Greek Agenda

From 20th to 26th  March 2011 I went to Greece for a Comenius project. We were 7 people, 2 students, myself and 4 teachers from our school. We left Rome at about 09.30 and when we landed in Salonic. I met Nicholas , the student who would be hosting me in his house in Filyro , a small village 10 km form Salonicco. Nicholas hosted me in his house for a week: the first day I stayed at his house for a bit where we watched TV, played with his XBOX . In the afternoon Nicholas brought me on a tour of Filyro , and in the evening we had dinner and we went to sleep. On the second day we all met all at School and I got to know all the students from Portugal, Poland, Greece and Turkey. Together we visited the school and later we went to a Church and then to Salonicco. In the evening we all went to a Cafeteria and we toured Filyro . On the third day we visited 2 museums in Salonicco and after reaching the Tower of Salonicco ’on foot , we had lunch

at MacDonald’s and later, we walked across half the city reaching the Turkish consulate. After this trip everyone went home to change and to rest and in the evening we all met at Thodwra’s

house (a student) where we spent the evening.

On the fourth day we all met at school, because the school had organized a big party for us so we danced, ate, and played football. We returned home and we rested and later we wen tto a big school in Salonicco, and then to the city’s biggest mall, Here we ate, and bought a few things. On the fourth day we visited a museum out of town , and later we went to mount Olympus, toured a little village, then went to the sea, where we walked on the beach, ate ice‐cream and took photos. The fifth day (25.03.2011) was an important day in Greece, because on that day a parade is organised . After that we went to a Café, where all of the students and teachers from the comenius project received the certificates of attendance. In the evening we all met at a student’s house and we stayed until midnight and said goodbye to each other. It was a bad time for all us, we were all crying. The last day was the saddest of my life, in the morning the father of a student took us to the airport. I was very very very unhappy ! because I had met the best friends I have ever meet in my life. I will never forget them and they will always be in my heart ! I promised to go and meet them again in the summer. I would like thank my teachers Mrs Latempa and Mr Marrocco , the principal and the secretary and all those that made this experience possible and really hope to repeat this unforgettable experience , because it is the best trip I have ever done.

Thank you my Portuguese, Polish,Greek, Italian and Turkish friends,

By Souktani Mohamed

الحياة في المغرب : تجربة امريكي

                                  

قبل انتقالي للمغرب بعدة شهور, كانت لي عدة احكام و وجهات نظر حول العيش في شمال افريقيا و الدول الاسلامية.
ماذا يتوجب علي فعله حين اسمع اذان الصلاة؟ هل سأعامل بتسامح كوني مسيحي ؟ هل سيسمح لي ان اختلط بالنساء؟
كانت هذه جل الاسئلة التي كانت تجتاح فكري كلما فكرت بالذهاب الى المغرب.
المغرب الذي كنت اتخيل هو المغرب في افلام هوليود, كلما فكرت في المغرب ..كانت تتراء لي الجمال و الخيام و الفرق الاجنبية الفرنسية و الف ليلة وليلة.
من قدومي الى المغرب, اهلي و اصدقائي في امريكا يسألونني مختلف الاسئلة : هل لديهم طرق سريعة عامة  في المغرب؟ هل لديهم هواتف نقالة في المغرب ؟ هل يمتلكون غسالات الية ؟ كما اني سمعت اسئلة عديدة متعلقة بالجمال و الصحراء.

الان انا هنا, عشت و اشتغلت في مدينة فاس لعدة اشهر و كنت نادرا ما ارى اجنبيا في هذه المنطقة. استطيع القول اني مغمور تماما وسط الثقافة المغربية, فأنا أكل الاكل المغربي, أصدقائي مغاربة, ملابسي مغربية ,كما اني سافرت و زرت عدة اماكن.
منذ وصولي, رأيت كفايتي من اجهزة التلفزيون و الهواتف النقالة و الطرق السريعة و السيارات الفاخرة الاوروبية الصنع, الا اني لا زلت انتظر الوقت الذي ارى فيه الصحراء و الجمال التي يتحدث عنها الجميع.

