I always had mixed feelings about the Los Angeles Times. It's a prestigious newspapers but their reporting on the Middle East and Africa should be tremendously improved. I understand that it's terribly expensive to send reporters there but it will make their articles more real,credible and truthful if their reporters travelled to the countries they are reporting about.
When we talked to Tereisa Watanabe, a Japanese-American journalist from the LA times, I was convinced that my idea is right. Watanabe is the head of the Japan Bureau of the LA times however, she also writes about the Middle East. We talked to her about the Middle East for a while and after we told her to come visit us. She said she is scared. The fact that she writes about the Middle East but is not aware of how things are in one of the major Middle Eastern countries is very interesting. This does not only apply to the Middle East. Later on, I will discover it applies to Sudan and Africa too.
We visited the LA times headquarters in LA. It was huge, well equipped and modern. What I really liked about the offices there is every office is as personalized as you can get. People spend alot of times at work. Their office becomes part of their life and because it is part of their life, it should reflect their personality, tell people about their life. I like it when people put pictures and things that represent them in their office. Our tour guide was an Asian-American too. It's interesting because 30 years ago, this wasn't possible. Females and minorities joined the LA team in the 1970's and 1980's. I was interested in finding out about LA times reportes in Africa and the Middle East. To my surprise, LA Times only had three reported for Africa and two for the Middle East. They didn't have any reporter in the Sudan, a country often in the news. they shouldn't necessarily have a full-time reporter there but when they want to report something there, they should send somebody to see things with their own eyes and get the true story. This is often not the case. I've read some articles published by the LA Times with false claims about the Sudan. I wasn't convinced enough by his claim that Darfur is too dangerous to report. In 2006 alone, over 40 journalists died in Iraq. During a number of years, many journalists died in Palestine. Not a single journalist died in Darfur.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
My encounter with Central Perk
We went to Stanley Sheinbaum's house for lunch. Sheinbaum is the most accompolished man I've ever seen. He convinced Yasser Arafat in 1988 to recognize Israel as a country, he brought Human Rights Watch to the west coast, he is the published of New Perspectives Quarterly. He is the kind of man who did so much for others in his life.
His wife is called Betty Warner. Her father was one of the founders of the warner brothers studios. Betty and Stanley seemed like the perfect couple. They are both accomplished in their own way. Betty is a painter. What makes her paintings more appealing to me is the simple fact that most of them are of people. Individuals in their daily life, talking,walking,having coffee. They are real, they are easy to understand and they represent things you do daily in a beautiful way. During our conversation with Betty Warner, I expected her to ask me an interesting question about Africa since she found out earlier that I have an interest in African affairs. Instead, she expressed afro-pesimism by saying does anything god every comes out of there. I'm not in denial about my continent's problem but I'm just hopeful. Our problems are not impossible to solve but they are difficult. I'm aware of the enormity of the situation but at the same time, if we all sat down with our hands in our pocket and started complaining about the corrupt governments,disease and illiteracy,conflicts and poverty, things are never going to change. China faced many problems 30 years ago but they worked hard to change things.They implemented a successful economic reform program and started benefiting from the greatest natural resource ever, humanbeings. If we showed afro-pesimism then Africa will remain the poorest continent on earth. If others show pesimisn, it affects me because there are afro-pesmists than optimists.
The warner brothers studios are not owned by the warner family anymore however, Betty Warner was able to get us on a VIP tour. I saw things I never dreamed of seeing. The cafe where many episodes of Friends were filmed, the streets where they walked, the park where they sat. I saw the hospital where Chicago Hope was filmed. It was amazing to be there and to see the places where my favorite actors and actresses spend many hours for many years.
After eating lunch with such important figures and visiting Warner Brothers. I felt grateful for being on this trip because I'm doing things I will never be able to do with parents.
His wife is called Betty Warner. Her father was one of the founders of the warner brothers studios. Betty and Stanley seemed like the perfect couple. They are both accomplished in their own way. Betty is a painter. What makes her paintings more appealing to me is the simple fact that most of them are of people. Individuals in their daily life, talking,walking,having coffee. They are real, they are easy to understand and they represent things you do daily in a beautiful way. During our conversation with Betty Warner, I expected her to ask me an interesting question about Africa since she found out earlier that I have an interest in African affairs. Instead, she expressed afro-pesimism by saying does anything god every comes out of there. I'm not in denial about my continent's problem but I'm just hopeful. Our problems are not impossible to solve but they are difficult. I'm aware of the enormity of the situation but at the same time, if we all sat down with our hands in our pocket and started complaining about the corrupt governments,disease and illiteracy,conflicts and poverty, things are never going to change. China faced many problems 30 years ago but they worked hard to change things.They implemented a successful economic reform program and started benefiting from the greatest natural resource ever, humanbeings. If we showed afro-pesimism then Africa will remain the poorest continent on earth. If others show pesimisn, it affects me because there are afro-pesmists than optimists.
The warner brothers studios are not owned by the warner family anymore however, Betty Warner was able to get us on a VIP tour. I saw things I never dreamed of seeing. The cafe where many episodes of Friends were filmed, the streets where they walked, the park where they sat. I saw the hospital where Chicago Hope was filmed. It was amazing to be there and to see the places where my favorite actors and actresses spend many hours for many years.
After eating lunch with such important figures and visiting Warner Brothers. I felt grateful for being on this trip because I'm doing things I will never be able to do with parents.
Carpinteria will be missed
We are back to Carpinteria. We are back to the Beach House where we spent lovely times and shared nice memories. We spent a whole week in Carpinteria before, I got so used to the beach house, to the beach and to Virginia and Joan. It's ok to leave a place but when you are sure you won't be back in such a long time, it's sadening. I had to go back to the places I won't see in a long time. We went to The Coffee Bean where I had coffee a few times during our stay there, to Giordana, the pizza place we visited before and the street where we spent our Saturday Night Out.
At the Coffee Bean, we all asked about the Save Darfur cd. Apparently, they ran out of it. I was sad and happy to hear that. I was sad because I wanted a copy of the CD and I was happy because people were buying it. At the Pizza place, we interacted with the Mexican employees. This marked one of the last interactions with latino's this trip for all of us.
We sat on the main street in Carpinteria. The streets were quiet and clean. I started taking random pictures and filming movie clips of a place I'm going to miss. Memories don't fade away but pictures last forever.
At the Coffee Bean, we all asked about the Save Darfur cd. Apparently, they ran out of it. I was sad and happy to hear that. I was sad because I wanted a copy of the CD and I was happy because people were buying it. At the Pizza place, we interacted with the Mexican employees. This marked one of the last interactions with latino's this trip for all of us.
We sat on the main street in Carpinteria. The streets were quiet and clean. I started taking random pictures and filming movie clips of a place I'm going to miss. Memories don't fade away but pictures last forever.
Making a home away from home
When I went to the gas station to get water in the morning, I had a feeling that the employee there was not exactly American. He might have been a holder of the American passport but he wasn’t necessarily born or raised here. Going back to talk to him later that day proved me right.
The serious-looking employee is called Ibrahim Bakana and he was a native of Liberia. Bakana
was the research assistant of an American professor from the university of Santa Barbara in the 1980’s and his pay wasn’t in cash. Apparently, she promised to pay him back by helping him
get a scholarship to an American university. Liberia fought a brutal civil war on and off for many years and as the war seemed endless, Bakana moved to the United States four years ago and applied for political asylum. As a “dedicated” Muslim, Bakana complained that the US has many temptations. According to him, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is a big challenge not only because of abstaining from food and drinks but also because of the way women dress here. I found this very interesting because I believe that you shouldn’t give up your religious and moral beliefs to fit in a society but at the same time, if you choose to stay here you should compromise. If living in a different environment is such a nuisance, going home will be a better option. In Bakana’s case, it is not a great option but later on, I was convinced it was an option for his employer. I didn’t mind Bakana stating his opinion about how things work in the United States because it is his right to speak his mind but my biggest worry is Bakana becoming one of them extremists we see on TV. I saw a program a couple of weeks ago about a Jamaican/British Muslim who wants to impose shariah law on England. I like having freedom of choice especially when it comes to religion but I would never consider imposing my opinion on others because simply, it is my own personal opinion!
Bakana didn’t hesitate in showing his feelings when he said he misses home. I related to him when he said that. It was interesting to see a person who lives in a first world country, who has a proper job and who I suppose has some luxuries millions of people don’t have especially in our part of the world. I consider myself privileged. In fact I lived a life many people I know could never dream off. Bakana and I are both from war-torn countries. We were forced out of our war-ravaged countries to other countries. In my case, not necessarily developed countries but countries at peace. I always wanted to ask other immigrants who fled their countries because of war and instability one question, would you have considered leaving your country if it was at peace?
Personally, I think that living in your country is amazing but self-preservation is even more important.
The serious-looking employee is called Ibrahim Bakana and he was a native of Liberia. Bakana
was the research assistant of an American professor from the university of Santa Barbara in the 1980’s and his pay wasn’t in cash. Apparently, she promised to pay him back by helping him
get a scholarship to an American university. Liberia fought a brutal civil war on and off for many years and as the war seemed endless, Bakana moved to the United States four years ago and applied for political asylum. As a “dedicated” Muslim, Bakana complained that the US has many temptations. According to him, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is a big challenge not only because of abstaining from food and drinks but also because of the way women dress here. I found this very interesting because I believe that you shouldn’t give up your religious and moral beliefs to fit in a society but at the same time, if you choose to stay here you should compromise. If living in a different environment is such a nuisance, going home will be a better option. In Bakana’s case, it is not a great option but later on, I was convinced it was an option for his employer. I didn’t mind Bakana stating his opinion about how things work in the United States because it is his right to speak his mind but my biggest worry is Bakana becoming one of them extremists we see on TV. I saw a program a couple of weeks ago about a Jamaican/British Muslim who wants to impose shariah law on England. I like having freedom of choice especially when it comes to religion but I would never consider imposing my opinion on others because simply, it is my own personal opinion!
Bakana didn’t hesitate in showing his feelings when he said he misses home. I related to him when he said that. It was interesting to see a person who lives in a first world country, who has a proper job and who I suppose has some luxuries millions of people don’t have especially in our part of the world. I consider myself privileged. In fact I lived a life many people I know could never dream off. Bakana and I are both from war-torn countries. We were forced out of our war-ravaged countries to other countries. In my case, not necessarily developed countries but countries at peace. I always wanted to ask other immigrants who fled their countries because of war and instability one question, would you have considered leaving your country if it was at peace?
