- Student Name:
Hiba Shaqra
- Major:
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
- Minor:
Chemistry, Math, and Arabic
- Language(s) You Are Learning:
Arabic
- Graduation Year:
2024
- Essay in English:
Traipsing through the bustling streets of Damascus, my eyes would instinctively squint at all the signs written in Arabic. The signs seemed conventional–something I saw everyday–yet I could not understand the Arabic words. I smelled the scents that caused me to drift towards a falafel cart, yet I could not read the words plastered on the umbrella on top of it. I saw the glint of pens in the store, yet I could not read “ .” دكان Going to museums, seeing magnificent calligraphy composed of Arabic words: an art so creative yet so difficult to read. In America, my ears would perk up at the sound of Arabic, and yet I still felt distant from my culture in Syria. Learning formal Arabic allows me to more deeply understand my first language, to connect with my roots, so I can truly communicate with fellow Syrians and understand my culture like never before.
- Translation Image:
- Essay in Arabic:
See above.