كثير من الغربيين يحملون افكارا خاطئة عن المغرب. انا نفسي لم اكن أعي بشكل صحيح شيئا الى حين قدومي الى هنا.
لا يتم عزل النساء المسلمات في جناح بعيد بالمنزل ليتم منعها من اي تعامل مع الرجال, بل النساء في المغرب يعملون جنبا الى جنب مع الرجال في جميع المجالات  و الوظائف تقريبا. و يجدر بي ذكر ان النساء في المغرب لسن جميعا محجبات فالمغرب هو كباقي الدول يتمتع بتنوع ناسه و ثقافته.

بعض النساء من المحجبات يرتدين قفزات كي لا يظهر منهن الا منطقة العينين حين ينظرن من خلال حجابهن, كما ان البعض منهن يعتبر غطاء الرأس وحده كافيا. في حين ان بعض النساء لا يغطين رؤوسهن و لا وجوههن و هذا لا يضايق احدا من افراد المجتمع.

و من الملاحظ كثيرا ايضا رأيت محجبات يمشين رفقة سيدات لا يرتدين سوى وشاح لو لا يغطين رؤوسهن على الاطلاق, فهن نساء تجمعهم صداقات وطيدة  رغم اختلاف قناعاتهم الدينية .

تتمتع النساء هنا بحقوقهن ايضا, بعض الناس يعتقدون خطأ بأن النساء المسلمات يعشن في اضطهاد لمجرد ان نسبة قليلة منهن لا يعشن حياة حرة. أنا أعتقد ان النساء في المغرب هن من اكثر النساء حرية في العالم الاسلامي, فهن يذهبن و يجيئن متى يحلو لهن, يقودون السيارات, و يمارسن الاعمال التجارية او باقي الاشياء الضرورية.
ينبغي على المرء ان يعرف انه و بخلاف للنساء في الغرب, فالإسلام ضمن للمرأة حق التملك و الوراثة للممتلكات.  كما ان الحضارة الاسلامية عرفت عدة نساء قويات كان لهن تأثير قوي على مدى هاته الحضارة.

ففي فاس و على سبيل المثال, ستجد كنيس يهودي و مسجد الجامعة والذي تم تأسيسه من طرف نساء. جامعة القروين التي أسستها فاطمة الفهرية و تشتهر بكونها أقدم جامعة في العالم  تعمل بكيفية مستمرة, فمن الواضح ان النساء لم تكن محتجزة في اماكن مخصصة للحريم طوال اليوم بل كانت تلعب دورا هاما و مؤثرا في مجتمعاتهن.

و يجدر بي الاشارة الى ان المغرب هو دولة في طور التقدم تتمتع بشوارع واسعة و مرصفة ,كما ان في فاس توجد نوافير في كل منعطف .

كما شهدنا دعاية كبيرة لمشروع الملك لبناء خط الترام في الرباط و الذي يبدو انها كانت تجربة ناجحة. وخلافا لما قد يظن البعض فلدينا كهرباء و مياه جارية و كل متطلبات الحياة المريحة في هذا العصر الحديث. فلم ينقصني اي شيء مما كنت معتادا عليه في امريكا حتى مزيجي المفضل من تبغ الغليون.

يتمتع المغرب ايضا بقدر كبير من التسامح, فقبل سفري الى المغرب, فقد حذرني الكثير من الاصدقاء بخطورة ما أنا مقدم عليه خصوصا انني مسيحي و على وشك الانتقال الى دولة اسلامية. فالمسلمون يكرهون المسيحين ,هذا ما يقولون, ربما كان هذا صحيحا في بعض الاماكن لست ادري فمنذ مجيئي الى المغرب كنت اتناول طعامي مع مسلمين و نمت في بيوت لهم و اهتمت بي ممرضة منهم  حين مرضت لم احس باضطهاد او تمييز او احتقار في شخصي قط لكوني لست مسلما. اصدقائي كانو على دراية بأني لم اصم شهر رمضان و لم يزعجهم ذلك البته.

