The Airport and Closing-Day 7
I went in to the airport today and waited there, cell phone ready, until our visitor was through security. Many of you probably know already that airports in the US can be humiliating experiences for Arabs and Muslims. I wanted her to know that if it was going to be difficult I would experience it … Continue reading
Out of Baghdad to Die in the States-Day 4
Today our visitor spoke to the entire student body in an assembly and there was press. She also met students and faculty at Brigham Young University. Tonight we giggled through stories of Iraqis in the US. Apparently the lettuce we were eating like rabbits reminded her of a scary experience in New Hampshire. The scene?: … Continue reading
Shpeeeech?-Day 3
Ok. So my favorite Iraqi phrase I’ve learned so far is: “Speeeech?” It means, “What’s up?” (to a girl). The best part of today, at least for me, and reportedly for our visitor as well, was Arabic class. She shared about Iraq and the students showed off their Arabic skills and learned some Iraqi dialect. … Continue reading
Buying Cofee-Day 2
Just a note: Middle Eastern women, as far as my experience goes, are very very strong willed. Before I ever went to the Middle East, my grandparents took me aside to help me understand that if I didn’t stand up for myself in the Middle East, I could easily get pushed aside. And after being … Continue reading
Leaving Provo High
I’ve decided not to return to Provo High next year. As some of you may know, the phrase under my picture on Facebook says, “Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?” It is really true. I’ve been there for five years and loved the students, the people I work with, and the opportunities … Continue reading
General David Petraeus
General David Petraeus spoke at Brigham Young University this evening. I bribed students with extra credit to go but I don’t think I even needed to do that. The best part is I got a phone call right after the talk from two of them letting me know they were there and what they thought … Continue reading
Twittering nEws
I twitter my news. I got the idea from a Christian Science Monitor journalist presenting about how to make the Middle East come alive for high school students. This is beyond cool. There are news outlets which regularly publish English tweets from a variety of Middle Eastern countries and political bents. A savvy teenager could … Continue reading
MESA Conference, Boston
Highlights Seeing people, meeting new people. Perfect weather. Seafood every day. Rental car with friends up the coast. Learning more about the Middle East. Looking through the books at the conference. Comments My educational emphasis in both graduate school and undergrad was east Asia specifically China/Taiwan. I felt like I was trying to digest the meat … Continue reading
Three Cups of Tea
Just finished Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time written by co-authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Read it in preparation for the forum speech he gave at Brigham Young University last week. Got a chapter short of deadline but finally finished a week later. To me … Continue reading
aud'acious 
Naked in Baghdad
Posted by bookncurls on July 15, 2010 · 1 Comment
Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War and the Aftermath as Seen by NPR’s Coorespondent written by Anne Garrels. So I’ve been interacting with Iraqis more often these days. I thought reading a little more about Iraq, the war, and its effects would be beneficial. This is a relatively fast read. It’s written in a journal … Continue reading →
Filed under A Comment, Book Review · Tagged with Baghdad, Iraq war, Middle East