I Movie Final Project

I have had trouble figuring out what to do for my I movie. Having time to think about it and speaking to different people, I realized why dont I do something about my culture. Growing up around the Middle-Eastern culture, my mom cooked a lot of arabic food. Both my grandmothers are amazing cooks, and they both have a passion for it. They put so much love into food. Not all people appreciate different cultures, but I do. It is such a pretty thing. Everyone is raised differently and everyone is raised on eating different foods not matter where you are from. I love trying new things. Everything is made with love since it is made by hand.

A few weeks ago in my Art Appreciation class, five Saudi-Arabian Muslim students came and spoke with  us about the beauty of art, and their culture. They brought in food, and they taught the class how to write in arabic. I was so shocked to see how many students were involved, but I was also shocked to see the students that were being disrespectful to them. They speak little English, so it was hard enough to communicate to the class. They took the time to make food and bring it in. They also took the time to present to us and I can imagine how hard it was for them.  I really enjoyed listening to them because I could relate to some of the things they were saying. I wish that everyone gave people respect about their culture.  We are all adults now. We are in college, we are no longer in high school. Everyone is different. The different cultures and languages are so fascinating. Try something new, that you have never tried before. Eat something you have never aten before, and try to speak a language you have never spoken before. Put yourself in their shoes. They are just like us, learning new things. Imagine if you went to another country and couldn't speak or undersand their language. It would be very hard and frustrating but also a learning experience. If you really think about it, it would be a struggle for you to adapt in a new culture just like it's a struggle for them to adapt to ours. My point is to try something new, and be open to other people's cultures. You will learn something you have never learned before.

Tragedy of The Innocent Hooded Boy

Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American boy was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. On February 26, 2012, Martin was walking through a gated community while talking on the phone with his girlfriend. His hood was up and he looked suspicious. Zimmerman started following Martin and called the police. The police told him not to follow him and let him be until they arrive. Martin noticed that someone had been following him, so he ran. Zimmerman than shot and killed Martin. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Eyewitnesses said that they heard a cry for help and a gunshot. Martin was unarmed. He had a pack of skittles and a bottle of ice tea. So Zimmerman shot Martin because he had his hood up and looked suspicious? A little ridiculous if you ask me. Zimmerman stated that he shot him in self defense. I am confused on what self defense he is speaking of?  Sadly, the police did not arrest him. They believed Zimmerman acted out in self defense.

A week later, Martins family demanded officials that the release the 911 call tapes and to arrest Zimmerman but officials said no.  There have been questionable police conduct. Chief Billy Lee stated that there was no evidence to arrest Zimmerman. But where are the eye witnesses and why haven't they come forward yet? There have been several petitions for Zimmermans arrest, but no action has been taken. A 16 year old girl, allegedly known as Martin's girlfriend told Martin's family that she was on the phone with him while everything happened.  I do not think enough is being done for this innocent boy and his family. This is clearly an act of racism. Officials do not seem to care about the murder of an innocent boy. Zimmerman lied and told police that Martin knocked him out and repeatedly slammed his head into the ground. A little 17 year old boy slamming a huge older man into the ground? That doesn't make any sense to me.

Where I'm From

When you look at me what do you think I am? White? Italian? Spanish? Think again. Most people dont know that I am 100 percent Palestinian. Both of my parents were born in the middle east, but I was born in the United States. My father was born in a little (now big town) called Ramallah and my mother was born in Jerusalem. My father moved here when he was 3 years old and my mother moved here when she was fourteen. My mothers father died before she was born. My grandmother was left with 5 boys and 1 girl to raise.  My father had to work for everything he ever had. His father came to the US with no money. He had to work multiple jobs to support his family. My grandfather opened up business' and became successful. Growing up without a father was hard for my mother. She did have 5 older brothers but it is never the same as having a father. My father paid his way through undergrad and his way through Georgetown Law. I know that many people think that just because you are an immigrant you dont have a chance to do anything or be somebody, but you do. Here is something funny, my parents look white. They dont look Arab! I think its hilarious. Anyone can be successful if they set their mind to it. My father one of the biggest role models in my life of course after my grandfather who passed away when I was 12 years old. I was his only granddaughter, and his angel.

                                                            My grandfather:)   r.i.p 12/25/03


Now its time to talk about how I grew up and how I was raised and how most arab children are raised.. I am the oldest and the only girl. My brother Michael is 18 and Andrew is 14. Being a girl in the Arab culture is extremely hard. You have to always act like a lady, dress like a lady and talk like a lady. Arabic parents expect the world and more out of their children, so sometimes it can be hard. I went to church every Sunday growing up. My parents always want the best for me but they push me because they know how smart I am.  They want me to be the best that I can be.  They wanted me to have the life they never had as children. Being a girl, my parents were more strict on me than most parents were on their girls.  I wasn't allowed to date, when the rest of my friends could. It was hard to find friends that I could relate to, so I turned to my cousins.  We all were raised the same and we understood each other.  It was easier on my brothers because my parents were not as hard as them as they were on me. As I got older, they were much more lenient, but my mother is the worriers of all worriers. She worries way too much and it drives me crazy, but it shows me how much she loves me. My father was more lenient because he was raised here. My mother on the other hand was raised in the middle east by her 5 older brothers. So you can imagine how strict they were on her. Surprisingly, I tell my father more than I tell my mother even to this day. Most girls in my family, their parents do not let them go away to college. They have to live at home and drive to school.  My parents didn't think twice.  If I wanted to stay at home and attend school my parents would have been fine with that, but they wanted me to go away and so did I.  Going away to school was amazing.  It made my mother worry less. Now that my brother is going away in the fall, my parents are having a hard time letting go because we are so close.