في الواقع, قمت بزيارة بعض الأصدقاء مسلم خلال شهر رمضان, وقد اصروا ان يعدوا لي طعاما لكي يتسنى لي تناول الطعام خلال النهار كالمعتاد بالنسبة لي. هم لا يتنولون الطعام الى حين الغسق و رغم ذلك لم يطلب مني احد ان اصوم معهم. ولم يحاول قط احد من اصدقائي المسلمين من مجيئي الى المغرب ان يقنعني باعتناق الاسلام. ببساطة ديانتي لا تشكل بنسبة لهم ادنى قلل.

انا الان اعيش في المغرب, مفاهيمي الان تتمتع بأسس اقوى و اصح و قد تم تصحيح جل المفاهيم الخاطئة و موافقتها مع الحقيقة.

الان اعلم أنني حين اسمع اذان الصلاة استطيع تجاهله. فالحياة عندي لا تتوقف حينها. الان اعلم ان معظم الناس لا يكترثون لديانتي و لا شيء يدعوني للقلق باحتمال تمييز عنصري و ديني في حقي. كثير من المسلمين يدعونني اخا او صديقا و انا متيقن انهم صادقون في مشاعرهم. أستطيع التواصل مع النساء, استطيع مرافقتهم, المشي و الحديث معهن سوى في الطريق او في منازلهن دون ادنى مشكلة. من السهل العيش في مجتمع اسلامي و انا مرتاح جدا هنا, و أعتقد بأنني سأبقى في المغرب وقتا أطول.

                                                                            جيس ل نورتون : مراسل المغرب اخبار العالم في فاس المغرب

  English version: here

A Journey through the United Arab Emirates

When I arrived at Dubai International Airport, I was struck by how cosmopolitan and busy it was, despite the very early morning hour.  The women in the airport were covered from head to toe in flowing black robes, and I could see the dark eyes of only a few.  Among some of the younger women I encountered, however, I noticed hints of “Western wear” under their traditional dress, including jeans and designer handbags. 

Once I left the airport, I was struck by the humidity and proliferation of expensive cars outside – Mercedes, BMWs, and SUVs with tinted windows.  Many of the drivers were talking on cellular phones, anxiously honking at other drivers, and attempting to pick up newly arriving passengers.

At that moment, it finally became real to me that I was thousands of miles away from the small Georgia town where I grew up in the United States; a town where everyone knows everyone and where, at first glance, you might not believe there is much to do.  How was it possible that I, a wheelchair user and Black woman, was able to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) alone, with all of the obstacles that seemingly confronted me?

"Regardless of the level of accessibility abroad, we learn something about ourselves and others. Furthermore, others may learn from us.  In fact, the more people with disabilities travel, the better accessibility will become."

In addition to growing up in a small community, I have a disability (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), so I never imagined that I would be able to travel to another state, not to mention another country.  Furthermore, until I met Dan Hopkins, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Technical Assistance and Consulting Center, I had never met a person with a disability who had traveled internationally.  Mr. Hopkins has a visual impairment, and it was he who “planted the seed” in me to travel abroad.  With his encouragement when I was an Assistant Professor at Langston University, I applied for a fellowship from the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) to spend one month assessing the attitudes of people with disabilities in the UAE.

In addition to preparing for my first international travel experience, I had to prepare to travel to a country where attitudes regarding my disability, ethnicity, and nationality were a concern for me. I also knew that the infrastructure would not be as accessible as it is in the United States. Still, I knew that I could adapt.  I played out every scenario in my head before I left.  What if I can’t get off the plane?  How will I get around?  How will I be perceived?  Will I be able to use the restroom?  What impact will I have, if any, on the people of the UAE?

In the end, my many concerns proved unwarranted.  Everyone was receptive and warm towards me. I did not experience any negativity from the people assisting me off of the plane, nor at any other time during my month-long stay in the UAE. I never experienced any fear, as strangers treated me like family from the moment we met.  I reciprocated this respect, often in small ways.  For example, I am not fond of tea or coffee, but drank it graciously each time it was offered to me. I quickly learned the need for an open and flexible mindset when traveling, especially internationally.

