قديم جديد (qadim jadid) : A New Old by Carson

قديم جديد (qadim jadid) : A New Old by Carson - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

Beautiful scenery, magnificent architecture, delicious food: these are the usual things that entice students to study abroad. Having travelled across Europe on a pilgrimage last summer, I can attest to the wonders of experiencing a foreign land and taking in all that a new culture has to offer. Opportunities such as these can be educational and transformative. This, however, is not why I desire to live and study abroad. My purpose: to delve into Middle-Eastern culture and close the gap between American fear and reality.
Since the time it first filled my ears, I have been drawn to the innate beauty of the Arabic language, especially in solemn chants and its ornate calligraphic written form. As a Christian, I connect with Arabic as it is a link to my faith’s history, a window into the past. The language invites my heart and mind into its cultural roots which dwell in Middle Eastern countries such as Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The rugged landscapes, temples, and eateries are footnotes compared to the opportunity to be immersed in ancient cultural traditions.
My interest in these countries initially worried me. The media paints them all as unstable and dangerous. However, maybe, just maybe, like the stereotypes which falsely characterize the United States, I will look beyond the generalizations, search for the truth, and discover a beautiful people who are warm and inviting, and a culture that is as rich as it is complex.
My previous international travel experience taught me that a critical part of being able to fully understand a culture is the ability to communicate in the native tongue of its people. Though my school does not offer courses in Arabic, and there are no native speakers of Arabic in my small rural community, I have been studying the language and practicing conversational aspects of it using various apps and other resources—all in the hope that in college, I can take advanced courses, engage native speakers of Arabic in my new, more diverse environment, and develop fluency in order to prepare for a truly “full immersion” study abroad experience.
With an interest in politics, specifically international affairs, the opportunity to experience Middle Eastern culture in its originality and unaltered by preconceptions, while studying in a foreign academic environment, will have a profound impact on my college education and my career. I can easily imagine pulling from my experiences in the Middle East when contributing articles to my college’s newspaper, offering the reader a glimpse into a culture they might know little about and explaining how it relates to topics such as immigration, international economics, and globalization.
Thereafter, my working knowledge of the region and language skills might provide opportunities to make positive contributions in negotiations and policy decisions. Until that study abroad adventure, however, I’ll have to take what I can from language videos online and occasionally interrupt my studies with a robust Arabic chant, sure to please the ears of the audience of one in my bedroom!