Personally, I think that living in your country is amazing but self-preservation is even more important.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
My very own American Dream
Everytime I used to think of America. Four things will come to mind. Madonna. New York. Fast-Food. San Francisco. I considered San Francisco an icon of America. It represented so much to me. Multi-culturalism, the golden gate bridge, art and culture, roller-coaster like streets and fashionable stores. We arrived in San Francisco at 3:30 pm. After the first five minutes, I couldn't resist not thinking about living here.
We are staying at the Chateau Tivoli, a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast inn built in the 1890’s. I felt comfortable and at home at the Chateau Tivoli. Although it was a long trip and I was tired, I didn’t want to stay home. I wanted to explore the city I always dreamed of seeing. We phoned a taxi and went to one of San Francisco’s malls. During the 15 minutes taxi-ride, I was mesmerized by the cleanliness and organization of the streets of San Francisco. The city looked old but new at the same time. I saw many lovely Victorian houses , different ethnicies, art galleries and international restaurants. Things were just like I expected them to be. The mall was a good introduction to the city’s classy and unique fashion styles. There was a good representative sample of the different styles of the city . From pink hair and black clothes to long shirts and tights. From prada bags and Armani shirts to baggy jeans and extra long t-shirts. All these styles were evident at Stoneage Mall.
I sat in the food court eating and observing the different people. In san Francisco, it’s hard to miss the Asian community. They are in malls, streets, shops or even restaurants. The Asian population in San Francisco is large and prosperous. The food court consisted of 8 restaurants; four of them specialized in Asian food. The visitors were overwhelmingly Asian. Asians seemed more at home than Latino's. It could be because they are doing better in America than Latino's or because most of the Illegal immigrants are from South America so people don't look at the Asians as illegal immigrants. The Asians I heard in the mall spoke English and Chinese or Japanese. They seemed integrated yet attached to their culture and traditions. they seemed part of the American society yet part of their own society. They made me think of the true definition of integration. Did the Asians have to detach themselves from their culture and fully adopt the American way to be American? They didn't. I believe that they compromised. They took the best of the two worlds to create an integrated community that contributes so much to
San Francisco and America.
We are staying at the Chateau Tivoli, a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast inn built in the 1890’s. I felt comfortable and at home at the Chateau Tivoli. Although it was a long trip and I was tired, I didn’t want to stay home. I wanted to explore the city I always dreamed of seeing. We phoned a taxi and went to one of San Francisco’s malls. During the 15 minutes taxi-ride, I was mesmerized by the cleanliness and organization of the streets of San Francisco. The city looked old but new at the same time. I saw many lovely Victorian houses , different ethnicies, art galleries and international restaurants. Things were just like I expected them to be. The mall was a good introduction to the city’s classy and unique fashion styles. There was a good representative sample of the different styles of the city . From pink hair and black clothes to long shirts and tights. From prada bags and Armani shirts to baggy jeans and extra long t-shirts. All these styles were evident at Stoneage Mall.
I sat in the food court eating and observing the different people. In san Francisco, it’s hard to miss the Asian community. They are in malls, streets, shops or even restaurants. The Asian population in San Francisco is large and prosperous. The food court consisted of 8 restaurants; four of them specialized in Asian food. The visitors were overwhelmingly Asian. Asians seemed more at home than Latino's. It could be because they are doing better in America than Latino's or because most of the Illegal immigrants are from South America so people don't look at the Asians as illegal immigrants. The Asians I heard in the mall spoke English and Chinese or Japanese. They seemed integrated yet attached to their culture and traditions. they seemed part of the American society yet part of their own society. They made me think of the true definition of integration. Did the Asians have to detach themselves from their culture and fully adopt the American way to be American? They didn't. I believe that they compromised. They took the best of the two worlds to create an integrated community that contributes so much to
San Francisco and America.
Los Olivos
A not very quiet town with expensive shops, diverse art gallery, wineries and very European-style buildings. Los Olivos is a bit lively and is home to a more chic type of people. Next to the shop selling expensive European antiques, you can notice a few social interactions. It seems that the people living there lived there for a while or at least knew most people in the small town of Los Olivos.
Afternoon at UCSB
Today our day was a mix of Latino, Arab and African. I had the chance to visit Casa De La Raza or House of the people, a community center established to help the Latino and other immigrant communities, meet an Arab-American lecturer and talk-show host and attend the production of a live show discussing the news of Third World countries.
Casa De La Raza was built n the 60’s during the civil rights movements. The center is located in a Latino neighborhood and it combines all forms of art such as theatre and music. It also provides the Latino community and other non-Latino with legal, housing, employment and medical services. Not to mention the after school programs, cultural programs and dance competitions. Casa De La Raza was similar to the refugee centers in Cairo however; they were more funded, bigger in size and offered more facilities. The classes in the refugee centers in Egypt are usually overcrowded, not very clean and they don’t have many school tools. The classes here are big and because of the small number of students, there is better interaction with the teachers. After a tour around the center, I met Marisela Marquez, a Mexican-American professor at UCSB and one of the directors of Casa De La Raza. Marquez is a second-generation immigrant who worked hard to get to where she is now and is working hard to help other Latino immigrants through her work with Casa De La Raza and the center for Chicano studies. The conversation with Marquez made me reconsider the exact definition I had for “immigrant”. Most of the Mexican immigrants in America are here for economic reasons. In other words, they were forced to leave their country to search for better living conditions. They are simply forced immigrants. You don’t have to leave a war zone to be “forced” out of your country. You can be forced out by poverty, famine or even drought. Their reasons might be different from the refugees in Cairo but they are both forced. It's interesting how a group of people living in different continents might have similar experiences.
I also found the diverse programs offered for immigrants here interesting. For example, the ART Reach program where they educate high school students about their culture through art. I thought it was a great idea to educate the youth through creative means. It made me think about the children born to refugee parents in Cairo who know nothing about their country. They are so close to it yet they are so distanced. Some of them have parents who lived through the war there, were hurt or had a family member killed. They don’t have good memories of it so talking about it to their chidren is out of the question. one can't help but think about the positive impacts this program will have on young refugee here.
My day kept getting more interesting. I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Robinson, a third generation Arab-American of Lebanese descent who is the director of the KCSB radio station at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the presenter and producer of Third World News Review. Robinson was an intellectual feminist and anti-racism activist. She is a proud Arab who is as American as you can get. She is very outspoken especially about the hate acts and xenophobia towards Muslims and Arabs in America. Robinson made me feel very comfortable talking to her and she related to some of the issues I had to say such as discrimination.I told her about my experience as an African in the Middle East and she shared her experience as an Arab in America. I asked about the political involvement of UCSB students and the strong activist groups here. She told me that there are a few politically involved students but I just had to see for myself. Walking around UCSB, one couldn’t help but notice the posters and the graffiti that screams “Stop the war in Iraq” , “anti-war”, “hunger strike for the Lebanon war”. Students cared about other people who are a day plane journey away. Iraq and Lebanon are not the only countries on the minds of the students there; the “Save Darfur” t-shirts can be seen too. When I saw a girl wearing the green Save Darfur t-shirt, it just reassured me that the American civil society cares about what’s happening in the world.
Robinson told us a bit about her public access tv talk show but hopefully, we were able to be there, watch her present and watch the directors and others do their job. The content of the show was interesting for me. It was about Nigeria, a country I was reading a book about, racism in France and anti-Muslims attacks in Britain. Every topic meant something to me and I was glad that they were informing the American public about topics that should be significant to everyone.
Casa De La Raza was built n the 60’s during the civil rights movements. The center is located in a Latino neighborhood and it combines all forms of art such as theatre and music. It also provides the Latino community and other non-Latino with legal, housing, employment and medical services. Not to mention the after school programs, cultural programs and dance competitions. Casa De La Raza was similar to the refugee centers in Cairo however; they were more funded, bigger in size and offered more facilities. The classes in the refugee centers in Egypt are usually overcrowded, not very clean and they don’t have many school tools. The classes here are big and because of the small number of students, there is better interaction with the teachers. After a tour around the center, I met Marisela Marquez, a Mexican-American professor at UCSB and one of the directors of Casa De La Raza. Marquez is a second-generation immigrant who worked hard to get to where she is now and is working hard to help other Latino immigrants through her work with Casa De La Raza and the center for Chicano studies. The conversation with Marquez made me reconsider the exact definition I had for “immigrant”. Most of the Mexican immigrants in America are here for economic reasons. In other words, they were forced to leave their country to search for better living conditions. They are simply forced immigrants. You don’t have to leave a war zone to be “forced” out of your country. You can be forced out by poverty, famine or even drought. Their reasons might be different from the refugees in Cairo but they are both forced. It's interesting how a group of people living in different continents might have similar experiences.
I also found the diverse programs offered for immigrants here interesting. For example, the ART Reach program where they educate high school students about their culture through art. I thought it was a great idea to educate the youth through creative means. It made me think about the children born to refugee parents in Cairo who know nothing about their country. They are so close to it yet they are so distanced. Some of them have parents who lived through the war there, were hurt or had a family member killed. They don’t have good memories of it so talking about it to their chidren is out of the question. one can't help but think about the positive impacts this program will have on young refugee here.
My day kept getting more interesting. I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Robinson, a third generation Arab-American of Lebanese descent who is the director of the KCSB radio station at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the presenter and producer of Third World News Review. Robinson was an intellectual feminist and anti-racism activist. She is a proud Arab who is as American as you can get. She is very outspoken especially about the hate acts and xenophobia towards Muslims and Arabs in America. Robinson made me feel very comfortable talking to her and she related to some of the issues I had to say such as discrimination.I told her about my experience as an African in the Middle East and she shared her experience as an Arab in America. I asked about the political involvement of UCSB students and the strong activist groups here. She told me that there are a few politically involved students but I just had to see for myself. Walking around UCSB, one couldn’t help but notice the posters and the graffiti that screams “Stop the war in Iraq” , “anti-war”, “hunger strike for the Lebanon war”. Students cared about other people who are a day plane journey away. Iraq and Lebanon are not the only countries on the minds of the students there; the “Save Darfur” t-shirts can be seen too. When I saw a girl wearing the green Save Darfur t-shirt, it just reassured me that the American civil society cares about what’s happening in the world.
Robinson told us a bit about her public access tv talk show but hopefully, we were able to be there, watch her present and watch the directors and others do their job. The content of the show was interesting for me. It was about Nigeria, a country I was reading a book about, racism in France and anti-Muslims attacks in Britain. Every topic meant something to me and I was glad that they were informing the American public about topics that should be significant to everyone.
