Preview of the Arab World

“Mom, I want to learn a new language, maybe Arabic or Mandarin.”

“Okay Ryann, whatever,” said my mom.

She was all too familiar with my desire to try new things and it ending in the wrong ways.

She wasn’t a stranger to my attempts to learn a new language, as I took Spanish in the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th,8^th, and 9^th grades, but I never really started to learn it until my friend, Lydia from an earlier post, started speaking it to me on a daily basis. SO, I waited and waited until new student orientation so I could make my schedule and pursue my desire to learn a new language.

Of course making a schedule was last thing on the list. So, at new student orientation, I patiently waited for the second day and the last activity so I could make my schedule. Finally, after what seemed like forever, my group was walking to the bottom level of Willard to make our schedule. We were assigned two to an advisor. (Fun fact: This is where I met Sarah and probably the reason as to why we have so many class together!)

Once I came back upstairs my mom was anxious to see my schedule and was surprised to see that I had actually included Arabic. Every day I have Arabic and learning is a struggle but I have had many opportunities outside of class to explore the language and culture.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an “Arabic social”.

The first man I spoke to was from the United Arab Emirates. He explained to me that they own the tallest building in the world. They are more westernized than many Arab countries, to include having the availability to night clubs. Family life is kept extremely private. Dubai is one of the most well-known cities in the Middle East and it is in the UAE. Also, he explained that the Emirati society is divided into two social groups, the nationals and the foreign immigrants. Men who are of Emirati decent wear a white robe and white head cloth with a black rope. Women wear long dresses with a hijab and a black cloak.

The last person I got to speak to was from Saudi Arabia. Speaking to her was the most exciting because she understood that I was a new speaker and went slow with me, therefore, I was able to understand most of what she was saying! As she offered us coffee and dattes, she explained that her country was big and beautiful. This is a very popular place for Muslims to travel to, as Mecca is there and they must visit at least once in their lifetimes. The citizens wear their different clothing which is traditional and special to their country. Also, she spoke of the gender roles which included women not being able to drive and that men and women are not allowed in dark areas together, therefore, there are few to none movie theatres or things of entertainment close to that.

Although these countries have their differences they are similar in the fact that they are all under monarchy, they all speak Arabic (but in their own different dialects), and are both Muslim countries.

Thank you for reading. 

Dance, Dance.

It can easily be said that dance is NOT a culture of its own but that it IS a part of culture. I agree with this argument but I also believe that dance exists as a culture creator and to bring people together. Though many dances may have a specific meaning behind them, I believe that it allows people from all different backgrounds and nationalities to come together and have a joyful moment. This week, instead of talking about culture behind nationalities, I want to focus on the culture behind dance. This idea first came to my head while I was watching the dance competition for homecoming 2 weeks ago. In just that one competition, so many different types of dancing styles were showcased. From hip pop to ballet, this competition proved that, no matter your style, there’s a type of dance for you. Dance is one of many things that people around the world use to express themselves. It is way to express yourself without using words. You let the expression flow through your body and create beautiful art. There are many types of dance from bellying dancing to tap dance and everyone has a perfect fit for them.

Dance plays such an important role in entertainment, exercise, and happiness, that everywhere you go you’ll encounter it. Just walking through the hub today, I’ve seen a few people dancing to their own beats. Because dance is so popular it appears often in our media. There are many games, movies, and TV that highlight the importance of dance. Main characters in these series let dance have a major influence on their character. Apart from popular culture, dance also plays a role in religious and worship groups. Many churches have dance groups, called “praise groups” to help with the overall feel of the church.

There are many different types of dances and everyday more types are added over time. There have always been types of dance like hip hop, ballet, or breakdancing but now more specific dances are coming out. Now-a-days when a new dance is released it has a song to go with it such as the “nae-nae”, verses old times when you learned a type of dance that goes with many different songs, as long as you can find the beat. But just as with everything else, time changes everything including dance.

In the 1920’s that rise of jazz became popular in dance culture. Dances such as “the Charleston” and “the Lindy Hop” became popular during this time period. A few decades later, in the 1970’s and 80’s, is when the idea of hip pop got big. This type of dance not only brought on a new way of dancing but cause a change in fashion and media as well. To this day hip hop still has an influence on our style and music. Pop music always begun to be a big hit as pop-star, Michael Jackson, is of course known for his “moonwalk”. I’m not sure to you, but I wasn’t aware that crowd surfing was a time of dance, it’s called “moshing” and is when people dance closely and aggressively. This kind of dance appeared when punk rock also took off in the 1980’s and 90’s. Of course, Line Dancing is very popular especially in country music. And with more current dances of today such as the Harlem Shake and Gangnam Style, it’s all clear that the bottom line of dancing is just to have fun. So whether you only feel comfortable dancing at home in front of a mirror or you’re the animal of the party, have fun dancing because it brings happiness.

