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.
Everyone believes In how they think it ought to be Everyone believes And they're not going easily
Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword Like punching under water You never can hit who you're trying for
We're never gonna win the world We're never gonna stop the war We're never gonna beat this If belief is what we're fighting for
What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand Belief can Belief can What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand Belief can Belief can
-John Mayer
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Blaming America
This has been a humbling couple of years for the United States...quite interesting. I wonder if a decade ago we would have envisioned such a season of pessimism and anger towards our "land of the free."
I would not like to be in Obama's shoes right now.
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