Student reflections

 
Sophie Latapie (UD 2012) “The perspective I gained from traveling to Dubai and getting to know the girls at Zayed University will always influence the way I view the Middle East and its people. I learned so much from the twelve girls I met about their culture and way of life, which so drastically changed my preconceived notions about the Arab world and specifically, a woman's or even an individual's place in that world. As an American student, I've noticed how little my peers and I are taught in high school and college about the Middle East and how this ignorance quickly leads to misunderstanding and misjudgment… I'm elated that the University of Delaware, through the Global Agenda class, is able to work to break down these cultural barriers and spark an interest in students about this part of the world.” Lindsay Romano (UD 2013) “By the end of the week, I felt more closely connected to and deeply immersed in their culture than I have ever felt in another country, despite having studied abroad for longer periods… The women from Zayed led us deep into their culture… “The experience opened up my eyes to the many intricacies of Arabic culture that one could never learn in a class or through a textbook. I learned more about Middle Eastern and Muslim culture during my week in Dubai than I have ever learned in my life, despite having taken courses on the subject in the past. The trip challenged my way of thinking by encouraging me to open up my mind to the ideas and perspectives of the women from Zayed [University].  “The Honors section of Global Agenda strives to influence students to step outside of their comfort zone and to learn about another culture through the perspectives of natives to that culture… Working with the students from Zayed University has enabled all of us to gain a better understanding of Middle Eastern culture as well as an appreciation for the people who live there, something that I have never fully experienced before. I have never been given a challenge such as this, or an opportunity to form a friendship with someone living in such a different culture than my own. I had time to reflect on myself and my own biases, biases that have become so engrained as a result of repeated exposure to American culture. Dubai stripped me of those biases and enabled me to see people for who they truly were, not for the culture in which they live. I was given a strong appreciation for Muslim practices and ways of life. Our trip to Dubai changed my life.” Brittany Drazich (UD 2013) “While video chatting with the Emirate women every week has been an enlightening and influential experience for me, I have realized after traveling to Dubai that there is a “human” aspect completely missing when just video chatting. I think back to a particular bus ride when my Emirate friend and I were chit chatting the whole way home. We were discussing dating and she had a question that she seemed embarrassed to ask but I realized through her smile and body language. If we had not been in person, I would have not picked up on her cues. To take this a step further, if we were not in person I do not think she would have trusted me with her question… I had not realized how important being globally minded was to me. From this experience I have realized that I find deep satisfaction from learning about those who are drastically different from me. Here at UD I get so caught up in “my world…”
 One of my favorite parts of the trip was being able to immerse myself in Muslim culture! The country’s lack of separation of church and state was a complete reverse to American governmental motivations. As the UAE is 99% Muslim, I questioned if our Emirate friends felt pushed into their religious practices. But I was so overwhelmed by their positivity toward their religion – being with them in person I was able to feel their genuine respect for the Quran and Muhammad’s teachings… This is the type of class you want to shout on rooftops about. But we probably shouldn’t because unfortunately, not all students can take this class! …It exemplifies the University of Delaware’s global perspective, and unique classes… In every single other class I have been in this year, my professors have used a powerpoint presentation and flipped through slides all lecture. This class blows my other classes out of the park.  Now when I see someone walking around campus with a shayla, I have an urge to want to talk with them. I do not know if it is because they remind me of our Emirate friends with whom we have developed relationships and miss, or that I feel a camaraderie now with Middle Eastern and Muslim culture and I want them to know I respect and have an understanding of their values. While I expect like all things this extreme excitement about Middle Eastern culture might fade, one aspect will always remain – my respect for their culture.

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Rose Summers (UD 2013) “What I will really remember from the trip are the moments and conversations I shared with the Emirati students getting to know one another… When I was struggling to put on my headscarf while we visited the most beautiful mosque I have ever seen, another Emirati student came over and taught me exactly how she puts hers on and helped me until I figured it out. Standing almost literally in her shoes, fully dressed in the long black coat and headscarf felt surreal and I am still not fully sure what to make of it. All I know is those are the types of things I will appreciate forever, and those are the types of things that allowed me to really learn about these women and their lives. When the Emirati students came back to Delaware with us it felt like they belonged with us… they attended one of my political science courses with me, and I loved being able to sit with them in a real classroom and see how they would react to my coursework and my professor. One of the students actually messaged me on Facebook when the week was done to ask me to send her the course’s reading list because she was so interested in the material. It was truly exciting to share things that are important to me with them.” Kelia Scott (UD 2013) “This class was probably the most memorable classroom experience I have ever had… Most of my classes are large lectures where you do not really get to know the professor, let alone other students in the class. I not only got to know Professor Begleiter quite well, but I also interacted a lot more with the students in my class. It was a treat to get to talk to a professor one on one and share ideas rather than just exchange emails if I had a question, which is how it is with most of my professors. The fact that other students in the class were ready and willing to learn was also fun because we were all a lot more engaged… I can say that this was the most interested I have ever been in a classroom. I have connections in Dubai that I hope will continue throughout my life.”  Nathan Richter (UD 2013) “As someone who is interested in international business, it is always helpful to gain experiences interacting with people from other nations, particularly individuals that are not ethnically, religiously or culturally similar… It was valuable to hear different perspectives on various international issues as well as the thoughts of international students on the United States. Because of the strong international position of the United States, it is valuable for me to know what others think of me as an American before I start my career.” Erin Quinn (UD 2012) “The trip to Dubai with my political science class was foremost a learning experience, but it also changed me as a person so much more than I had anticipated. It gave me confidence in myself by talking a lot about various things with the Emirati girls and seeing a lot of what I study with my own eyes… I realized how much I can have in common with a culture so distant from mine, and how I can really form bonds with people all over the world, in a short amount of time. It strengthened my desire to travel.”  Geoff Linderman (UD 2013) “This trip was actually my first time abroad without my family, and I’ll admit I was nervous. I was confident in the program, but it was still a bit hard to imagine beforehand. Having done it, however, I’m glad I did. I feel much more confident in myself, and not only can I see myself in foreign environments in the future, I’m looking forward to it. I think my communication skills have improved, as well as my ability to empathize and connect with someone coming from a very different background. The trip actually inspired me to spend this summer in Turkey… only two months ago, something like that would have been unthinkable to me. The UAE trip really has expanded my horizons in ways I could never have imagined.” Andrea Diorio (UD 2013) Unlike most of the students in this class, I am not an International Relations or Political Science major; I am a Communication major… and while I may not be a professional at politics, this class has really opened my eyes to a lot of issues, both domestic and international. It has given me a great interest in cross-cultural politics and foreign affairs, while also increasing my awareness in these areas… I’ve done a lot of traveling but I’ve never had such a hands-on experience where we had a connection with students there and were able to fully immerse ourselves in the culture… I was just as excited for them to come visit us as I was to go visit Dubai! …We, as Americans, usually assume these women are oppressed and hidden, under their sheilas and abayas. However, I have never taken the time to consider that Muslim women see us, as Americans, as oppressed and manipulated by men in our revealing and not so modest clothing. Breaking down this one stereotype has really… made me realize that the definition of what is “normal” is definitely not a universal one.”

On Dubai “Creek” small taxi boats still ply the waters along with trading vessels from Asia.

Photos: Ralph Begleiter