Each morning, before the busy day we had planned, I woke up to the beautiful sound of the call to morning prayer. I stayed in Al-Ain, a city in one of the seven emirates of the UAE.  During my stay, however, my host, Dr. Nasser Al-Ameri, took me to other emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as to a number of rehabilitation centers.  We also visited sand dunes in the desert and the highest peak of Jabel Hafeet Mountain.  I never thought that I would be atop a mountain, but there I was.  Travel makes many experiences possible! 

Access and People with Disabilities in the UAE

Despite the beautiful sites and a warm reception from local people, I did face architectural barriers in the UAE. In truth, I would have been unable to navigate on my own, a fact that was not lost on my host, Dr. Al-Ameri.  In order to adapt, I relied on my host, and others, for assistance entering inaccessible buildings, including restaurants, and getting in and out of vehicles.   

The barriers that I experienced in the UAE were architectural, all of which could be fixed given the tools and knowledge to do so.  For example, some of the public restrooms I encountered in the UAE were big and modern, purposely designed for mothers who need changing space for their infants. Given similar forethought to people with disabilities, accessibility could have easily been added to the design as well.  Since this wasn’t the case and there were no handrails in sight, I stood using the sink, or anything else that was available, for leverage.  I also had use of a bathroom in my host’s home that was accessible, although not by design.

Prior to my arrival, my host constructed a ramp to his villa and offered to rent a car for the duration of my stay, knowing that it would be difficult for me to climb into his SUV.  I declined, however, certain that we would find a way for me to use his vehicle, and we did.  I am unable to bend my legs or walk up steps, so we placed bricks on the ground in front of my wheelchair as leverage.  As I pulled up from my chair, I stood on the bricks themselves, instead of the ground, and thus was high enough to maneuver into the vehicle.  It was a perfect example of a reasonable, practical and inexpensive accommodation! People with disabilities who travel to the Middle East, or any other region, should ensure that they have an excellent point of contact in the host country, in addition to creative ways to handle challenging situations.

During my stay, I also got to observe how people with disabilities from the UAE manage.  At a governmental rehabilitation and employment center for people with disabilities, I learned a great deal about the services that are provided to young adults with disabilities in the UAE. The goal of the center is to increase opportunities for people with a variety of physical disabilities by providing not only employment training, but rehabilitation training, counseling and guidance, and recreational and cultural activities, as well. Some of the students were receiving employment training in graphic design, computer maintenance, and receptionist training, to name but a few occupations. One student boasted to me that she had recently received her driver's license!

Fortunately, I had an opportunity to attend the graduation ceremony of some of the students, which left a lasting impression on me.  I was surrounded by graduates in traditional dress, and I blended in with them, as I, too, was dressed traditionally.  The audience listened attentively as the President of the UAE, Shiekh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, addressed the students directly via video.  The graduation ceremony was indeed more “royal” than any I have ever attended. Moreover, the expressions on the faces of the graduates left me speechless. They were proud, as they should have been. Although I was only there for a few hours, I felt a certain kinship with those students, knowing that their accomplishments had not come easily.

The Lessons

Although the initial purpose of my trip was to assess the attitudes of people with disabilities in the UAE, I discovered that my visit had brought a new sense of awareness to my host, Dr. Al-Ameri, of architectural barriers to people with disabilities. He had observed my independence during a trip to the United States and realized how inaccessible the environment was when traveling with me in the UAE.  As a result of my visit, he too learned something about access and the need to foster change. For local people to internalize that attitude is very powerful.

During my short tenure in the UAE, I learned more than I ever could from a textbook.  I learned that this world truly is smaller than we think. It is easy to say that, but unbelievable to actually experience it.

Dr. Shonda McLaughlin has since moved on to become an experienced full-time counselor with the Washington, D.C., Regional Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Second, regardless of geography and disability, people with disabilities really can “go anywhere.”  Yes, there may be some barriers, but that really is the fun part!  Regardless of the level of accessibility abroad, we learn something about ourselves and others. Furthermore, others may learn from us.  In fact, the more people with disabilities travel, the better accessibility will become.

My experiences in the UAE have impacted me professionally as well.  In the classroom, I am now able to share my experiences with students and to encourage them to travel internationally.  Furthermore, I have discovered that my positive experiences in the UAE have helped to dispel preconceived notions of the Middle East.

