Why I want to learn Arabic

I wrote this essay for a scholarship application to Middlebury College’s Arabic Language School. The prompt was to write about the role of language in conflict resolution.

            I believe that one of the most pressing issues in America is an increasing sense of insecurity. I am not referring to the size and potency of our military forces, but the deepening sentiment that our self-identity as “the greatest country in the world” is somehow threatened by the economic and social agendas of other nations. Patriotism is becoming synonymous with ethnocentricity, and leading to the rejection of other cultures.           

The economic hardships and cultural prejudices that have dominated the post-9/11 era have created a dam in the flow of foreign policy. We engage in and threaten war in the regions that supply us with fuel, and yet withhold some of the basic structural and political support that would bolster our image as a true champion of freedom.

            Through my increasing interest in the Middle East in the past few years, I have become more aware of what I believe are the flaws in our international relations. I see a lack of appreciation for cultural diversity and pre-emptive judgment of others. American children are spoon-fed information about terrorists, but not about the localized populations who live under their regimes. I believe that if our media and foreign policy focused on these communities rather than the aggressive extremists who commandeer the political strata, Americans would begin to understand that military intervention is not our only superpower. Overzealous build-up of the Department of Defense does not make our country more secure. I think that a bullet is a cheap fix and a short-term solution, and the person on its receiving end usually has a son who will replace him with vengeance.

            Learning Arabic, for me, would be an opportunity to become a mediator toward long-term solutions. Our defense system is backward, and I believe that the most cost effective investment in the Middle East and Africa is to identify the societal discontents that terrorist organizations feed off of. The first step toward gaining trust and preparing for peace is to demonstrate genuine egalitarianism through language. Embracing cultural differences is the most American act possible, and in order to identify a mutual goal of peace, it is essential that each side be able to communicate and feel understood.

            Because my college doesn’t offer Arabic, I have tried to take advantage of other opportunities to learn more about the Middle East. I have been roused by speakers like Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan graduate of Middlebury who spoke at my college last year, and by stories from Nicholas Kristof’s Half the Sky. As the media tells horror stories about the abuse of women and the rates of violence, I try to understand the perpetuating factors of that cycle. I have learned that educating a generation can change the future of a country, and I believe that Americans have a great opportunity to learn here as well.

            Through Saint Michael’s Conversation Partner volunteer program I met Nora, a student from Saudi Arabia in the intensive English program. She has since become one of my closest friends, and because of our relationship I have learned more than any class could teach me. Nora’s desire to learn has inspired me to take this step in my own education. I want to retaliate to conflict with empathy rather than ethnocentricity, and learning Arabic will help me become a bridge of diplomacy. America needs a renewed foreign policy strategy that will emphasize its appreciation of cultural differences, its goal of mutual amity, and its continuing and unbending stance on freedom for those most oppressed and underrepresented. 

Five items you might underestimate

The purpose of this post is to identify some items in my dorm room that are small and non-essential, but really nice to have. Might be useful in August...

 

First, my thermos. It's insulated for hot liquids and super stylish! One of the great things about St. Mike's is that we have unlimited meal plans (except for seniors who live in townhouses with kitchens). That means you can go to Alliot seventeen times a day -if you want- but no one really does. I eat three meals a day there, but I also run in quickly sometimes to fill this mug with coffee before a meeting or grab a sandwich on the way to skiing. Quick options like this save me time and money, and the caffeine keeps me going.
*Fun fact: The necklaces in the background are hand made from recycled trash. Once a month I volunteer with MOVE at a men's independent living shelter- we go to a grocery store, cook dinner, and just chill with the guys. They're so appreciative, and one of the men makes these for us every time we go. I have a collection.

Next: Vitamins (in bottles and lotion). Vermont winter is nasty and really sucks the life out of my skin. A pump bottle of lotion is easily accessible and more affordable.  I also take the vitamins every morning at breakfast. I need them especially because I don't always eat a balanced diet in the dining hall, plus- I gave up meat for lent, which means I'm not getting any iron. Last week we had a blood drive on campus and these iron supplements saved me.
*Fun fact: Yes, that is my window screen behind this stuff. I took it out because my neighbors and I like to communicate by sticking our heads out the window. My room faces into the quad so there are always exciting people to shout at below.

My Brita Pitcher is the best (my fridge, not so much). Vermont tap water is probably some of the best stuff out there, but it's nice to have cold filtered water in my room when I'm thirsty instead of buying bottled water.
*Note to the future fridge purchaser: Don't buy this fridge. It's from Target, by Emerson- it has a whiteboard on the front and costs about $80. It runs perfectly fine but the setup is terrible. The door shelving is awkward, and it's so short that I had to take the middle rack out as well as the lid off of my pitcher off just to fit it inside. It can only fit on the middle shelf because if I put it on the bottom the door won't close. Terrible design!

This picture was intended to be of my reed diffuser, but my nightlight snuck in there too. I can't really complain because my room is awesome, but dorms can get a little stuffy in the winter when we can't open our windows. The diffuser isn't too strong but keeps things fresh.
*Another suggestion to keep your room fresh is to buy a standing fan rather than a window fan- in the winter you can prop open your door and turn on the fan, which helps with ventilation (and visitors!).

My whiteboard = my life. I'm really really organized but also really busy. I need to see what I'm doing or I get overwhelmed. My whiteboard lets me visualize the week and keeps me from stressing. This one is a calendar board (from Target). I also have a second whiteboard on my door for messages.

*Fun fact: The item with the star next to it says "Study Arabic." The IT department set me up with network access to the Rosetta Stone program to learn Arabic on my Macbook, which we get for FREE through the Language Learning Resource Center. It's something worth taking advantage of and is a nice break from homework (just like blogging)!