In my very first blog post I talked about Qatar winning the bid to hold the World Cup in 2022. In the blog I covered not only the current controversy of Mohammad bin Hammam paying off members of FIFA for the bid, but also touched on why this event would be beneficial to the Middle […]
Read more "More Sports Coming to Qatar"A carnival celebrating peace has emerged in the city of Baghdad. This carnival is a new development, which began in 2011 with the help of volunteers and organizers. Noof Assi said, “after searching the words, Iraqi Laughing, and the search engine coming back with zero results she knew the city once known as “the city […]
Read more "Once Know As the “City of Peace” Now Strives for Peace! A Carnival in Baghdad!"In the United States, many children start to play sports at a very young age. As early as 5 or 6, American children are thrust into sports like soccer, football, tennis, basketball, softball, baseball, and more. Team sports are especially emphasized for young people, because they teach you important skills and valuable lessons about the […]
Read more "Peace through Play"“Belly Dancing” Before this semester began in August I was somewhat clueless when it came to foreign culture and I like many naive Americans when someone said the Middle East the first couple things that pop into my head were hummus, war, and belly dancing. Belly dancing is a common type of dance in the […]
Read more "“Belly Dancing”"In the Middle East it can be a challenge to find typical alcohol we see in our grocery stores, pharmacies, or gas stations here in the U.S. In Islamic nations such as Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Kuwait are places where alcohol is prohibited entirely to Muslims, and that’s because alcohol is consider […]
Read more "What’s Brewing in the Middle East?"For a communication class, earlier this week I was required to write a paper on relationships formed online. While writing this paper I learned many things that surprised me about online dating here in America. I learned that online dating is a 1.25 billion dollar industry, with over 41 million Americans trying online dating annually. […]
Read more "Online Dating in the Middle East"When I was a young kid I never saw Egypt as part of the Middle East. It was a country in Africa so why would it be mixed in with the Middle East? As I thought back about some of the misconceptions I had about the Middle East and Egypt one major thing stood out […]
Read more "Egypt; A Middle Eastern Country?"As a part of my Saturday afternoon, I decided to indulge in a much needed shopping spree-to the thrift store. At this point in my life, thrifting has practically been embedded into my bones. Ever since I was a little girl, my parents had been taking my sister and I on adventures to find the […]
Read more "From Trash to Treasure"The Other Son Last summer my Nana and I saw a movie called The Other Son. I was a bit skeptical at first because all I knew was the movie was in subtitles but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Before watching this movie I was very uneducated on much of the conflict in […]
Read more "The Other Son"The craziest shopping day in America is coming up and retailers are already rolling out their 2014 hours and deals. “Black Friday,” as the day after Thanksgiving is commonly referred to, is the highest sales day of the year for malls, retailers, and outlets alike. In 2013, Americans spent $12.3 billion in overall sales. Americans […]
Read more "Black Friday: A Worldwide Success"The World Expo is basically a major World Fair that anyone can attend. Every five years a World Expo occurs in some wonderful city around the world. To be a host, a country must submit an extensive candidacy application that details their proposed theme, environmental impact, finances, locations, dates for the expo and much more. […]
Read moreAfter reading and agreeing with one of my classmates, Jack McNenny, blog on the lack of foreign language in our schools, I became interested in how countries throughout the Middle East implement foreign language throughout their education, and how it differs from the United States. But They’re Just Children.. Americans tend to view the concept of […]
Read more "The Power of Foreign Language"As we dive deeper into the issues surrounding the Middle East, we are finding that ISIS is becoming a bigger problem. ISIS is an extremist group that aims to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas in Iraq and Syria. They are known for their taped beheadings of activists and use YouTube to create recruitment […]
Read more "The Cubs of the Islamic State"Aesthetics. As human beings, we crave things that have the ability to grab our attention. We like to see people, places, and structures that are visually appealing. When I think about this word, I recall my last trip to NYC. It was 7AM and I was sitting on the bus, about to arrive into the […]
Read more "From Ground to City"“I shall not hate” is a book by Izzeldin Abuelaish that talks about his experience with the Israeli-Palestine conflict. He is an infertility doctor that travels back and forth from Israel, where he works, to Gaza, where he lives. He talks about the immense difficulties of crossing the border and how many times he was […]
Read more "I Shall Not Hate"Food Security or Bank Security? Since the evolution of humans and animals there has always been the issue of hunger, the struggle to feed one’s self and family and the devastating fact of famine. Although there are many starving people in this world there are also those who are not. Americans throw away 40% of […]
Read more "Food Security or Bank Security?"I am a pet lover. I have had dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish in my life, and have loved them all. I eagerly await the days that I have the opportunity to raise a husky or a German shepherd, my girlfriend longs for an English bulldog named Winston, and cats will always have a place […]
Read more "Pets or Pests?"Her name is Rehana. She is not just a girl, but she’s a brave warrior. She fights alongside the Kurds and protects her people from ISIS, killing over 100 IS terrorists in Northern Syria. In her famous picture she wears a smile, a peace sign, and a military uniform. Rehana’s image has exploded across social […]
Read more "The Angel of Kobane"Marriage is supposed to be the joining of individuals who are deeply in love with each other. Common ties, interests, and the strength of passion they share for one another. Something that is currently a legal union between a man and a woman, but has unfortunately left the gay community continuing to battle for their […]
Read more "Tying the Knot on The Nile: The Controversial Video"In light of the recent events in the Middle East with ISIS, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I wanted to showcase the amazing contribution that the Middle East has given to society over the years. Some of the most influential advancements came from the Middle East such as medicine, the idea of higher education, and mathematics. […]
Read more "Do Two Negatives Make a Positive?"
Across Cultures 