Most importantly, I learned that stepping outside of my comfort zone is very rewarding, even if I am from a small town in Georgia. Exposure is a great teacher.

As Salaam Alaikum.

For more information:

The Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) conducts four types of international exchange programs involving researchers and technical assistance experts.

The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) has an online database of international exchange programs for students and professionals, including programs located throughout the Muslim World and the United States. 

A World Awaits You: Muslim World Issue features an extensive list of local, regional and international disability organizations, by country, and includes links to scholarship and financial aid resources for Americans and citizens of predominantly Muslim countries.

The Independent Living Institute offers to people with disabilities and their organizations online services and information, training materials, consultancy and technical assistance.  The Study and Work Abroad for All project builds a database with information about international study and traineeship opportunities for young people with disabilities.

The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) is an educational nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and abroad.

About the United Arab Emirates

With a history of over 5,000 years as an important post on ancient trade routes and thriving ultra-modern cities, infrastructure, shopping and entertainment, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has an astonishing mix of past and present.  This combination of the traditional and modern makes the United Arab Emirates a rich and fascinating travel destination in the Middle East.

Located within the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates borders Saudi Arabia, Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Straights of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Comprised of seven separate, but united Emirates or kingdoms (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajamn, Ras Al-Khaimah, Umm Al-Quiwain and Al-Fujairah), the UAE gained its independence from British colonial authorities in 1971 and has since built itself into a modern success-story.

Like many countries in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates is relatively accessible for people with disabilities – especially in the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.  Early in 2004, a draft law was submitted to grant and protect the rights of people with disabilities in the areas of employment, healthcare, education and access to facilities and services.  Equal rights without discrimination is the underlying goal.

By Shonda McLaughlin

Source : here

Trip to Estonia and Latvia

I really enjoyed reading Elizabeth Snouffer’s article “Eating Abroad with Diabetes–Hong Kong,” Catherine Price’s interview with world traveller Bridget McNulty, and Catherine’s posts  describing her own trips to Tokyo and Hawaii. So I thought I would follow the trend and write about my own first experience traveling with diabetes.

This summer, I went on a two-week trip to Estonia and Latvia to do research about my grandfather’s family. I had originally been given a grant to do this last summer, right after I had graduated from college, but then I was diagnosed with diabetes in early July. At that point, I couldn’t imagine traveling to a foreign country–I panicked even when trying to estimate the amount of carbohydrates in a Cosi sandwich. Luckily, the people at Penn who had provided the grant were understanding, and allowed me to wait a year before taking the trip.

I’m convinced that a major reason why Estonia and Latvia aren’t bigger tourist destinations is because they were behind the Iron Curtain, and so remain unknown to many Americans. They are both beautiful countries. I spent the first week of my trip in Riga, the capital of Latvia. Riga’s medieval old city is surrounded by rings of parks, constructed after the city’s medieval fortifications were razed in the late 19th century. Beyond these parks is Riga’s truly unique feature–a sprawling art nouveau district that UNESCO has declared a world heritage site. You can walk for blocks and blocks and only see incredibly rendered art nouveau facades.

         One of Riga's many parks

      Art nouveau architecture

Before World War II, Riga was home to a large Jewish population that included my great-grandparents and their children. By coincidence, I found out that the hotel where I was staying was in the same neighborhood as the apartment buildings in which my great aunts and uncles lived. I walked to each one and took photos–the building in which my great-uncle Isak lived is now a Ramada Inn!

I also got to see some of Latvia’s countryside. For two days I went to Sloka, a town about an hour away from Riga by train. Here, my great-grandfather’s family once owned a farm and raised horses. Architecturally, Sloka is now an incongruous mix of small wooden houses and looming Soviet-era structures. Although quite a few of the Soviet-era buildings are crumbling and dilapidated, many of the town’s inhabitants have no other option but to continue living in them. As I took the train back into the city, I looked out the window at the fields passing by and caught glimpses of people picking flowers to make into wreathes to wear on St. John’s Eve the next day.

        the Ramada Inn

Sloka

After all my worrying, my diabetes-related challenges in Riga were few. Since I was only going to be traveling for two weeks, I brought all my supplies with me, in addition to prescriptions from my doctor in case I misplaced the supplies I had and needed to buy more. (I’m happy to report I never did.) My parents, who were curious to see the places their ancestors had lived, came with me for the first week of my trip. It was reassuring to know that, in case of an emergency, I would have two people with me who knew what to do. In addition, many people in both Latvia and Estonia are at least reasonably fluent in English.

