Background on Myself

In order to fully be able to explain myself and the situations I have been in, it’s necessary to have full background disclosure. I love swimming, baking, yoga, and anything that fills my empty time. I was born in Jordan and I lived there until I was 7. I then moved to the United States in order for my parents to further their education. Education is something that has powered my family through everything. Many of the decisions that my parents have made have been for the sake of my education and I feel like that is the one thing that will help me achieve what I want. I’ve gone to the best schools and I’ve traveled and seen parts of the world that I would have never imagined. I love traveling and I believe that being ignorant about the world is something that I never want to be. With that being said, moving to the United States was by far one of the most challenging things we have had to do. Although we spoke English (and I later learned to speak Spanish), we needed time to adjust to the culture. I remember having to translate for my dad at the store or at school sometimes. I had to learn how to make friends with people that have grown in a different situation than I was. Because I was a kid, it was a quick adjustment. Although I consider my culture and beliefs are more Arab than western, living in the United States has shaped my mindset and taught me valuable lessons about history and human rights and the world as a whole.  I have seen people from different places of the world and the poor and the rich and that has helped me shape who I am and what I believe in. Seeing so many different people shows me what my priorities in life are, which are my family and my education. Although I don’t believe my culture has changed from what my parents have taught me, I am grateful that I got to change my mindset. This summer, I changed countries yet again in order to come to the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi was a definite shock of culture because the locals are much more different than any people from the United States or Jordan. The clothing, food, and habits are far from what I am used to. It’s been really fascinating to see how different people live and how I have found ways to adapt. Starting at Raha is such an interesting experience because I’ve never been surrounded by so many different cultures and people. The only thing that really bonds everyone together is the fact that we all know how to speak English, and that’s pretty cool.  Many of the people that I’ve met are bilingual and I get to see how that shapes who they are. I personally define culture as everything that shapes who you are as a person. Everyone in this school has found their own little culture and use that to dictate what they want to do and who they want to be. I am eternally grateful for being able to see so many different parts of the world and hearing so many different languages and experiencing so many different cultures because that shapes who I am and drives me to push for a bright future. I am nowhere near done with my travels and experiences and I hope that I am only at the beginning of my adventures.