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Campfire songs we never learned
The first thing that come to my mind when we entered Oakhurst, is do people actually live here? The idea of people living here seemed like a vague idea for some reason. It was just too far and isolated for me to imagine it as an actual town. America is huge. It is home to many cities and towns. Different states have different populations and California is the most populous state. At least 40 million live in California. Oakhurst was a small town and the possibility of an Arab living in such a small town was very slim. Let’s not forget that nothing is impossible. George, a middle-aged Lebanese man owns Katie’s Kitchen, a restaurant he bought from a retired woman. He first moved to America in 1981 and is as American as everybody else. The fact that he loved America , the life style in America and the American people made it easier for him to assimilate into the American society. George felt more American than Lebanese. It might be because he lived in Lebanon during the war and his memories about it are distorted or because America gave him the opportunities and luxiries he didn't have in Lebanon.
George’s opinions are usually blunt and if you didn’t pay close attention to what he said, you might misunderstand it. For example, George voted for President Bush twice. He bluntly said that he loves him and he considers that America did liberate Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. For some reason, I had a feeling that he didn’t say that because he really believes in it but he just said it because he feels that as an American citizen, he should agree with everything the president does and he should support America no matter what. I talked to a lot of Americans about Bush and many Americans don’t like him and many others don’t support the Iraq war but George is a different case. After all, George is an immigrant and he is one who badly wants to assimilate and become American. He might feel that if he didn’t support America (even if America’s position is wrong), he will not be considered American enough.
In the afternoon, we went to meet Johnny, a fisherman and local locksmith we met the day before. Last night he asked if he could take us on a boat trip and we agreed. We drove to the Pines resort. Most of the houses located there were big, luxurious and classy. Again, I noticed that most of them had the American flag in their front yard. Americans seem to be very proud of their country. I’ve seen more American flags during this trip than Sudanese flag I saw all my life. When I have my own house. I will get two Sudanese flags. One for my front yard and one for my backyard. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be proud of my country and like my flag. The flag is a simple of independence and unity. It shouldn’t be limited to Embassies and ministries. Americans know what I'm talking about,
Our boat trip was rough but I felt totally comfortable. I don’t think it is because I was with a bunch of professional swimmers. I was just more comfortable with water now. I finally felt that I’m getting over my phobia. I didn’t feel scared anymore. For the first time in a long time, I enjoyed a boat ride.
The night was totally American. After eating a very American dinner we got ready to do S’mores. We stood around our little fire and roasted our marshmallows. After that, we put chocolate bars on graham crackers and ofcourse our melted and sometimes burned marshmallow on top. Campfires are always accompanied with songs. Real American campfire songs. Janet and Brooke shared some of their childhood camp songs. I always thought of camping and summer camps as an American thing. It was a special event remembered by every American adult and longed for by every child. I finally experienced it but I just wish I knew some of the songs. The girls made me reconsider this. They started singing British songs and Egyptian songs. Afterwards, it was my turn to sign a Sudanese song. I did. I didn't even know that I know this song by heart. Mabye campfires are Americans but they definitly can be international if you want them to be.
George’s opinions are usually blunt and if you didn’t pay close attention to what he said, you might misunderstand it. For example, George voted for President Bush twice. He bluntly said that he loves him and he considers that America did liberate Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. For some reason, I had a feeling that he didn’t say that because he really believes in it but he just said it because he feels that as an American citizen, he should agree with everything the president does and he should support America no matter what. I talked to a lot of Americans about Bush and many Americans don’t like him and many others don’t support the Iraq war but George is a different case. After all, George is an immigrant and he is one who badly wants to assimilate and become American. He might feel that if he didn’t support America (even if America’s position is wrong), he will not be considered American enough.
In the afternoon, we went to meet Johnny, a fisherman and local locksmith we met the day before. Last night he asked if he could take us on a boat trip and we agreed. We drove to the Pines resort. Most of the houses located there were big, luxurious and classy. Again, I noticed that most of them had the American flag in their front yard. Americans seem to be very proud of their country. I’ve seen more American flags during this trip than Sudanese flag I saw all my life. When I have my own house. I will get two Sudanese flags. One for my front yard and one for my backyard. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be proud of my country and like my flag. The flag is a simple of independence and unity. It shouldn’t be limited to Embassies and ministries. Americans know what I'm talking about,
Our boat trip was rough but I felt totally comfortable. I don’t think it is because I was with a bunch of professional swimmers. I was just more comfortable with water now. I finally felt that I’m getting over my phobia. I didn’t feel scared anymore. For the first time in a long time, I enjoyed a boat ride.
The night was totally American. After eating a very American dinner we got ready to do S’mores. We stood around our little fire and roasted our marshmallows. After that, we put chocolate bars on graham crackers and ofcourse our melted and sometimes burned marshmallow on top. Campfires are always accompanied with songs. Real American campfire songs. Janet and Brooke shared some of their childhood camp songs. I always thought of camping and summer camps as an American thing. It was a special event remembered by every American adult and longed for by every child. I finally experienced it but I just wish I knew some of the songs. The girls made me reconsider this. They started singing British songs and Egyptian songs. Afterwards, it was my turn to sign a Sudanese song. I did. I didn't even know that I know this song by heart. Mabye campfires are Americans but they definitly can be international if you want them to be.
Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez is a quite and serene but very small version of a western style town. It is a small town in the Santa Ynez valley where the only other things you can see other than the beautiful greenarysare parked cars, almost empty streets and a few shops. There are a bunch of farm houses and ranchs there. additionally, some buildings look very modern but not as modern as Santa Barbara. The only people you see on the streets of Santa Ynez are workers and a couple of others.
Leaving Yosemite and the aftermath
Leaving Yosemite was difficult. Bass lake was beautiful. Relaxing. It insipired me to do a lot of writing.. It represented a lot of things to me. Most importantly, peace of mind and starting to get over my water-phobia. Finally, after a whole week, we were ready to leave. We packed the car with our excess luggage and drove off. The saddest thing for me wasn’t leaving but simply not being able to return to this place for sometime.
We drove away from the Miller’s Landing and away from Yosemite. We drove for hours until we reached our Motel. It is called " The Days Inn motel " a nice motel located near Solvang. Later that afternoon, we left the hotel to go eat Lunch. We ate at Andersen’s, a Danish restaurant. The hotel is full of stores selling Danish souvenirs and goods. It seems that the Danish exported their art,food and other traditional things to neighboring towns.
Mabye some of them went to other towns after they started Solvang. People say that you can buy whatever you want nowadays because of Globalization. I’m saying that if Globalization occurred in the last few decades then what do they call Danish products being available in the United States. When a group of people immigrate to another country they tend to take local things with them. This makes them not forget their roots and more in touch with their heritage. The Danish did that in Solvang. Since many communities did that , immigrants did influence globalization. If the Chinese didn’t immigrate to America, American’s wouldn’t have known fortune cookies and if Americans didn’t work and travel to the Middle East, Nike wasn’t going to be such a popular brand there. When immigrants go somewhere, they leave their imprints there. This is the real Globalization. When you travel somewhere very far and still feel at home.
We drove away from the Miller’s Landing and away from Yosemite. We drove for hours until we reached our Motel. It is called " The Days Inn motel " a nice motel located near Solvang. Later that afternoon, we left the hotel to go eat Lunch. We ate at Andersen’s, a Danish restaurant. The hotel is full of stores selling Danish souvenirs and goods. It seems that the Danish exported their art,food and other traditional things to neighboring towns.
Mabye some of them went to other towns after they started Solvang. People say that you can buy whatever you want nowadays because of Globalization. I’m saying that if Globalization occurred in the last few decades then what do they call Danish products being available in the United States. When a group of people immigrate to another country they tend to take local things with them. This makes them not forget their roots and more in touch with their heritage. The Danish did that in Solvang. Since many communities did that , immigrants did influence globalization. If the Chinese didn’t immigrate to America, American’s wouldn’t have known fortune cookies and if Americans didn’t work and travel to the Middle East, Nike wasn’t going to be such a popular brand there. When immigrants go somewhere, they leave their imprints there. This is the real Globalization. When you travel somewhere very far and still feel at home.
Around San Francisco in 4 hours
I had to be ready in 10 minutes. Whoever said shopping is fun is not lying but it is also exhausting. I wanted to sleep in and write about Fresco in my Blog but I just had to go to the tour. I didn’t feel like I wanted a tour around San Francisco and four hours is too much for an impatient individual like myself. I ended up going on the tour and it was worth every single second and every single dollar. I wholeheartedly believe that the tour is designed to make you want to live in San Francisco. It makes you love the city and makes every other American or global city boring. It’s the city they should show people applying for a green card. It's the city you should visit on your honeymoon. It’s the city you should grow old, have children and spend your summer in. It’s the city you should visit before you die.
Our tour guide was called Sergio, a Brazilian of Italian descent. He was proud of being Brazilian but at the same time, kept some of his Italian heritage and learned his language. He lived here for 10 years and he knew the city like the back of his hand.
The tour covered museums, famous streets, the beautiful painted ladies, Union Square, the Japanese tea garden and many more. Like I expected, Fresco is a very intellectual artistic city. It is home to many diverse museums. The museums represent the different cultures in the city for example: - The Asian Arts museum.
Travelling while ladies is very difficult. Although our car was big, it took us a long time to figure out where to put all our luggage. When we left San Francisco, I realized that I truely left my heart in San Francisco.
Our tour guide was called Sergio, a Brazilian of Italian descent. He was proud of being Brazilian but at the same time, kept some of his Italian heritage and learned his language. He lived here for 10 years and he knew the city like the back of his hand.
The tour covered museums, famous streets, the beautiful painted ladies, Union Square, the Japanese tea garden and many more. Like I expected, Fresco is a very intellectual artistic city. It is home to many diverse museums. The museums represent the different cultures in the city for example: - The Asian Arts museum.
Travelling while ladies is very difficult. Although our car was big, it took us a long time to figure out where to put all our luggage. When we left San Francisco, I realized that I truely left my heart in San Francisco.
Nature's Gift to People
Whoever said God's greatest gift to humans is eyesight is not joking. They should've said why though. After going to the Mariposa Grove today, I knew why. To see nature. To look at Nature, enjoy it and savor the moment. Mariposa is one of the few places that makes you look and feel very small. The enormous size and greatness of the trees makes you insignificant. Like a superstar, it grabs all the attention and everything else vanishes,becomes usual. Being there made me thankful for being able to see. I had eyes to see. To witness the beauty of nature. Looking at it,I thanked god for creating such beautiful places and I thanked God for creating such wonderful people who looked after it, appericiated it and preserved it for others.