Unlike some of the other ASweetLife travelers, I didn’t do anything especially physically strenuous. But I was walking all the time. Our hotel was half an hour away from the Riga’s center, we’d inevitably make the trip back and forth more than once a day–retrieving maps, going out to dinner, etc. And once we reached the city center, we would have to walk somewhere else. It felt great to get so much exercise without even trying, but then my blood sugar started to go low more and more frequently. Finally, I decreased my dose of Lantus, and the problem was solved.

Source : here

Saudi Memories

My family first moved to Saudi Arabia in the early ‘90’s. This was before the first Gulf War, before September 11^th, before the subsequent entanglement in Afghanistan and second War in the Gulf. I had not yet turned seven when we landed at the Jeddah International Airport after 18 hours of travel from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Ten meters of snow were replaced by the orange glow of street lights over the gardens that lined each street. Palm trees and flowers that looked so startlingly out of place in the expanse of desert that surrounded the airport, kept alive by a constant steam of water - itself a product of a constant stream of oil exported to the Western world.

This wealth pouring into the country from buyers abroad was to structure all of my experiences in the country. The Royal Family of Saud controlled the wealth and used it to beautify their cities, palaces, and care for native Saudis. The design and management of these works and support systems were outsourced to specialists from the US, Europe, and to a lesser extent other Arab countries. The labor was done by migrant workers; Africa and South East Asia provided droves of young women as housekeepers and young men for the mixing and pouring of concrete.

Most of my time was spent in isolation from the Saudis and with only professional contact with the foreign laborers. Western workers and their families were housed in walled compounds in which wives were free to walk without covering their exposed skin, a law enforced by the Mutawa – religious police that were always a reason to flee to the restrooms and wait for them to pass when we happened to see them enter a shopping center. Not having hair covered was reason enough for deportation should one of these officers wish to enforce it.

My friends were the children of my father’s coworkers or those enrolled in the British Continental School of Jeddah.  Lebanese, Egyptian, Greek, French, British, and German playmates organized street hockey matches and a game called wall-ball which quickly degenerated into wildly throwing a tennis ball at whoever was closest. Waist bags full of marbles were conspiratorially opened and displayed to challengers before one of a certain perfect color was selected. Resting between the two competitors, the marble to be won or lost watched as a second flew past it until at last contact was made and the fight was over, the marble either returning to the safety of its pouch or being stolen away by its new owner. I lost a lot of nice marbles this way. I was never very good at it.

Back in the privacy of the Compound we would organize ourselves into battalions, working to build defenses and stockpile ammunition for a war against imaginary enemies. While some collected dates from the palm trees to be used as projectiles, others would climb the wall separating our compound from the bin Laden family junk yard. There Ethiopian and Filipino workers guarded broken bulldozers, discarded air-conditioning units, cement piping, scrap wood and a multitude of other necessities for any young army tasked with constructing a suitable fortress. We quickly learned the guard dogs there, scruffy German Shepherds, were more interested in human affection than protection, but that their playfulness would still give away our positions. The Filipinos were not fond of our pilfering and frequently chased off with sticks those of us not fast enough to dive into one of the many pipes or outposts we had scattered. There was no joy or terror like organizing the rescue party to climb back over the wall to find Ahmad after he had been separated from the group.