Thanks for reading, J

The Land Down Under

The Land Down Under

The wild outback, kangaroos, the Great Barrier Reef…? How often do we forget about Australia, the land down under? The Aussie’s with the Australian English with a touch British regional dialect (I love their accents!).  Personally, it used to be my dream place to live. I wanted to be a marine biologist and just spend my days enjoying the abundance of natural beauty that the country has to offer. Sadly, now the only time Australia ever crosses my mind is when I go to Outback Steakhouse.

Australia is the 6th largest country in the world and 91% of the country is covered in vegetation. This country is known for its wonderful and natural beauty. The Great Barrier Reef, arguably the most beautiful aspect of the country, is the largest living structure. It’s the size of 70 million football fields or half the size of Texas! The second most beautiful aspect of Australia that comes to my mind is the Outback. Well, I guess beautifully dangerous. Due to this fact, more than 80% if the population live within 100 kilometers of the coast. With so many people near the coast, the outback is one of the many beautiful aspects of Australia. This also causes the country to be one of the world’s most flourishing and populated coastal areas. Both the outback and the Great Barrier Reef have so many unique animals such as koalas, kangaroos, emus, kookaburras, and platypus. These are some of the components that help this country maintain it’s incredibly rich and diverse feel. And let’s not forget the Sydney Opera House.

Also, the many different types of people and languages contribute to the diverse culture of Australia. Today Australia is very multicultural. Over 200 different languages are spoken. And with so many different languages, of course there’s going to be a multitude of different dialects. Besides English, the most popular languages are Italian, Greek, Arabic, and Mandarin. The typical “Aussie” seems so “happy-go-lucky”. Maybe it’s because of the amount of acceptance of different viewpoints that makes them this way. Although, Australia started as an imprisonment colony, now the crime rates aren’t too terrible.  They just seem so peaceful and never have much to do with the major problems and communications in the world. Australia day is a celebration of reflections on Australian history, landscape, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the Australian community. This holiday also is used to celebrate the many different nationalities of people and how they come together. Australia’s culture is heavily influenced on Western culture. Even in a sense of economy. There’s a working, middle, upper class and the gap between rich and poor is widening.

Fun fact: Canberra is the capital of Australia. This decision was made in 1908 as a compromise. The rival cities, Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest cities, both wanted to be named the capital. And due to the heavy influence of the natural beauty of the country, the Garden City Movement inspired the design of the city. 

Thanks for reading :)

Ethiopia!

This week I’m choosing to write about Ethiopian culture! Ethiopia is the second highest populated country in Africa. In my AP Human Geography class, for one of my projects, I had to try food from a different country and write about my experience. Through this experience I learned that I am not a big fan of Ethiopian food because they eat most their food with injera, and I wasn’t a fan of that. The national food of Ethiopia is wat. Wat is basically a spicy stew that is accompanied with injera, a spongy flat bread, and can be made with many different kinds of meats. The spice that makes the stew hot is called berbere.

Also in my class, we had a day in which we just tried coffee from different countries, and it so happened that we got to try coffee from Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, coffee is referred to as bunna and it is a very popular drink. There is a ceremony that is basically called the “coffee ceremony”. This is a very traditional and unique ceremony. The coffee gets roasted and grounded, then it is placed in a jebena (coffee pot) and served to the attendees of the ceremony.  

Modern clothing in Ethiopia is starting to take on a western feel. The people of Ethiopia wear many different types of clothing. The traditional dress consists of white cotton cloth. Men wear long, jodhpur-like pants, a tight-fitting shirt and a shamma (loose wrap). For women, wraps are also very popular but they are more colorful and bold. Much of the traditional clothing will be worn to festivals and fun events such as parades.

In Ethiopia the people still live under a caste system, in which there are 4 main levels. People of the higher levels have a life like you and I. The kids go off to school in the morning as the parents go to work. They come home, have dinner, and family time and do as they please. The people of the lower levels live more of a traditional life. The father works and the mothers tend to stay home and take care of the children and home. Schooling is free but to purchase the required materials can get costly, so many kids miss out on an education. But in all the different social and economic groups, religion plays a major role. Christianity and Islam are two of the major and oldest religions of Ethiopia. Prayer is incorporated into many lives.

Ethiopia, is a multi-ethnic state. Many aspects tend to get hidden by intermarriage over the years. But also many remain. An easy way to notice many of the differences is by recognizing the amount of languages that are spoken, 83. And on top of those many different languages there are over 200 different types of dialects.

Music plays an important role in Ethiopian culture, as it does with many cultures. Ethiopia has a rich variety of music, singing, and dancing, but when these come together they build an important part of Ethiopian cultural life. Singing accompanies many agricultural activities, as well as religious festivals and ceremonies surround important live events such as birth, marriage and death.

Overall, Ethiopian culture is built with sincerity. Their way of life may seem like a step back in time to us but it highlights the beauty of simplicity. Thanks for reading.