newshourextra
Molly, Washington, D.C., USA - age 19
The Arab Spring has been inspirational globally as a huge movement of citizens in the Arab world fighting against injustice in their countries.
However, as an American Student in Washington, D.C., I don't feel I'm currently being directly affected in my university community by the Arab Spring - most of what I know about the movement has been learned in a lecture hall of 200 or more students. The idea that masses of citizens of a country can stand up and fight for what they believe in isn't fathomable to me; I just don't know what its like to be at the center of a movement like that. I think the new developments occurring in the Arab world are inspiring as I can admire their courage, and on the other hand it sheds light on the problem I'm facing personally: I don't know enough about it. I want to be more educated on the culture and people within the Arab Spring and I just don't think I can learn that in an International Affairs class based on diplomacy from Americans' perspective or from the biased American media I read daily.
In conclusion, to me, the Arab Spring is another chance for me to challenge myself as an individual and attempt to learn more about the movement from the people themselves instead of the bubble I'm living in on my college campus. And to me, the Arab Spring means I need to challenge myself to take the steps necessary to understand the world better as a global citizen.
This picture shows one effort of mine to attempt to learn more about another culture. It was taken at the Idriss Mosque in Northgate, Seattle at a press conference some friends and I (in the blue) participated in as an effort to learn more about the Muslim & Arab community in our area. We chose to participate in the event because we wanted to learn more about a culture from the people living in it, something I think is also vital in educating those of us not experiencing the Arab Spring in our own lives.
Molly, Washington, D.C., USA - age 19
The Arab Spring has been inspirational globally as a huge movement of citizens in the Arab world fighting against injustice in their countries.
However, as an American Student in Washington, D.C., I don't feel I'm currently being directly affected in my university community by the Arab Spring - most of what I know about the movement has been learned in a lecture hall of 200 or more students. The idea that masses of citizens of a country can stand up and fight for what they believe in isn't fathomable to me; I just don't know what its like to be at the center of a movement like that. I think the new developments occurring in the Arab world are inspiring as I can admire their courage, and on the other hand it sheds light on the problem I'm facing personally: I don't know enough about it. I want to be more educated on the culture and people within the Arab Spring and I just don't think I can learn that in an International Affairs class based on diplomacy from Americans' perspective or from the biased American media I read daily.
In conclusion, to me, the Arab Spring is another chance for me to challenge myself as an individual and attempt to learn more about the movement from the people themselves instead of the bubble I'm living in on my college campus. And to me, the Arab Spring means I need to challenge myself to take the steps necessary to understand the world better as a global citizen.
This picture shows one effort of mine to attempt to learn more about another culture. It was taken at the Idriss Mosque in Northgate, Seattle at a press conference some friends and I (in the blue) participated in as an effort to learn more about the Muslim & Arab community in our area. We chose to participate in the event because we wanted to learn more about a culture from the people living in it, something I think is also vital in educating those of us not experiencing the Arab Spring in our own lives.