The school would periodically organize field trips to neighboring regions. One such excursion took us to Mada’in Saleh, a pre-Islamic city of the Nabateans. A city cut into the red stones of the desert, it is Petra scattered amongst the sand. Our route took us wide of the holy city of Mecca; the bus full of nonbelievers was not welcomed within city limits, and so our first night was spent next to a cliff face that did more to cut the loneliness of the area than the winds. After dropping us off, our Eritrean bus drivers left to secure us dinner. We played games in the sand until they returned with a goat which they butchered and roasted on an open fire that we were happy to help tend. After the first few bites of meat was eaten, a pick-up truck full of very angry and very armed Bedouin trained their weapons on our drivers and asked them, I would later find out, why they had stolen the goat. Papers quickly exchanged hands and the Bedouin, satisfied, departed. The goat was delicious and the games of throwing the removed testicles at each other was more than worth the price.

For a young American to be surrounded by that much diversity of religion and culture was something that made identifying with my peers stateside difficult after returning. I have not been back since our departure in 1996. Those who have been back since 2001 have spoken of Saudi Army presence outside of all Western compounds. I am glad I have not seen that.

By  Matthew Rasmussen

Colorado, USA

My Multicultural Experience in Europe

After traveling to Europe my views on teaching changed in ways I never thought possible. As, a college sophomore I thought I had my life figured out. I knew I wanted  to be a teacher and I figured I would teach in the same area I grew up in because that was  what I was comfortable with in my life. I grew up in an upper to middle class suburb of Chicago and always thought that I would teach in an area very similar. I attended 

Catholic, private schools, my entire life. These schools had no diversity at all. I had  never even thought about how much different life outside of my life in the suburbs could be. 

I was given the opportunity through the help of Quill to travel to Europe for a few weeks this past summer. I was able to participate in a multicultural education class. This class opened my eyes to a world I had never seen before. The class gave me the opportunity to see a diverse school for the first time in my twenty year old life. I thought to walk away from my experience with more credits and a view of the world I had never 

seen. I never could have even imagined that I would come away from the trip with so much more than what I had expected. 

 One school that we visited in Paris changed my view on teaching forever. St. John St. Georges consisted of students from all over the world. Some students were refugees who boarded at school while other students came from wealthy families. It was amazing for me to see students from England, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, China and many other countries working together in the same classroom. In today’s world it was amazing to me to see Catholics and Muslims sitting next to each other in class as one. The students did not even seem to realize that they were different. The students all seemed to celebrate in the fact that they could bring different positive aspects to the classroom including religion. The students all wore uniforms and most families were able to work with the school to see that their child received everything they needed. In the case that they needed financial aid it was not a problem for any student. We were given the opportunity to travel to other schools but no other school touched me the way that St. John St. Georges did. St. John St.George was the most diverse school we saw in our class. 

This year when deciding which elementary school I wanted to student teach at, I shocked my entire family; I chose a public school. I know this may not seem like a big deal to most people but this was huge to my family. Not only had I chose a public school I decided to teach in English as a second language classroom. I can honestly say that if I had not been given the opportunity to travel abroad I would probably be in the same type of classroom I had been accustom to in my life. I am not saying that the school I attended was a bad school but I believe that I have found my true calling because of the experiences I had in Europe. I know now that I would really enjoy teaching in the inner city school system. I want too look around my classroom and see students of every nationality. I only wish that every future teacher was able to share with me in this 

amazing opportunity.

By Emily Ann Bishea
USA

source : click here

Peace Corps Experience

When I first got accepted to join the United States Peace Corps in early 2011, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew at that time was that I was going to be living the next two years in the Republic of Moldova. Upon arrival in Moldova, I noticed an immensely different world then the one I had been living in. Everyone in Moldova was so welcoming and accepting of my presence. Country nationals were showing me where to go and helping answer any questions they could in English.


Across my first several months in Moldova, I had experienced many difficulties with learning the native language, Romanian, and becoming acquainted with the territory. However, the host family that I lived with helped me to integrate and learn about the rich culture and traditions present in this country. In addition the school I currently work for has also introduced me to the many holidays and events that take place specifically in Moldova.

At this point, with only a few months left in country, I could not be happier with my experience. I have had the fortunate opportunity to see a land completely different from my own and see the diverse culture that exists in Easter Europe. The most important part of life is to travel and to meet new cultures, because without this, we would be all alone in this vast world.






By Matt Greenley
Florida, USA

Arabic Version