We came back to the Miller's Landing and decided to go to Bass Lake for the first time. If you look at Bass lake the first time, the second time or even every time, you will never guess its man-made. It looks like one of nature's many gifts to humans. It's beautiful, its deep and inspiring. I don't exactly swim anywhere but Bass Lake was just too tempting. I decided to join my friends for a swim. The lake is not sandy, its muddy. Just like the Nile. It did remind me of the Nile. The Nile brings back many memories. Good memories and bad memories. Sadly, the bad memories are the first ones you think about. The Nile memories brought back to me by Bass Lake were good memories.
We came back to the Miller's Landing and decided to go to Bass Lake for the first time. If you look at Bass lake the first time, the second time or even every time, you will never guess its man-made. It looks like one of nature's many gifts to humans. It's beautiful, its deep and inspiring. I don't exactly swim anywhere but Bass Lake was just too tempting. I decided to join my friends for a swim. The lake is not sandy, its muddy. Just like the Nile. It did remind me of the Nile. The Nile brings back many memories. Good memories and bad memories. Sadly, the bad memories are the first ones you think about. The Nile memories brought back to me by Bass Lake were good memories.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Berkeley Graduate...Hopefully(13th of July)
My mum always told me she wants me to go to Berkeley for my graduate program. After checking out their Journalism graduate programs online, I considered it. After going to Berkeley, I became very serious about it. I have a variety of interests from reporting, writing, international affairs, African affairs, documentary making, directing etc and their program fitted the description of the graduate program I was looking for. I was thrilled because I was able to find what I was looking for. As we were walking around the Journalism department, I imagined myself there. After reading their inviting brochures and papers, I realized that I will enjoy being here . After going to the International Student Housing, I felt that I will fit in. There are people like me there, international students who traveled a long distance to study at one of America’s most prestigious universities. I envied them for that but I also prayed for myself to be in their shoes someday. If I wanted to join this program, I had to earn it. As I listened to the different languages in the I-House, I took a mental note that I have to work hard to be able to come here. Walking around campus I noticed that many students were wearing their university t-shirts or sweat shirts. I remembered the first time I purchased an AUC t-shirt and I told my friends about it. They laughed and told me not to dare wear it here. They thought it would be a nice sleep-wear. but I rebelled and went back for more t-shirts a week later. I didn’t see how it’s embarrassing to wear the AUC t-shirt. I know it’s not Prada, Gucci or even Ralph Lauren but it doesn’t only represent AUC to me. It represents my gratefulness to my parents because of being able to go to AUC or being able to pursue higher education at all. Something many citizens of the world only dream about.
Later that day, it was time to shop. San Francisco is a shopping paradise. You can find anything you need and don’t need here. You can spend a whole day in Union Square and not get bored. This trip was the first time I travel alone. Although I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to manage a lot of things, my top worry was not being able to manage large amounts of money. I always took my allowance in the beginning of the month but my parents were always there to give me money if I needed it. Sometimes I didn’t but their presence made me feel comfortable spending large amounts on trivial things. On this trip, I learned the value of money. Not only that, I learned that I receive so much money but I always complain about it although, most families live on this amount for a whole month. I learned that I should buy what I need first then think about what I want. After doing this for a while, I discovered that my necessities are few but my wants are countless. After all, I don’t believe that years from now I will remember the shopping I did. I will remember the things I did. I will remember the experiences, the adventures, exploring new places, talking to people, eating unusual things or even walking around new places. Those are the best things in life, the memories that will always be cherished and remembered no matter what.
I’ve heard this phrase a lot “the best things in life are free”. The best things that happened to me in California were free indeed.
Later that day, it was time to shop. San Francisco is a shopping paradise. You can find anything you need and don’t need here. You can spend a whole day in Union Square and not get bored. This trip was the first time I travel alone. Although I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to manage a lot of things, my top worry was not being able to manage large amounts of money. I always took my allowance in the beginning of the month but my parents were always there to give me money if I needed it. Sometimes I didn’t but their presence made me feel comfortable spending large amounts on trivial things. On this trip, I learned the value of money. Not only that, I learned that I receive so much money but I always complain about it although, most families live on this amount for a whole month. I learned that I should buy what I need first then think about what I want. After doing this for a while, I discovered that my necessities are few but my wants are countless. After all, I don’t believe that years from now I will remember the shopping I did. I will remember the things I did. I will remember the experiences, the adventures, exploring new places, talking to people, eating unusual things or even walking around new places. Those are the best things in life, the memories that will always be cherished and remembered no matter what.
I’ve heard this phrase a lot “the best things in life are free”. The best things that happened to me in California were free indeed.
Meeting Johnny
Today was slow and hot unlike the cool weather in San Francisco . Although the mornings are hot here, the evenings are usually cool. The highlight of our day was our almost daily after dinner walk. We wanted to walk to the end of the dock and right before we reached there, we saw a fisherman sitting there looking so focused and serious. He seemed so entertained by what he was doing and I was right. His name is Johnny, an African-American who was born and raised in Los Angeles. About 18 years ago, he moved to Yosemite, started a locksmith business and started practicing his hobby, fishing. Johnny was a bit quite yet friendly and he made us feel comfortable talking to him. He shared things but he didn’t want to go too deep. I wanted to listen to his story. I wanted to know about his life here in Yosemite and before that but he seemed mysterious. The most thing I wanted to hear about is the discrimination he faced in his life. When we told him we met many nice people and some xenophobic people. He comforted us and said he met some mean people too. Apparently, he was called names a lot in his life. I think that Johnny goes by the golden rule of treating people how you would like to be treated. Sometimes when you are mistreated many times, you become bitter and you treat everybody this way because it’s the only way you are used to. Johnny is not like that, he is kind and too clever to do so. He said that when somebody treats him well, he does the same thing but if they frown at him, he will do the same thing too.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Blast From the Past (11th of July)
We left to Big Sur in the afternoon. It was a long drive but the scenery made me stop thinking about time. Big Sur is one of America’s most beautiful places and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. We were driving in a narrow two-lane road which worried me a bit but thw breath-taking view made my worries melt away. From the little car window I could see the endless sky-blue ocean, the mountains and the sky to my left and the beautiful green landscapes to my right. The view was captivating. It made me forget every other thing that I usually think about. It was a rare moment in my life where my mind was clear. The mind of a child who can only thinks about fun. Nothing was going to ruin this beautiful view.
We arrived at the Deejen’s Big Sur Inn, an old hotel composed of a bunch of old beautiful cabins. As I was trying to absorb the beauty of the place, I realized that the only noise I'm going to hear is the noise of nature.
The cabins were a blast from the past. Everything was authentic from the bathroom to the little guest books. It was nice reading the experiences of guests who visited Deetjen’s in the 1960’s and 1970’s and relating to them. It was nice to know how they felt when they were here. it was interesting to read why they were here. The cabins had a soothing vibe about it. The only nuisance was the possibility of raccoons visiting our cabin. As soon as I stepped inside the cabin and looked around it one more time. I pushed my worries to the back of my mind and decided to enjoy being there. I enjoyed being in a place considered by many couples the perfect honeymoon destination, the once-in-a-lifetime birthday experience and a splendid location to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
We arrived at the Deejen’s Big Sur Inn, an old hotel composed of a bunch of old beautiful cabins. As I was trying to absorb the beauty of the place, I realized that the only noise I'm going to hear is the noise of nature.
The cabins were a blast from the past. Everything was authentic from the bathroom to the little guest books. It was nice reading the experiences of guests who visited Deetjen’s in the 1960’s and 1970’s and relating to them. It was nice to know how they felt when they were here. it was interesting to read why they were here. The cabins had a soothing vibe about it. The only nuisance was the possibility of raccoons visiting our cabin. As soon as I stepped inside the cabin and looked around it one more time. I pushed my worries to the back of my mind and decided to enjoy being there. I enjoyed being in a place considered by many couples the perfect honeymoon destination, the once-in-a-lifetime birthday experience and a splendid location to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
Getting over my water-phobia
When I was 7, I was swimming in a swimming pool. The pool was located in one of Qatar's fancy resorts and we used to go there with friends all the time. Swimming in the deep water was too tempting for me not to do. I started swimming towards the deep water area and next thing you know, I was drowning and people just stood there with their hands in their pockets. In the next few seconds which seemed like hours, I was trying to call for help and finally, my sister rescued me. I was too scared to go back to the pool that day and I didn’t know that I wasn’t going to go back to the pool for over a decade again. Today we rented a barbecue boat in Bass Lake. I kept staring at the beautiful surrounding. I couldn’t stop staring. The water was so nice and I just wanted to jump in there. I had to slap myself back to awareness after this thought because I can’t swim. I can’t remember swimming and I was almost certain I will drop like a stone. Even if I floated, I didn’t want to just float. I wanted to have the full experience of jumping in the water and swimming far away. So far, our big barbecue boat will seem so small. I would turn around and wave at my professors and tell my friends to jump in the water. I couldn’t. I sat there while 3 of my friends swam around the boat. All I can do is put my feet in the water and take pictures of them enjoying their time. After contemplating this thought a few seconds, I finally decided to join my friends. In the beginning I just wanted to be in the water but after that I wanted more. I wanted to be able to swim so I asked Hagar to teach me. Hagar, Dina and Noura soon turned into my swimming tutors. They were keen to teach me how to swim. When they first started to teach me, I was resistant. I wanted to learn but I was too nervous. I had to let go for them to teach me but my nervousness made my muscles tense. They would hold me and tell me to let go. I was told to think about other things. Beautiful resort. The nice cheesecake from cheesecake factory. Simon. Instead, I imagined myself swimming happily in a lake. Swimming to a deserted sandy beach and wishing I had a camera to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. I felt alive. I stayed there for a while. Maybe I still can’t swim properly but atleast I tried. Trying and not giving up will make me get there but not trying will get me nowhere. I will keep trying until I get it right.
Chumash Day (8th of July)
The Chumash or the Islander are a group of people who inhabited Santa Barbara once for many years. Today, there are no pure Chumash left. However, some of them intermarried with Mexicans. Some of them died after being placed in reservations. After the Spanish arrived in their region, they confined them to a strict schedule of working and practicing religion. The new religion they brought in with them of course, Christianity.
