رحلتي : My Journey with Arabic

This post was written by senior Arabic Flagship student Grace Stoute.

During my time in the Arabic Flagship Program, I have experienced many interesting things more than just the language itself. There’s a huge emphasis on culture in the Flagship Program that facilitates learning more about the people, problems facing the Middle East, and ultimately preparing students for future endeavors involving the Arabic language.

One such way is through the clubs that are offered throughout the week, specifically the cooking and film clubs. There, we’d prepare an Arabic dish and followed the recipe in Arabic. Then, later I tried to cook some of the dishes on my own. As for the film club, films are good way to learn more expressions and of course, more of the cinematic culture of the Middle East. How do directors and producers in the Arab world portray what’s going on in their societies?

The other great and actually most memorable experience was the summer overseas program in Alexandria, Egypt. I learned a lot of things just by making mistakes in the language —getting lost in the city, having a misunderstanding between friends, searching in vain for a money order, etc.  However, I improved over time and the things that were misunderstood before were not at the end. The trip was beneficial in so many ways, not only linguistically. The things I liked most about being exposed to Egyptian culture were learning about a culture different from my own and taking on the challenge of it. For example, living under different societal norms (i.e. dressing more conservatively, riding in the first car on the train, etc.) was interesting. At the end of the trip, I realized I had grown emotionally-attached to Egypt and its people.

After my return, I soon noticed that the cultural exposure did a world of good as far as my understanding of certain topics and subjects covered in many of my classes. Also I find that my understanding of the people and language has increased my confidence and desire to help others, especially those in the Middle East. In the wake of the political and social uprisings in the region, understanding of the problems they’re facing is crucial now if not before. For that, I plan to continue my Arabic studies (even if only independently) in the future and hopefully return to the region to explore more.