Anyways,
Wednesday night I was invited to Guita Hourani's (The director of LERC) house for dinner. Well, me and the rest of the staff. And it was a dinner party. So I rode there in a taxi with Elie. She lives up into the mountains from the university. Her house was really nice and covered with souvenirs which she has picked up from traveling around the world. We got there around 8:30 and we had drinks and then around 9:00 or 9:30 we ate. There was so much good food. So I had some Lebanese wine and some Lebanese food and got the chance to spend some time with my co-workers outside of work, which was nice. There were quite a few people there and I also chatted with an American guy of Lebanese descent who was born in Salt Lake City. There were lots of languages, French and Arabic and English and Spanish too, I believe.
Which: segway/plug for my article: I wrote an article and it was published in the Daily Messenger. It's on the website at:
http://www.mpnnow.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1609353104/Letter-In-defense-of-a-multicultural-U-S
For anyone who isn't on facebook/didn't see the link I posted there. Anyways, I 100% believe that everyone should learn a second (or third) language. It's actually really embarrassing in a way when you are somewhere and someone is able to speak English and French and Spanish and Arabic and translate for everyone (Basma, my boss/co-worker, speaks all of those languages) and you can't. And, the stereotype is that Americans can't speak anything but English. Lots of people I have met over the years think that. I try to disabuse them of that notion, but unfortunately, like the guy who wrote the article I was responding to, some people proudly uphold that stereotype.
This is his article:
http://www.mpnnow.com/highlight/x1621116648/Guest-essay-Don-t-surrender-to-those-trying-to-undo-America
Anyways, it was a lot of fun and the Germany vs. Spain game was on, so we watched that after dinner. I really wanted Germany to go all the way, but alas, it wasn't to be. Oh, well, maybe in 2014. Then I got home around 11:00 or 11:30 and went to bed.
Also Wednesday afternoon we had an event at LERC. A visiting scholar Dr. Martinez Assad came to show a movie he had made about Lebanese immigrants in Mexican film, so that was interesting. He himself is Mexican of Lebanese descent.
Thursday was good, I worked and had Arabic and relaxed after the busy Tuesday and Wednesday I had. Today my friend Brian from my Arabic classes (who is a PHD candidate at Rutgers) came by LERC to check it out and we gave him a tour and showed him around the museum and what not. Anyways, that brings us up to right now. I wrote another article and as soon as it submit it/if they decide to publish this one too, I'll let you know.
(Did you notice how many times I used a / in this post? It was my motiv for the day I guess.)
Oh and also, did you hear about the women who worked for CNN and got fired for tweeting she respected Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah? (The guy who died the other day.) I won't comment on it online, who knows, I could lose my job too.
Auf jeden Fall (that means anyways in German. Anyways, is my other motiv. It's probably my favorite word so last summer when I heard Günter my host father say auf jeden Fall one time I realized I had discovered how to say it in German. You can also say jedenfalls. Auf jeden Fall literally means: in any case.)
Wednesday night I was invited to Guita Hourani's (The director of LERC) house for dinner. Well, me and the rest of the staff. And it was a dinner party. So I rode there in a taxi with Elie. She lives up into the mountains from the university. Her house was really nice and covered with souvenirs which she has picked up from traveling around the world. We got there around 8:30 and we had drinks and then around 9:00 or 9:30 we ate. There was so much good food. So I had some Lebanese wine and some Lebanese food and got the chance to spend some time with my co-workers outside of work, which was nice. There were quite a few people there and I also chatted with an American guy of Lebanese descent who was born in Salt Lake City. There were lots of languages, French and Arabic and English and Spanish too, I believe.
Which: segway/plug for my article: I wrote an article and it was published in the Daily Messenger. It's on the website at:
http://www.mpnnow.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1609353104/Letter-In-defense-of-a-multicultural-U-S
For anyone who isn't on facebook/didn't see the link I posted there. Anyways, I 100% believe that everyone should learn a second (or third) language. It's actually really embarrassing in a way when you are somewhere and someone is able to speak English and French and Spanish and Arabic and translate for everyone (Basma, my boss/co-worker, speaks all of those languages) and you can't. And, the stereotype is that Americans can't speak anything but English. Lots of people I have met over the years think that. I try to disabuse them of that notion, but unfortunately, like the guy who wrote the article I was responding to, some people proudly uphold that stereotype.
This is his article:
http://www.mpnnow.com/highlight/x1621116648/Guest-essay-Don-t-surrender-to-those-trying-to-undo-America
Anyways, it was a lot of fun and the Germany vs. Spain game was on, so we watched that after dinner. I really wanted Germany to go all the way, but alas, it wasn't to be. Oh, well, maybe in 2014. Then I got home around 11:00 or 11:30 and went to bed.
Also Wednesday afternoon we had an event at LERC. A visiting scholar Dr. Martinez Assad came to show a movie he had made about Lebanese immigrants in Mexican film, so that was interesting. He himself is Mexican of Lebanese descent.
Thursday was good, I worked and had Arabic and relaxed after the busy Tuesday and Wednesday I had. Today my friend Brian from my Arabic classes (who is a PHD candidate at Rutgers) came by LERC to check it out and we gave him a tour and showed him around the museum and what not. Anyways, that brings us up to right now. I wrote another article and as soon as it submit it/if they decide to publish this one too, I'll let you know.
(Did you notice how many times I used a / in this post? It was my motiv for the day I guess.)
Oh and also, did you hear about the women who worked for CNN and got fired for tweeting she respected Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah? (The guy who died the other day.) I won't comment on it online, who knows, I could lose my job too.
Auf jeden Fall (that means anyways in German. Anyways, is my other motiv. It's probably my favorite word so last summer when I heard Günter my host father say auf jeden Fall one time I realized I had discovered how to say it in German. You can also say jedenfalls. Auf jeden Fall literally means: in any case.)
Your life experience just keeps growing richer and I think your summer sounds absolutely wonderful! You have managed to experience multiple cultures beyond a superficial tourist level. I really enjoy hearing your perspective on multiculturalism! Keep it coming!
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