major psychological difficulties; actually, I’ve learned to celebrate the cultures that have shaped me over the years. I now reside in the US, but I still travel often. I'm majoring in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations, planning for a career in journalism. This world is rapidly shrinking, but I am greatly concerned that many people, including Americans, still lack the basic understanding and open-mindedness needed to sustain a peaceful coexistence. As someone who believes in the power of communication, I hope to use my simple words to enlighten—and enliven.

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