The Spanish were settlers but they were also immigrants. They didn’t immigrate because of poverty but they were looking for more land, wealth and power. The Chumash were the original inhabitants of the land because they were there first. Historically, they were immigrants too. According to historical data, they immigrated from Siberia to Alaska to California through the Beningia. It could be argued that the Chumash and the Spanish have no real claim to the land because they are both immigrants but the Chumash lived there for centuries making them more attached to their land. Maybe they don’t have any legal documents to emphasize on that but there is a lot of powerful historical data ensuring this.
Later that day, we satisfied our taste buds with Chinese food. We ate at Panda Express, a chain restaurant specializing in Chinese food. It doesn’t only cater to Chinese immigrants here but it is also popular in other American communities. In the restaurant, only two families were of Chinese descent. The rest were from different ethnicities. Interestingly, the employees there were Hispanic-Americans. I’ve come to the conclusion that they are the main labor force in America when it comes to lower-income jobs. They do what other Americans don’t want to do. Make fries and hamburgers, clean McDonald’s floors and paint houses.
They do the jobs Moroccans do in France, Turks do in Germany and Pakistani’s do in England.
The Spanish were settlers but they were also immigrants. They didn’t immigrate because of poverty but they were looking for more land, wealth and power. The Chumash were the original inhabitants of the land because they were there first. Historically, they were immigrants too. According to historical data, they immigrated from Siberia to Alaska to California through the Beningia. It could be argued that the Chumash and the Spanish have no real claim to the land because they are both immigrants but the Chumash lived there for centuries making them more attached to their land. Maybe they don’t have any legal documents to emphasize on that but there is a lot of powerful historical data ensuring this.
Later that day, we satisfied our taste buds with Chinese food. We ate at Panda Express, a chain restaurant specializing in Chinese food. It doesn’t only cater to Chinese immigrants here but it is also popular in other American communities. In the restaurant, only two families were of Chinese descent. The rest were from different ethnicities. Interestingly, the employees there were Hispanic-Americans. I’ve come to the conclusion that they are the main labor force in America when it comes to lower-income jobs. They do what other Americans don’t want to do. Make fries and hamburgers, clean McDonald’s floors and paint houses.
They do the jobs Moroccans do in France, Turks do in Germany and Pakistani’s do in England.
Saturday Night Out
Today we had a very American breakfast at IHOP (International House of Pancakes). After that, we headed to the library to get some work done and use the internet. The library had about three employees. Two of them were Hispanic and half of the people in the library were Hispanics. During our stay in the library, I heard many people speak Spanish. It was interesting to see that Hispanic parents are keen on making their children join the library’s summer program. I heard a mother speaking to her children in Spanish and when I heard the children speak to the Librarian, they had a perfect American accent. In my mind, I was thinking that she is a recent immigrant but her children were born here. She doesn’t speak much English but she is keen to teach her children English and educate them. She came to America to earn more money and give her children what she never had. It could be better living facilities or more luxuries in life but I’m sure it’s a better education. We had the rest of the day to enjoy California and have a typical young American Saturday night.
I decided to get coffee from a near by Coffee place called Coffee Bean. After ordering, I noticed that they sold the “Save Darfur” CD. I’ve heard that many artists agreed to perform for Darfur and the money generated from the sells will be allocated to the displaced people there. I noticed that most of the organizations working to end the conflict in Darfur are based in America. Not to mention the activists and the rallies done here every while. I was aware of the fact that the American civil society is very active when it comes to spreading awareness about Darfur but I never saw that myself. I really appreciated this however, the feeling of helplessness started taking over me. When I walked out of the café, I sat down with the rest of the girls. A middle-aged man approached us and started talking to us. He said he was originally German but he lived here since he was 11. When I told him where I am from, he gave me a sad face and said the country is going through rough times, what’s happening there is sad. I started thinking about Darfur again. Technology is interesting. 100 years ago, it was hard to find out what’s happening in other parts of the world. But today, communication is advanced. Even if you are in America, you can still know about Darfur, see pictures and videos of the people there and imagine what they are going through. I know about the sufferings in my country. I always think about it. When I’m writing my Blog, I remember the brave female journalist in Darfur who uses a tree instead of a laptop. When I look at the lake, I remember the lake there. Al Gore said it’s drying up because of Global warming. I think about their life without this source of water in the future. Will we have a better government to provide another source of clean water for them or will they suffer again? I think about the people there when I sip coffee and remember the delicious desert made by my smiley Darfurian maid. It’s funny how the things that are so far from you are so close to your heart and mind.
I decided to get coffee from a near by Coffee place called Coffee Bean. After ordering, I noticed that they sold the “Save Darfur” CD. I’ve heard that many artists agreed to perform for Darfur and the money generated from the sells will be allocated to the displaced people there. I noticed that most of the organizations working to end the conflict in Darfur are based in America. Not to mention the activists and the rallies done here every while. I was aware of the fact that the American civil society is very active when it comes to spreading awareness about Darfur but I never saw that myself. I really appreciated this however, the feeling of helplessness started taking over me. When I walked out of the café, I sat down with the rest of the girls. A middle-aged man approached us and started talking to us. He said he was originally German but he lived here since he was 11. When I told him where I am from, he gave me a sad face and said the country is going through rough times, what’s happening there is sad. I started thinking about Darfur again. Technology is interesting. 100 years ago, it was hard to find out what’s happening in other parts of the world. But today, communication is advanced. Even if you are in America, you can still know about Darfur, see pictures and videos of the people there and imagine what they are going through. I know about the sufferings in my country. I always think about it. When I’m writing my Blog, I remember the brave female journalist in Darfur who uses a tree instead of a laptop. When I look at the lake, I remember the lake there. Al Gore said it’s drying up because of Global warming. I think about their life without this source of water in the future. Will we have a better government to provide another source of clean water for them or will they suffer again? I think about the people there when I sip coffee and remember the delicious desert made by my smiley Darfurian maid. It’s funny how the things that are so far from you are so close to your heart and mind.
Not Mexican this time but Moroccan
On Thrusday we went back to the gas station thinking we are going to get a chance to talk to the owner of the gas station and snack shop. After I finished my interview with one of his employees two days earlier. I was informed that that the owner of this place is a Moroccan Muslim. We were right; we did have a chance to talk the owner for quite a long time. Mohammed El Moussaid, a Moroccan immigrant who arrived here 19 years ago as a tourist ended up buying a gas station and marrying an American. In the beginning, Mohammed seemed like a success story. A business owner and happily married with four children but later on, the conversation was thought-provoking.
After moving to America, he went to a university mainly to learn English and of course, get a degree. After that, he climbed the professional ladder and went from working for others to being his own boss. A decade ago, he met a third-generation Lebanese-American who converted to his religion. According to Mohammed, his wife and their children are adapting to the American culture while incorporating the Muslim culture into their daily life. Mohammed troubles literally begun after 9/11.Apparently, He was accused of plotting to kill President Bush and FBI agents searched his house and store and interrogated him many times. This didn’t stop him from being a dedicated Muslim. Mohammed is in contact with Muslim and Arab organizations in California and he supports orphans and charity NGO’s back home.
What really interested me is his negative opinions about America. The most shocking thing he said was “I regret coming here”. This made me think that if he was bullied by the police and FBI agents several times, was discriminated against by people and like he said, lost some of his costumers, it’s interesting that he is still here. Moreover, he said that he is pretty wealthy and he can move to Morocco anytime he wants because he has a business there too. Why is Mohammed and his family still here?
I know that it will be hard for his children and his American wife to adjust to life in Morocco because they were born and brought up here but if their father dislikes living in America so much and feels alienated here, they should consider moving back. Mohammed is another immigrant who followed the American dream of working hard in order to live a good life and make good money. Not to mention the many luxuries and temptations of living in a first world country. Although living in your country is comfortable and nice, if you had the choice of living an easier and more comfortable life, saying no is out of the question. I suppose Mohammed didn't say no.
After moving to America, he went to a university mainly to learn English and of course, get a degree. After that, he climbed the professional ladder and went from working for others to being his own boss. A decade ago, he met a third-generation Lebanese-American who converted to his religion. According to Mohammed, his wife and their children are adapting to the American culture while incorporating the Muslim culture into their daily life. Mohammed troubles literally begun after 9/11.Apparently, He was accused of plotting to kill President Bush and FBI agents searched his house and store and interrogated him many times. This didn’t stop him from being a dedicated Muslim. Mohammed is in contact with Muslim and Arab organizations in California and he supports orphans and charity NGO’s back home.
What really interested me is his negative opinions about America. The most shocking thing he said was “I regret coming here”. This made me think that if he was bullied by the police and FBI agents several times, was discriminated against by people and like he said, lost some of his costumers, it’s interesting that he is still here. Moreover, he said that he is pretty wealthy and he can move to Morocco anytime he wants because he has a business there too. Why is Mohammed and his family still here?
I know that it will be hard for his children and his American wife to adjust to life in Morocco because they were born and brought up here but if their father dislikes living in America so much and feels alienated here, they should consider moving back. Mohammed is another immigrant who followed the American dream of working hard in order to live a good life and make good money. Not to mention the many luxuries and temptations of living in a first world country. Although living in your country is comfortable and nice, if you had the choice of living an easier and more comfortable life, saying no is out of the question. I suppose Mohammed didn't say no.
An African Muslim opinion on America
When I went to the gas station to get water in the morning, I had a feeling that the employee there was not exactly American. He might have been a holder of the American passport but he wasn’t necessarily born or raised here. Going back to talk to him later that day proved me right.
The serious-looking employee is called Ibrahim Bakana and he was a native of Liberia. Bakana carried out a research with a professor from the university of Santa Barbara in the 1980’s and his pay wasn’t in cash. Apparently, she promised to help him get a scholarship in America. Liberia fought a brutal civil war on and off for many years and as the war seemed endless, Bakana moved to the United States four years ago and applied for political asylum. As a “dedicated” Muslim, Bakana complained that the US has many temptations. According to him, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is a big challenge not only because of abstaining from food and drinks but also because of the way women dress here. I found this very interesting because I believe that you shouldn’t give up your religious and moral beliefs to fit in a society but at the same time, if you choose to stay here you should compromise. If living in a different environment is such a nuisance, going home will be a better option. In Bakana’s case, it is not a great option but later on, I was convinced it was an option for his employer. I didn’t mind Bakana stating his opinion about how things work in the United States because it is his right to speak his mind but my biggest worry is Bakana becoming one of them extremists we see on TV. I saw a program a couple of weeks ago about a Jamaican/British Muslim who wants to impose shariah law on England. I like having freedom of choice especially when it comes to religion but I would never consider imposing my opinion on others because simply, it is my own personal opinion!
