What is the purpose of academia?

I have been struggling with this question all summer.

Well, not struggling with it, but rather I have been surprised at other people’ s perspectives on it. It’s no secret that there is a big gap between academia and the public and even policy makers for that matter. I think this is a problem and is central to a lot of the problems in society today. I know I must have blogged before about my disgust with the politics in academia and the hubris of some of the professors and phd students that I have met through time.

If/when I do become a phd, I don’t want to write 10 nooks on some random topic that no one cares about and not even make the effort to apply those ideas to raising awareness/solving some social/political ill. The thought of being a self-consumed tenured at one of the top — programs professor is depressing.

I think this summer has made me realize just how wide the gap between academics and the masses can really be.

but I’ve met some folk who don’t feel that way. I guess I will write about this later, when I reflect more, but I just wanted to put the question out there.

p.s. I still love Tariq Rammadan

I love… Tariq Rammadan

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a hot mess. That is all that I can say about her. I hate it when people take cultural specificities and apply them to a whole group بدون اسثناء (without exception). And at the same time refuses to draw parallels that are so clearly visible. Her goal in a general sense fine, but her طريق (path) is just not jiving with me and hundreds of millions of others.

I Love Rammadan because he held his own even when they tried to jump him

I am back…. well, almost

So the ARabic program is over and the real world awaits… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So much catch up with ….

Right now, I am still trying to make sense of this experience.  Was it worth it to spend  2 months studying Arabic in the states? eh.

Would I do it again?  I think so, but not with a huge amount of enthusiasm.

It wasn’t as bad as my study abroad experience in Morocco, it wasn’t as short as “color ful” a dining experience as it was in Yemen (although the food service workers did get hairs in the pasta from time to time

BUt it wasn’t oober great either.

Maybe I am a pessimist, or maybe I have heard to so much about this program before coming that I didn’t want to believe that the gaping holes within it exist.  But they do.

On one hand, I speak Arabic.  (woo hooo I can finally say that and I speak it quickly (even told someone off in Arabic this summer… woo hoo) There’s a certain comfortability with the language that I never had before.

On the other hand, I am wondering if this came because the program was so great (instructors in particular), or because of its Middleburyesque language pledge.

I actually have favorite Arabic songs and even news sources.

on the Other I still have so many gaps in my comprehension, or rather I don’t feel like I improved much. and not because I didn’t work hard, but because the program doesn’t really focus on developing other areas. oh well.

Maybe another factor is was the “group” culture of the program, which I am sooo not into.

oh well.

Syria for a Year?

Thinking about it… don’t know if I could put up with it though.

One of my good friends told me that study abroad for me is like crack… (well something like that).

I need to talk to black people that have studied there… oh wait, there are none…lol.

On the other hand, my Arabic would be siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick when I came back.

You’re too Qaulified to work here

ok, I’ve heard of stuff like this but I can’t believe it’s actually happened to me.

In the action packed two weeks between returning from the U.K. and starting my Arabic program I went on the dreaded job interviews: The suit, the figuring out where everything is, getting their mad early, trecking through the D.C. area heat and humidity just to make a good freaking impression… did I mention that my wonderful press and curl from PHD (if you are black, in the U.K. and in need of some tlc for your hair, PHD is THE place to go, I don’t what I am going to do without them

… Anyway in the course of my interviews I hear the refrain, “why does someone as educated as you want to work here?”  or “We don’t usually get people as educated as you”  or some  other form of it.  And the story ends with the rejection letter.

I am mad.  Well, not mad, but confused at how someone gets turned down because their too educated or qualified.  I have good reasoning, or so I thought.

oh well, maybe it was for some other reason… but asserting that it’s because I was too good for them makes me feel better…lol

On learning Arabic in America

I came to the realization yesterday that my Arabic is now better than my Spanish (speaking-wise anyway).  Aah!  I never thought this day would come.  Alhamdullilah.

This Arabic only stuff is the pitts though.  It sucks.

An actually so do my classes sometimes.  I’m not a grammar buff by any stretch of the imagination, but we use the al-kitaab series (like every other freaking college/university in the U.S.) darn you Kristen Brustad…lol)

and now that I am in book three (unlike this idiot who doesn’t seem to have gone  past book one yet…lol)  I think I can say safely that the grammar explanations suck.    The main goal/ethos of the series and this program is to get students speaking Arabic fluidly: Grammar takes a back seat.  This is great, but at the same time, I find myself missing those days at SOAS when Arabic was in English and I thoroughly understood how to conjugate those crazy verbs that end with a vowel (crazy hard in arabic) or verbal noun constructions etc. Even my teachers are too laissez faire about the grammar in my opinion (well, except that time when one of them kirked out because we didn’t understand a grammar term… but that is another story…lol)

Why are the European and American models exact opposites?  I think I need to start an Arabic program that is a little more grammar focused. … yet another career move to make before I die

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op-ed piece

I liked…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/opinion/10collins.html?hp

Ok, now I am mad

ok , so I posted Waed’s video earlier and now this one (my two favs… take it or leave it).

I am getting annoyed by the a lot of the comments on her videos are about her color/features.  WTF?

shouldn’t care, I know, but really?

It reminds me of the blind stares I get when people ask me about my experiences in the Arab world and of course I mention the racism/colorism whatever the heck you wanna call it-   “Oh”

or when they say stupid sH&^5 like “oh I had no idea”  hmmm lets see, you went to (insert Arabic speaking country here) with your white self and your white classmates/friends/ or white/arab spouse.  And didn’t notice the racism against dark skinned peoples.  HOw could that have happned?…lol

I’m not mad, I just think its a bit funny.

eh, I am just starving for some English to read/write I guess…lol.

any way:     I love Waed!!!!!     انا احب وعد

ana mosh ananaya

I love this song, and apparently its like a really popular on the Arabic charts, Can totally relate to the sentiment although not the context.  Woo hoo Mariam Faris.

plus, I actually understand quite a bit of the  lyrics (that’s a feat considering I am not studying her dialect of arabic… woo hooo, yay me!)

My new favorite ARab Singer

God Loves me because if I had listened to another Nancy Ajram song I think I would screaam.

Waed will certainly do for now, She’s awesome