Throughout my childhood, I was constantly reminded how much I didn’t know about my heritage. I never understood my parents when they spoke in Arabic. They enrolled me in a Sunday school to learn Islamic studies, which turned out to be ineffective. Whenever I spoke on the phone with family overseas, I couldn’t understand a word they said. As a result, eight years ago, my parents flipped my life upside down and inside out by making the biggest decision of our lives: We were moving halfway across the world, all the way to Amman, Jordan. Naturally, this decision was shocking to me, but it was a great many other things as well. I felt excited, yet scared; fascinated, yet furious. Day and night, I constantly thought of this upcoming adventure …show more content…
What I thought would be a simple “moving to a new home” became something much, much more.
Looking back at this chapter in my life, I believe my experiences in Jordan have played a huge part in the reasoning for many of my major beliefs and actions. Visiting different parts of the Middle East has introduced me to the political and ethical views of its people. Being exposed, sometimes first hand, to incidents in the Middle East established an interest in me for current events and involving myself in charity and volunteer work for the region. Learning Arabic and about my religion has allowed me to volunteer at the Arabic and Islamic School of Roanoke, where I have been fortunate enough to pass on my knowledge to young Muslims in my community. Additionally, my time in Jordan has led me to become much more open-minded. I think that being exposed to differing ideas and beliefs overseas and in the US has made me more accepting and interested in other cultures and lifestyles.
My move overseas was truly a “journey” that offered my undeniably valuable experience and knowledge of my roots. It also allowed me to embrace my diversity and use it to learn more about my true self and to successfully identify myself with the Arab and Muslim communities in America. All in all, I believe that living in Jordan has played a huge part in the piecing together of my identity. Without this experience, I do not think I would have accomplished many of the things I
The day was finally here. It was November 11, 1990, the day that our family was to go to ¡®Land Of Liberty.¡¯ I heard so many different things about this country called United States of America and I was warned that it would be nothing you¡¯ve expected. The plane ride did not seem as long as it was; partly because I was lost in my own thoughts with hopes and anxiety. I thought about what I will become in this massive country I was headed and how soon I will adapt to this new culture and people.
Until now my experiences in this country had been very special to me. For the first time, I had to be away from my family. I was forced to make every decision without being reliant on the wisdom of elders. For the first time, I saw and spoke to
Coming to the U.S. has changed my life. Since I arrived at the Newark Airport few year ago. This coming to the U.S. has changed my life forever. Going to school in the U.S. was an important change in my life. Learning English and communicating with people made me know many interesting parts of American way of life. For example, I like to watch a history movie with friends or visit a museum with friends. These can helping me improve my knowledge of the American culture and understanding more English. To having something to interesting is made my life to have fun.
I grew up in Pakistan with a diverse culture around me. Before moving to the U.S., the city I grew up in was a blend of people who lived there because of their jobs, education and business purposes. I learned that poverty, marginalization and violence, neither had a religion nor selects people of a specific faith to attack them. This made me devote myself to the church and its programs to serve all children of God spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and fighting for social justice against the systemic evil in the world.
There are many significant parts of my life that have had a huge impact on my personality, but there is one that has not only affected me, but has changed me for the better. My personal life changing experience was coming to America. For me, this bridge between my old life and new life is a shaky bridge that I attempted to cross and entered a whole new realm of life which changed everything. The decision about coming to America has taught me how to respect other people, be more responsible, and be more loving towards various friends and families. It has also helped me adapt to the new life that I’m about to begin. It was so unexpected. Out of nowhere my parents broke the news: “We’re going to America!” Living in a big town of Bhopal,
It was my very first time to leave my native land, to migrate to a new country. All I thought about was, that I moving to a better place with a much more superior system. When I first set my foot in this country, I was amazed by the beauty and how developed the U.S. was. I was literally living my dream, and sometimes it seemed impossible to believe, I was living in the most powerful country. Although, I was living my dream until I had to start
My story starts in the year of 2003, when I decided to follow up on my
During the last eleven years I have worked at the department of motor vehicles. I have met many people from different backgrounds and cultures. While I worked at the Tempe office, I came across many people from the Middle East, mainly Arabs and people from Pakistan and India. It was through my dealings with Middle East people that I notice how friendly and accessible they are. It was then that an interest in finding more about this culture started. When I decided to visit a mosque as part this project I was not sure what to expect. My experience is divided in two, as I ended up visiting two different mosques. On Saturday January 24 around 12:45 pm I arrived at a mosque located in
During the trip, I personally experienced several events that forced me to question my personal long held beliefs and traditions. On the second day, while walking downtown to find a restaurant, a tall Arabic man walked out of an alcove and shouted “All ahu Akbar!” at myself and some friends. For a brief moment I was terrified, but my fear quickly subsided, and he burst out laughing. This experience brought to light many hidden, irrational fears I had held about the trip. It made me consider radical Islam in a new fashion, and my opinions regarding the European refugee crisis were
It was a beautiful, sunny day in South Florida. I was six years old, playing by the pool with my new puppy. I loved swimming in the pool almost every day after school. I also enjoyed going out on our boat after school or crossing the street and going to the beach. My father came home one evening with some interesting news. Now, I do not remember exactly how I felt about the news at that time, but it seemed like I did not mind that much. He had announced that we were going to move back to my birth country, Belgium. I had been living in Florida for five years and it was basically all I had known so I did not know what to expect. I had to live with my mom at first, and then my sister would join us after she graduated high school and my father
At the age of 11, my life took a turn. To others, immigration was moving from country to country, but to me, it meant leaving my friends and family behind. On August 7, 2012 we moved to Canada. With all the challenges I was facing from immigration the biggest challenge was finding my identity in which I felt comfortable and knew I belonged. When I came from Pakistan I wore hijab. I was born in the year of 9/11 and that time my dad used to live in America when I grew up, my dad used to tell me what happened to Muslims in America after 9/11 so when my parents told me we were moving to Canada I was frightened to even though I knew that Canada is a different country and it both accepts and respects people of different origin. So when I moved to Canada I knew I had the decision to make, a decision about my identity, decision about who I want to be seen as.
In 1992, I emigrated from Somalia to Yemen. I had to adapt a new language, customs, people, and environment.
At the age of six years, I moved to the United States. Create new steps and setting goals while I learn the new culture. The instant I set foot on American soil, I sensed a new me with a different sense of responsibility towards my family, the need to protect and make them proud. I felt more mature as a person. I believe I always had a leadership quality in me. I was independent girl with a positive attitude and indian values. In my life my beliefs, values are stronger than anything.
Moving to America was the biggest change in my life. Before, I know very little of this world and my thoughts and opinion were very narrow. I did not have the best education and I think little about my future since I lived in a refugee camp. I also could not open myself up to people of different background because of the lack of diversity while living in the camp. But moving to America I was introduced with a new culture, education, and diversity that changes my life and my views.
Typically, people like to think getting up and moving to another country is as easy as it sounds. People leave their home countries for various reasons, to escape as a refugee, or immigrate for a change in life. As easy as it seems to be there are so many roadblocks along the way. The country was created thousands of years ago as the holy land but over time, it has gone through different rulers and at many times the Jewish people of Israel was exiled and forced to leave the only country they knew. The history of Israel is important because it dictates as to why immigration and leaving that country to go to others in the Middle East is impossible. People have been dealing with war, military, religious, and gender regulations in Israel