Bakana didn’t hesitate in showing his feelings when he said he misses home. I related to him when he said that. It was interesting to see a person who lives in a first world country, who has a proper job and who I suppose has some luxuries in life millions of people don’t have especially in our part of the world. I consider myself privileged. In fact I lived a life many people I know could never dream off. Bakana and I are both from war-torn countries. We were forced out of our war-ravaged countries to other countries. In my case, not necessarily developed countries but countries at peace. I always wanted to ask other immigrants who fled their countries because of war and instability one question, would you have considered leaving your country if it was at peace?
Personally, I think that living in your country is great and amazing but self-preservation is even more important.
The serious-looking employee is called Ibrahim Bakana and he was a native of Liberia. Bakana carried out a research with a professor from the university of Santa Barbara in the 1980’s and his pay wasn’t in cash. Apparently, she promised to help him get a scholarship in America. Liberia fought a brutal civil war on and off for many years and as the war seemed endless, Bakana moved to the United States four years ago and applied for political asylum. As a “dedicated” Muslim, Bakana complained that the US has many temptations. According to him, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is a big challenge not only because of abstaining from food and drinks but also because of the way women dress here. I found this very interesting because I believe that you shouldn’t give up your religious and moral beliefs to fit in a society but at the same time, if you choose to stay here you should compromise. If living in a different environment is such a nuisance, going home will be a better option. In Bakana’s case, it is not a great option but later on, I was convinced it was an option for his employer. I didn’t mind Bakana stating his opinion about how things work in the United States because it is his right to speak his mind but my biggest worry is Bakana becoming one of them extremists we see on TV. I saw a program a couple of weeks ago about a Jamaican/British Muslim who wants to impose shariah law on England. I like having freedom of choice especially when it comes to religion but I would never consider imposing my opinion on others because simply, it is my own personal opinion!
Bakana didn’t hesitate in showing his feelings when he said he misses home. I related to him when he said that. It was interesting to see a person who lives in a first world country, who has a proper job and who I suppose has some luxuries in life millions of people don’t have especially in our part of the world. I consider myself privileged. In fact I lived a life many people I know could never dream off. Bakana and I are both from war-torn countries. We were forced out of our war-ravaged countries to other countries. In my case, not necessarily developed countries but countries at peace. I always wanted to ask other immigrants who fled their countries because of war and instability one question, would you have considered leaving your country if it was at peace?
Personally, I think that living in your country is great and amazing but self-preservation is even more important.
Happy Birthday America
Today America turned 231. A surprising age for a nation so great and prosperous. Every year, Americans celebrate their nation on the 4th of July. Feasts and barbecues, parades and marches and fireworks all mark the huge celebrations of this day.
After getting our cameras ready, we stood next to hundreds of people on State Street waiting to watch the parade. The parade was divided into smaller parts. Different clubs such as the Chevrolet cars club and the Santa Barbara gymnasium team paraded in front of us but what really caught my attention is the militarization of the 4th of July parade. I saw many army cars and soldiers in their uniforms that day. Additionally, we saw military cars with phrases like “Iraq 2003” and “Vietnam war” written on them. I was looking for an “Afghanistan” but I didn’t see one.
I didn’t understand why the parade was militarized. I believe that it is because America is a superpower. A superpower must be a military, socio-cultural, economic and political power. This parade represented the aspects of a superpower. The army cars and war banners represented the great military power of America. The different ethnicities and other aspects such as the musical groups represented the socio-cultural aspect of America being a superpower. The cars clubs parading their luxurious cars and the ballerinas giving a show expressed the luxuries mostly available in developed and economically stable countires.
During the parade, I tried discovering the political aspect of it. Finally, when the “anti-patriot act” club joined the parade, I saw a bunch of people handing flyers and talking to people about their rights and how the bush administration crossed the lines. This was the most political part of the parade to me.
The individuals who participated in the parade were as American as everybody there. However, a large number of them were Hispanic-Americans or Asian-American. I thought that the audience was satisfied by most of the clubs except when the Chinese school joined the crowd. They Chinese seemed enthusiastic about it and they even had a larger than life American flag to emphasize on their Americaness. Apparently, they weren’t American enough. It seemed that the audience gave them the silent treatment. I didn’t hear any screams or happy 4th of July to you too for about 5 minutes. If I watched this part of the parade only , I was going to be shocked at how these Chinese-Americans who have been here for atleast one generation were treated. I was there for the entire parade and the reaction to other “Immigrant” groups was appropriate. People cheered many Latino’s in the parade but the Chinese group was definitely invisible to the crowd. During my stay in Santa Barbara , I noticed that the Asian-Americans there are usually wealthy and they seemed well integrated but what happened during the parade remains a mystery to me.
After getting our cameras ready, we stood next to hundreds of people on State Street waiting to watch the parade. The parade was divided into smaller parts. Different clubs such as the Chevrolet cars club and the Santa Barbara gymnasium team paraded in front of us but what really caught my attention is the militarization of the 4th of July parade. I saw many army cars and soldiers in their uniforms that day. Additionally, we saw military cars with phrases like “Iraq 2003” and “Vietnam war” written on them. I was looking for an “Afghanistan” but I didn’t see one.
I didn’t understand why the parade was militarized. I believe that it is because America is a superpower. A superpower must be a military, socio-cultural, economic and political power. This parade represented the aspects of a superpower. The army cars and war banners represented the great military power of America. The different ethnicities and other aspects such as the musical groups represented the socio-cultural aspect of America being a superpower. The cars clubs parading their luxurious cars and the ballerinas giving a show expressed the luxuries mostly available in developed and economically stable countires.
During the parade, I tried discovering the political aspect of it. Finally, when the “anti-patriot act” club joined the parade, I saw a bunch of people handing flyers and talking to people about their rights and how the bush administration crossed the lines. This was the most political part of the parade to me.
The individuals who participated in the parade were as American as everybody there. However, a large number of them were Hispanic-Americans or Asian-American. I thought that the audience was satisfied by most of the clubs except when the Chinese school joined the crowd. They Chinese seemed enthusiastic about it and they even had a larger than life American flag to emphasize on their Americaness. Apparently, they weren’t American enough. It seemed that the audience gave them the silent treatment. I didn’t hear any screams or happy 4th of July to you too for about 5 minutes. If I watched this part of the parade only , I was going to be shocked at how these Chinese-Americans who have been here for atleast one generation were treated. I was there for the entire parade and the reaction to other “Immigrant” groups was appropriate. People cheered many Latino’s in the parade but the Chinese group was definitely invisible to the crowd. During my stay in Santa Barbara , I noticed that the Asian-Americans there are usually wealthy and they seemed well integrated but what happened during the parade remains a mystery to me.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Going to Disneyland for me was an old childhood dream which is awakened every time I see any Disney movie or Disney character. The first sentence you read in Disneyland is "Dreams come true" and for me, going to Disneyland was like a dream come true. I always thought of it as a place faraway where people go to lose themselves in a beautiful fantasy and forget about the burdens of life. Arriving at Disneyland was like entering a dream full of exciting rides, colourful food and all the Disney characters I ever wanted to meet. I definitely didn't want to wake up from this dream. The beauty of Disneyland measured up to my humble expectations in the sense that I found out more interesting things than I ever expected to find and see.Disneyland is a place for both children and adults to enjoy themselves.
However, most of the visitors were families so I had to chance to see many different American families. One of the first things I noticed was the multiculturalism of the place but it didn’t end there. I was struck by the different mixed children resulting from inter-racial and inter-cultural marriages. During our long stay, I saw over 15 mixed couples including a white-American man and an African American woman, Latino woman with an African American man and an Asian man with a white-American woman. However, most of the mixed couples had young children except a few who had children my own age. This made wonder if this is because older children don't go with their parents to Disneyland or go out with their parents at all or because most inter-racial marriages occurred recently. I'm aware of the fact that it was hard for couples from different races to get married before the second half of the 20th century because of some official laws but after the 1950's, it was mainly because of society's disapproval. Apparently, inter-racial marriages are considered more appropriate nowadays seeing that most people in Disneyland didn't look at mixed couples in a strange way. However, when we were standing up waiting for the fireworks to start, I noticed two white-American couples next to us who had two African-American or African babies. I wasn't shocked by this because inter-racial adopting wasn't new to me. I've seen it before in Africa, Asia and even in my one-week long stay in America. The first thing that came to mind when I saw them was whether the babies were adopted from Africa or from an orphanage here in America. I've seen old European couples in Africa before with newly adopted African babies. This is one of the reasons why I found it funny how people were so interested in Angelina Jolie and Madonna adopting African babies although hundreds of couples did the same thing years before them. Just before the fireworks started, one of the babies started to cry and some people turned around to look. This reaction was normal since it is just another example of human's curiosity but their facial expressions were attention-grabbing. I noticed that the couples behind them were dumbfounded. So shocked at the concept of inter-racial adopting, they asked them if they are their kids. I wondered if the couples were asked this question many times.
Inter-racial dating, inter-racial marriages and inter-racial adopting in Disneyland didn't only reflect America's multi-culturalism but it also represented "the facial features" of the world in a few decades. This reminded me of a Canadian talk show host who said that "after all this mixing happens, our great great grandchildren will be a mix of Indian and Chinese" during one of his shows. America is not the first country where a lot of mixing occurred in fact there are countries inhabited by people of mixed heritage such as Sao Tome and Principe, Madagascar and Brazil.Additionally, the guests or visitors weren't the only ones representing Disneyland’s multiculturalism, the employees contributed to that too. I really liked how all employees wore buttons with their names and hometowns on it. Not only did Disneyland have Americans from different races and cultures working there but they also hired Americans from different states. I think that the airport and Disneyland are both the faces of America. So, hiring Americans from all over America is a wise thing to do. Obviously, I know that the airport is the real face of America because it's the first place you see when you arrive here but Disneyland is international too seeing that people from all over the world know about it. Personally, I knew about the existence of Disneyland even before I knew that the airport in New York is called John F. Kennedy or JFK.
Disneyland for me was a remarkable experience not only because I was able to go somewhere I've dreamed about for a long time but also because I felt that I fitted in. Disneyland represented the melting pot. It was a place where different kinds of people went to have a nice time and while we were all enjoying ourselves, our differences became trivial. We all had similarities though. For example, one of the similarities I shared with about 1,000 visitors was riding the Indiana Jones ride.
