!أهلاً و ساهلاً و أشتقلكم كتيرا
Hi again! A lot of people have asked me about what I've been doing since NSLI-Y to keep up my Arabic as well as what I'm planning to do this summer and in the future so I thought I'd make a blog post about it. To keep up my Arabic, I have done a program through the State Department that has matched me with an Iraqi class that's learning English and we have been sending back and forth different stories and photos about our lives. In addition I have been practicing with my NSLI-Y friends and keeping in touch with my host family. Recently, I have started using an online program called Mango to continue my fusha and shaami studies and next year I have plans to formalize my studies even more by joining an Arabic class and getting a tutor. I really want to become fluent in Arabic by the time I graduate high school. This summer, I am doing a really amazing program called Seeds of Peace, which brings together students from Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan and a few students from the US and UK to do conflict resolution and dialogue around the Arab-Israeli conflict. It focuses a lot on cross-cultural understanding and not only doing 2 hours of facilitated dialogue everyday in small groups of students of a mix of nationalities, religions, ethnicities and cultures, but also having a lot of fun activities for all the students to develop relationships as friends and cultivate trust. I am super excited for both the 4 week program this summer and also all the follow-up programming including a trip to Israel and Palestine next summer. Also, I am returning to Jordan this summer! I am going with my mom and am super excited to see my host family again and visit parts of Jordan I didn't get a chance to see last time, like Aqaba. I am also reuniting with one of my best friends from my NSLIY trip in Abu Dhabi! I love how I have a global network of friends and families all over the world and I'm excited to continue to grow it this summer. !معسلامة صفية
2 Comments
Mary Stretcher
5/13/2017 06:09:17 am
I am amazed at all the activities you are enrolled in. Keep going strong. GM
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Mustafa Vahanvaty
6/20/2017 10:47:13 pm
Hi Sophia,
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We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. !أهلا و ساهلاHi! I'm Sophia, a high schooler from the San Francisco Bay Area. I received a scholarship through the State Dept. to study Arabic in Jordan in the summer of 2016. Categories
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