Asalamu alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barkatoo (May God's peace and
blessings be upon you) and HelloooOoo!
Did you know?
- that the Korean language operates on a SOV pattern? That means the object comes before the verb. If this sounds too grammatical for you, in English the object in the following sentence would be an ‘apple’: She ate an apple. Now, in Korean, apple would come before ate. Cool, huh?
- Indian brides wear red?
- Japan has vending machines for noodles and eggs?
So yeah, back in the day, I used to attend an international high school (in some Arabian country :P). In my own class (not even the entire school), we had students from Nigeria, India, Palestine, Egypt, Ukraine, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, South Korea, Iraq, Canada, United States, etc. Many of my best friends were children of parents from mixed backgrounds. For example, one of my friend’s mothers was Native American/American and her father was Iraqi. Another one of my friends was half Palestinian, half Filipino. A third was half Suadnese and half Emarati (UAE)….there were even more, but I’m not going to bore you with that (although of course, the stories of how their parents met were tres cute :D).
Yup, going to that school was a huge blessing (not that I actually realized that while I was actually attending it, lol). But there, being around so many different people from different backgrounds and perspectives, I was truly….touched by all the Colors of the World.
Something not many people, unfortunately, get to experience.
I still remember one of my 12th grade teachers. Rather than saying what country he came from, let’s just say he was a man who really didn’t much about the rest of the world, lol. He stepped in the class, started talking to us about jiad (LOL), and whatnot and then noticed one of the Syrian girls. (If you don't know, in terms of looks, many Syrians could pass off as Americans).He asked her where she was from and she explained Syria. He said, "Oh, man, I had you tagged as a girl from Kansas but with some weird thing on her head'.
He was referring to her hijab, the veil that we Muslim girls wear.
Isn’t it a shame that at this age and time not many people know basic beliefs and principles of other people’s cultures and religions? I don’t blame that teacher, though. He told us that he'd never met a Muslim before.
But what if we did…what if we met other people?
.
Don’t you think the world would be a nicer place? Don’t you think there would be fewer stereotypes, less anger, less frustration? There would be more understanding, more empathy? Don’t you think that we could actually achieve peace?
So, let’s me and you do it! Today’s dare (Sunday’s dare, remember?), is to go out and meet someone new. I promise you, most people are good and kind. Join an international forum (like muslimsistersunite.com, which is not only for Muslim women), visit a blog by someone not living in your region…Because believe me, no matter where you go…people are people, with stories to tell and hearts to share…
P.S. Not only did attending this school introduce me to different cultures, but switching continents also played a huge role in that. I was born in the US but moved later on to various countries in the Middle East. I am, in fact, always amazed at people who have lived in one city their whole lives…how does it feel? The longest I have lived in one place is 9 years :D) Yeah, miss Pancake, I so know you could beat me! :P
P.S.S. Do you have an interesting fact to share?