However, most of the visitors were families so I had to chance to see many different American families. One of the first things I noticed was the multiculturalism of the place but it didn’t end there. I was struck by the different mixed children resulting from inter-racial and inter-cultural marriages. During our long stay, I saw over 15 mixed couples including a white-American man and an African American woman, Latino woman with an African American man and an Asian man with a white-American woman. However, most of the mixed couples had young children except a few who had children my own age. This made wonder if this is because older children don't go with their parents to Disneyland or go out with their parents at all or because most inter-racial marriages occurred recently. I'm aware of the fact that it was hard for couples from different races to get married before the second half of the 20th century because of some official laws but after the 1950's, it was mainly because of society's disapproval. Apparently, inter-racial marriages are considered more appropriate nowadays seeing that most people in Disneyland didn't look at mixed couples in a strange way. However, when we were standing up waiting for the fireworks to start, I noticed two white-American couples next to us who had two African-American or African babies. I wasn't shocked by this because inter-racial adopting wasn't new to me. I've seen it before in Africa, Asia and even in my one-week long stay in America. The first thing that came to mind when I saw them was whether the babies were adopted from Africa or from an orphanage here in America. I've seen old European couples in Africa before with newly adopted African babies. This is one of the reasons why I found it funny how people were so interested in Angelina Jolie and Madonna adopting African babies although hundreds of couples did the same thing years before them. Just before the fireworks started, one of the babies started to cry and some people turned around to look. This reaction was normal since it is just another example of human's curiosity but their facial expressions were attention-grabbing. I noticed that the couples behind them were dumbfounded. So shocked at the concept of inter-racial adopting, they asked them if they are their kids. I wondered if the couples were asked this question many times.
Inter-racial dating, inter-racial marriages and inter-racial adopting in Disneyland didn't only reflect America's multi-culturalism but it also represented "the facial features" of the world in a few decades. This reminded me of a Canadian talk show host who said that "after all this mixing happens, our great great grandchildren will be a mix of Indian and Chinese" during one of his shows. America is not the first country where a lot of mixing occurred in fact there are countries inhabited by people of mixed heritage such as Sao Tome and Principe, Madagascar and Brazil.Additionally, the guests or visitors weren't the only ones representing Disneyland’s multiculturalism, the employees contributed to that too. I really liked how all employees wore buttons with their names and hometowns on it. Not only did Disneyland have Americans from different races and cultures working there but they also hired Americans from different states. I think that the airport and Disneyland are both the faces of America. So, hiring Americans from all over America is a wise thing to do. Obviously, I know that the airport is the real face of America because it's the first place you see when you arrive here but Disneyland is international too seeing that people from all over the world know about it. Personally, I knew about the existence of Disneyland even before I knew that the airport in New York is called John F. Kennedy or JFK.
Disneyland for me was a remarkable experience not only because I was able to go somewhere I've dreamed about for a long time but also because I felt that I fitted in. Disneyland represented the melting pot. It was a place where different kinds of people went to have a nice time and while we were all enjoying ourselves, our differences became trivial. We all had similarities though. For example, one of the similarities I shared with about 1,000 visitors was riding the Indiana Jones ride.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Day 4 (Denmark in America)
We drove to Solvang. It is a little town in Santa Ynez started by Danish immigrants in the 1800's and early 1900's. The town is decorated with Danish flags , danish bakeries and cafes serving Danish food and from time to time, you get to see women wearing Denmark's national costume. Not to mention, the many places called "copenhagen". Solvang is another example of America's diversity and the integration of immigrants in the American society. It is not only home to Danish immigrants though. Recently, many other ethnic groups started moving to Solvang. The latino presence in Solvang is obvious. They are employeed in supermarkets, bakeries,cafes and other places. Interestingly, I had the chance to meet a Palestnian Arab immigrant who moved to Solvang in the 1970's. Mohammed Ramoni came to the United States to go to university in Los Angeles. After getting a business degree, he decided to stay in the US. During a trip back home, he got married and brought his wife with him to America. Ramoni is another sucess story but his story is different than that of Latino immigrants primarily because he is an Arab and a Muslim. I heard and read alot about discrimination towards Muslims and Arabs in the post 9/11 world. I heard it all from Muslims getting their stores burned down, girls forced to take off their veils and racist grafitti in Muslim neighborhood. Ramoni's answers proved to me that people have different experiences here. Living in America for over 30 years, Ramoni never felt any discrimination and although his daughters are veiled, they didn't face difficulties too. He said that this is mainly because he treats people well so they treat him well too. His answer was interesting but it was very debatable. I believe in the golden rule "treat others how you would like to be treated" but still the media and the surrounding might shape your ideas sometimes in a very negative way. I think it is because he lives in California and more specifically Solvang. It is a very multi-cultural city not to mention, it gets alot of tourists. This means that they are used to all kinds of people. This differs if he lived in a little town where there is barely any diveristy and all the information they know about others (Arabs, Latinos etc...) are those from television and papers. In this little town, people will tend to be xenophobic unlike Solvang.
I wasn't surprised by his strong attachment to his religion but I was surprised by his attachment to some old traditions such as "arranged marriage". Obviously, he is against dating and pre-martial relationships and he believes that his children should have an arranged marriage. When he said that his children are ok with it, I had my doubts because they were raised here and they will defintily be influenced by the society. Shortly after that, we had the chance to meet his son and apparently, he disagreed with his father. His son believes that arranged marriages should take a more modern form. His son described himself in a great way when he said that he has a "cultural conflict". A good example of this is his opinion about arranged marriages. He believes that they are not a bad idea aslong as the two couples get the chance to meet up through family, date and get to know each other in a socially-approved context. His culture is telling him that arranged marriages are the right way but the his new culture is telling him that dating and pre-martial relationships works as good as the traditional way. Being part of both cultures, instead of thinking of himself as lost in between, in the gray area, he chose to take the best out of both cultures. Ahmad's Cultural-conflict and identity conflict reminded me of my own. We were both raised in countries we are not originally from and our culture is mixed. He said he doesn't feel American in America and he doesn't feel very Palestnian anywhere. I don' t feel very Sudanese in Sudan however I feel Sudanese elsewhere. Over the years, I've learned to incorporate other cultural norms and values into my own special culture. Ahmed did the same thing but his culture is different not only because he is Palestnian but because it is heavily influenced by religion.
Walking around in Solvang later that afternoon, we had very interesting encounters. We learned some history of the Danish immigration to the United States and their successful integration here at the Elverhoj museum. A museum built by a Danish artist. While getting to know how the Danish immigrants started Solvang, it was interesting to know how poor immigrants who immigrated searching for a better life built a famous tourist destination and nice town. Solvang is a great example of how immigrants contributed to America. Their contributions could be culture,academic,intellectual,architectural,artistic but in the case of Solvang, it was cultural, artistic and architectural.
Danish immigrants are not the only ones who should take credit for the beautiful town of Solvang. I approached a man inside one of Solvang's little shops to ask him about immigration in the United States and his opinion about the recent immigrants to Solvang. Howard, an artist and a New Jersey native who moved to Solvang about 25 years ago expressed his appericiation of the immigrants work in Solvang. He said that if there were no immigrants in Solvang, the whole town will collapse. Apparently, the immigrants in Solvang do all the work not done by others such as running bakeries,gardening etc...
After the conversations we had, I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to Solvang , Immigrants are simply the backbone of this town.
I wasn't surprised by his strong attachment to his religion but I was surprised by his attachment to some old traditions such as "arranged marriage". Obviously, he is against dating and pre-martial relationships and he believes that his children should have an arranged marriage. When he said that his children are ok with it, I had my doubts because they were raised here and they will defintily be influenced by the society. Shortly after that, we had the chance to meet his son and apparently, he disagreed with his father. His son believes that arranged marriages should take a more modern form. His son described himself in a great way when he said that he has a "cultural conflict". A good example of this is his opinion about arranged marriages. He believes that they are not a bad idea aslong as the two couples get the chance to meet up through family, date and get to know each other in a socially-approved context. His culture is telling him that arranged marriages are the right way but the his new culture is telling him that dating and pre-martial relationships works as good as the traditional way. Being part of both cultures, instead of thinking of himself as lost in between, in the gray area, he chose to take the best out of both cultures. Ahmad's Cultural-conflict and identity conflict reminded me of my own. We were both raised in countries we are not originally from and our culture is mixed. He said he doesn't feel American in America and he doesn't feel very Palestnian anywhere. I don' t feel very Sudanese in Sudan however I feel Sudanese elsewhere. Over the years, I've learned to incorporate other cultural norms and values into my own special culture. Ahmed did the same thing but his culture is different not only because he is Palestnian but because it is heavily influenced by religion.
Walking around in Solvang later that afternoon, we had very interesting encounters. We learned some history of the Danish immigration to the United States and their successful integration here at the Elverhoj museum. A museum built by a Danish artist. While getting to know how the Danish immigrants started Solvang, it was interesting to know how poor immigrants who immigrated searching for a better life built a famous tourist destination and nice town. Solvang is a great example of how immigrants contributed to America. Their contributions could be culture,academic,intellectual,architectural,artistic but in the case of Solvang, it was cultural, artistic and architectural.
Danish immigrants are not the only ones who should take credit for the beautiful town of Solvang. I approached a man inside one of Solvang's little shops to ask him about immigration in the United States and his opinion about the recent immigrants to Solvang. Howard, an artist and a New Jersey native who moved to Solvang about 25 years ago expressed his appericiation of the immigrants work in Solvang. He said that if there were no immigrants in Solvang, the whole town will collapse. Apparently, the immigrants in Solvang do all the work not done by others such as running bakeries,gardening etc...
After the conversations we had, I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to Solvang , Immigrants are simply the backbone of this town.
Day 3 (No comprendo espaٌol)
There is a very interesting building next to our hotel. On our way to the supermarket, we stopped there to ask about the building and its history. Michelle DelaVega, a second generation Mexican immigrant greeted us and was more than happy to tell us about the history of the place.
DelaVega was born in the United States to a French/Mexican mother and Mexican father. Although he lived his whole life in America and in Santa Barbara to be specific. Currently, he runs the "Edgerly House", a house for senior citizens. Formely, it was a place where movie stars met, especially silent movie stars. The conversation we had with DelaVega was very significant not only because he is an immigrant but also because he gave us a good idea about the integration of the Mexican community throughout the years and their changing status in the American society. He told us a bit about his school years where he found difficulties assimilating into the American society. He said that during that time, Mexicans were way lower than White Americans and the fact that he had a disabled brother made it worse.
The present situation seems to have changed and is still changing. He believes that interracial marriages contributed to improving the race relations. Interracial or intercultural marriages proved that different races, ethnicities and cultures can coexist and live in peace. Since America is a multi-cultural and diverse society. I think that Americans started thinking of themselves simply as Americans first and Europeans,Africans,Latinos second. This is the melting pot after all. The differences are not important anymore however, the similarities are acknowledged.
DelaVega introduced us to another immigrant called Pe'a. He is Samoan by birth but he was raised in Hawaii and later on, he moved to the United States. He moved to California to get a better education but he soon became a professional golf player here.I noticed that both DelaVega and Pe'a were comfortable talking about their immigration experiences and they referred to themselves as "immigrants". From the moment we started talking to DelaVega , he told us that he is Mexican. He seemed very proud of his Mexican heritage. I had this idea that immigrants (especially second generation) usually avoid referring to themselves as immigrants and are more attached to the country they live in. I was proven wrong and later that day, another immigrant we met told me a very true fact " some assimilate and some become more Mexican". I also think that some assimilate and become very Mexican at the same time. I will explore this possibility later.
This interesting encounter wasn't the only one that day, we met Jesse Aseba later that day. Aseba was born in Mexico and he spent the first 10 years of his life there. His father immigrated to the United States during the US-Korean war on a guest-workers program implemented because many men went to war. Jesse asked him to come to the US and visit him and then he remained in America . He stayed in Santa Barbara to be more specific.A very interesting thing he said was describing the way he entered America. They simply crossed the borders and his dad said "they are all US citizens".
I started thinking about how it was so easy for Mexicans to cross the borders not so long ago. They just had to cross the border and start a new life in a completely new country. Over the years, not less than 12 million crossed the border and stayed in the US illegally. It is simply because it was so easy to get to America. A first world country next door to a third world country where there is a lot of poverty. Additionally, there are a lot of opportunities in America and most importantly, their labor is wanted. Jesse is a success story in the immigrant population. He went to a boarding school on a soccer scholarship , got a bachelor degree from UCSB and currently, he sells advertising spaces in the yellow pages. Spending the afternoon with Jesse gave us a full view of the Latino life especially the Mexican life in California and even the United States. We went to Oxnard, a little town where about 70% of the residents are of Mexican descent. Our first stop in Oxnard was the herbs shop owned by his brother, Julio. Julio caters healing herbs mostly to the Spanish-Speaking community. Hearing about the Aseba's success stories was inspirational because once upon a time they had nothing now they have everything. Their stories are one of the many inspiring success stories in the latino community. They proved that luck is not enough but seizing opportunities and hard work can get you to a lot of places.
Being in Oxnard, I remembered researching for one of my English papers for school. My main research focus was "Turkish immigrants in Germany". Turkish immigrants and Mexican immigrants are the largest immigrant population in two different countries. First of all, Oxnard is home to a large Mexican immigrant population because they usually like living close to each other. Immigrant populations usually concentrate in a specific area. Turkish immigrants do the same thing. They are concentrated in certain neighborhood. Second of all, both of them keep their languages especially the older generations. In Germany, some of them don't learn German because they don't have to deal with the German community. In Oxnard, I didn't hear anyone speak English and in the supermarket, I talked to a woman and she couldn't speak English. I believe that living in their own communities where they don't have to use the English language at all since they buy their goods from Spanish-Speaking people, go to schools where the majority are Spanish-Speaking will not only make them not bother to learn the language but it will also restrict them to their community and isolate them from the American community. It will make them part of the Mexican community in America but not part of America.In immigrant populations in different countries, it is believed that sticking together makes them stronger and being in your own community or "comfort zone" will make them more comfortable and at home.
Comparing the Turkish immigrants in Germany and the Mexican immigrants in Oxnard really showed me the similarities between immigrant populations around the world. Just like the reasons for immigration are similar , an immigrant can relate to other immigrants in other places.We ended our trip in Oxnard by going to a Mexican restaurant. Having a Mexican neighborhood in Oxnard was another indication of immigrants staying attached to their roots and making sure they don't forget their culture and food is part of your culture.
Day 2 (Getting to know Americans)
We went to State Street at about midday. we went to a couple of stores and by 3 we were hungry. We ate at a resturant called "Natural food". This completely shattered my "Stereotypes" of American food.
First of all, rumor has it that American food is fatty, oily and doesn't contain vegetables whatsoever. Second of all, most Americans are obese.I always criticize stereotypes but I ended up stereotyping myself. This is the greatest advantage of travelling and seeing the world. It makes you open-minded, tolerant and less likely to stereotype and generalize.
We came back to the Upham Inn and stayed here for a while. At night, Brooke took us to a huge department store to do some shopping. I noticed that most of the employees there were Latino's. We met a Muslim woman from Morocco. Interestingly, she was veiled. I was told that in America in a post 9/11 world, most Muslim woman took off their veils for their own protection and safety. Apparently, the headscard indicates that they are Muslim and because they feel that Islamophobia is growing, it is better not to show they are Muslims. This is another generalization. The next few days will show me different sides of this story.
First of all, rumor has it that American food is fatty, oily and doesn't contain vegetables whatsoever. Second of all, most Americans are obese.I always criticize stereotypes but I ended up stereotyping myself. This is the greatest advantage of travelling and seeing the world. It makes you open-minded, tolerant and less likely to stereotype and generalize.
We came back to the Upham Inn and stayed here for a while. At night, Brooke took us to a huge department store to do some shopping. I noticed that most of the employees there were Latino's. We met a Muslim woman from Morocco. Interestingly, she was veiled. I was told that in America in a post 9/11 world, most Muslim woman took off their veils for their own protection and safety. Apparently, the headscard indicates that they are Muslim and because they feel that Islamophobia is growing, it is better not to show they are Muslims. This is another generalization. The next few days will show me different sides of this story.
Day 1 (The Arrival and first impressions)
We arrived at 3 pm. We reached the "passport control" after a while because the airport was huge. I was stuck there for a while, they interviewed me and it took a long time for me to get out. I was too exhausted to go through this ordeal but I had to do so. The name of the booth "position closed" really worried me. I'm not lying here but really the idea of me going back to Egypt crossed my mind. A few hours ago, I was talking to Dina about pursuing my graduate studies in the United States but when this happened, I started reconsidering that. Not that I don''t want to come here again. It's a beautiful country and they have excellent schools but I hope I don't find difficulties entering the country again. One of my earliest observations was that most of the employees at JFK were Americans of Indian descent. This was interesting for me to see because I've read that New York is home to a large indian community. Many of them came from East Africa in the 1970's and 19980's. Indians were not the only ethnic group at JFK. I noticed many different ethnicities and nationalities. This is amazing because America is a diverse country and JFK should've represented this diversity and it did.Í heard alot of languages there. In America, I got the feeling that diveristy here is considered a blessing.
We took a shuttle from JFK to the Holiday INN hotel. I heard alot of Spanish there and I noticed that most of the staff were Latino's. The lady who drove the shuttle was a Latin woman in her 30's. When I saw her, I remembered the stories I read a week ago,the ones written by Stephen Franklin. I imagined her to be a recent immigrant,single-mother and she must be working hard to educate her children. I also thought that her husband is not living in the US, she is here alone.When she helped me carry my bag, I thought about the feminization of immigration. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. She seemed independant,hardworking and intelligent but she also seemed overworked and stressed-out. Immigration is not a very narrow topic like I thought it is. I'm just starting to absorb the enormity of this topic. Later that day, we went to McDonalds at night and again I noticed the presence of Latinó's there. I noticed that Latino's only speak Spanish to their friends, children and family.They only speak English if they are communicating with other Americans.Unlike the refugees in Cairo, Latino's here are very comfortable and they look at home in America.
We drove from LA to Santa Babara. It took us about 4 hours to get there because we stopped a couple of times on the way. I noticed a couple of different international restaurants such as a Chinese and an Italian one. We stopped at Neptune's Net for lunch. I noticed the presence of Latino's there. I noticed again that most of the Latino families there were made up of mothers and children. I don't know if they are single mothers or if the fathers are too busy working and making money.Most people there smiled at us which made me feel very comfortable. The employees at Neptune's Ner represented the diveristy of America. They were composed of European-Americans,African-American, Asian-American and Latin-American.The Upham Inn Hotel is located in Sola Street. It is only a block away from State Street, where all the cafes, shopping and entertainment are located.After resting for a while, we went around the place. We came across a very interesting shop. I don't remember the name of the store but I remember their interesting shirts. A very interesting shirt was one of Bush senior and Bush junior, it said "dumb and dumber". I was surprised when I saw it. Not because of what is written on the shirt but simply because of the American "freedom of expression". I'm not used to this kind of freedom. We can't critcize our government but here, it is different. This is America after all. A free country.
We took a shuttle from JFK to the Holiday INN hotel. I heard alot of Spanish there and I noticed that most of the staff were Latino's. The lady who drove the shuttle was a Latin woman in her 30's. When I saw her, I remembered the stories I read a week ago,the ones written by Stephen Franklin. I imagined her to be a recent immigrant,single-mother and she must be working hard to educate her children. I also thought that her husband is not living in the US, she is here alone.When she helped me carry my bag, I thought about the feminization of immigration. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. She seemed independant,hardworking and intelligent but she also seemed overworked and stressed-out. Immigration is not a very narrow topic like I thought it is. I'm just starting to absorb the enormity of this topic. Later that day, we went to McDonalds at night and again I noticed the presence of Latinó's there. I noticed that Latino's only speak Spanish to their friends, children and family.They only speak English if they are communicating with other Americans.Unlike the refugees in Cairo, Latino's here are very comfortable and they look at home in America.
We drove from LA to Santa Babara. It took us about 4 hours to get there because we stopped a couple of times on the way. I noticed a couple of different international restaurants such as a Chinese and an Italian one. We stopped at Neptune's Net for lunch. I noticed the presence of Latino's there. I noticed again that most of the Latino families there were made up of mothers and children. I don't know if they are single mothers or if the fathers are too busy working and making money.Most people there smiled at us which made me feel very comfortable. The employees at Neptune's Ner represented the diveristy of America. They were composed of European-Americans,African-American, Asian-American and Latin-American.The Upham Inn Hotel is located in Sola Street. It is only a block away from State Street, where all the cafes, shopping and entertainment are located.After resting for a while, we went around the place. We came across a very interesting shop. I don't remember the name of the store but I remember their interesting shirts. A very interesting shirt was one of Bush senior and Bush junior, it said "dumb and dumber". I was surprised when I saw it. Not because of what is written on the shirt but simply because of the American "freedom of expression". I'm not used to this kind of freedom. We can't critcize our government but here, it is different. This is America after all. A free country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)