My mother and I:)

Anyway, I kind of got off topic. I just want people to know that just because you are an immigrant doesn't mean you cant have a career like everyone else. Also, I wish that some people were more educated of other people's cultures. Nobody really knows what I am unless I tell them which I think is neat. I love when people ask and I love asking other people where they are from. I understand what it is like to grow up "differently."  My mother cooked arabic food growing up while my other friends had "normal food."  As I got older I realized that nothing is normal. I am happy that I was raised the way I was. I am happy and proud to say I am a Palestinian. I am so grateful to have such amazing parents. I questioned their way of raising me when I was little because I thought it was so "unfair." I wouldn't be where I am today without the guidance of my parents. So dont be so quick to judge, and learn about other peoples' cultures. It's exciting, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. I can say I used to be ashamed when I was younger but I couldn't be any more proud.

                                                 

          Miami, Winter Break 2011. My family:)

Former UVA Lacrosse Player found Guilty

A few weeks ago, I spoke about the conviction of George Huguely and the death of Yeardley Love. On February 22, 2012, the jury found Huguely guilty of 2nd degree murder.  The jurors recommend that Huguely spend 25 years in prison for "slaying" Love.  He was found guilty for four other chargers such as breaking and entering and burglary. There were many different stories on what had happened the night of Love's death, but we will never know. I am confused on why he was found guilty of Love's murder when there was clear evidence for her death  He stole her laptop and smashed it, he broke into her apartment the night of the murder.  Who else did it?  She had no other enemies.  Huguely couldn't have Love anymore, and if he couldn't have her, nobody else could. A corner concluded that Love had died from trauma.  Huguely repeatedly hit Love. It is sad that they have no other suspects and there is clear proof on how killed Love, but yet he was found guilty of her murder.  The jury had to decide whether he beat her to death because of jealousy or if his intention to speak with her spun out of control and that she died "accidentally." In other articles that I read it said that she was on ADHD medicine, but what on earth does that have to do with her death? They said that it had to do with an irregular heartbeat. She did't kill herself.  Just because she was on ADHD medicine and she was drinking doesn't mean she did anything.  She is legal to drink, and the medicine was prescribed to her. Huguely had sent love and email saying "I should have killed you."  Yes, he is going to prison for 25 years, but he was found guilty of Love's murder.  It is clear that he killed her and it makes me sick that he is getting away with it.  He should be in prison for the rest of his life.  Huguely's fellow Lacrosse players and friends stated that he had an escalated drinking problem. He had put Love in a chockehold because she accused him of flirting with two high school girls. Who does that? Who puts their girlfriend in a chokehold?  He needs help. He should never see the outside of a prison wall, and he should never be allowed to see a female again.  Huguely is a big liar. Anyone who does anything remotely close to what he did should be in prison. Nobody should be treated like that.  Huguely's family is devastated.  They lost their daughter and their sister.

I spoke with my brother who is a Senior at Landon.  In my previous post I spoke with him about the abuse that the school was receiving because Huguely attended Landon.  I asked my brother if his former Lacrosse coach had said anything.  My brother said "no,  but I think that everyone has a good idea that he did it."  My brother sent me this article about Huguely and Landon. It was in time and a mother was speaking about how her daughter knows the Landon boys and how they are all "good looking and rich." This article not only upset my brother, but my parents and the fellow students of Landon.  It is false.  Everywhere you go, you will find "good looking and rich" people. " You never drink from a cup offered by a Landon boy." Landon is a small school. My parents are very involved with Landon and so is my brother. He has been the class treasurer, the class president and the class representative.  You know everyone.  I have met many of my brothers friends, and they are nothing what this article portrays Landon boys to be like. I am sure that there are a few boys like that anywhere you go. For these 14 year old girls to say this about these boys is ridiculous. 

Who Would You Interview?

Being an Arab American Palestinian, I was very into my culture.  My parents are both Arab American Christians.  Growing up, I went to church every Sunday with my family.  My cousins and I were extremely close. As I got older, I started to hear more about the war against the Palestinians, and the Jewish people.  I didn't really understand what was going on. All I knew was that they weren't getting along, and they were fighting over land. As I got older, I would read about the war in the newspaper, and both my parents explained to me what was really going on. They got upset when they read news articles that were false and that took only one side.  Living in the United States we dont really know what is going on in other countries. We believe what we hear. We hear one side of the story and not the other. When I say I am Palestinian, people are like where is that? I say "It's Israel now, but it had always been Palestine."  After 9/11 people made judgements about all Arab Americans being terrorists, wether they were Muslim or Christian. The truth is, a lot of people in the United States do not really know what is going on in other countries, unless they have been their or know people from their.  Someone who I would have loved to interview, but whom is now deceased, was Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat. Arafat died when I was young, but he is still talked about to this day.  He was the Palestinian leader from 1994 to 2004.  He lived through the war in the Middle East. He has been there, and seen everything. He made peace deals with Israel and communicated with other countries. It would be amazing to hear what he would have to say about the the Middle Eastern War.  I want to hear what he has to say, what he lived through.  Even though, some people didn't like him, I would put all my assumptions aside. I would ask him how he had handled the war and what he wants to accomplish and how to settle everything.  There are always two sides to a story. Some are right and some are wrong.  We will never really know what is really going on in the Middle East.

Teen Pregnancy

In nearly 40 years teen pregnancy is at the lowest rate that it has ever been. Both, birth and abortion rates in the U.S. have dropped to the lowest it has been since 1972.  The Guttmacher Institute, which conducted this study, is a research organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health. The Guttmacher researches found that 2008 is the most recent year for all the data.  From 1990 to 2008, the amount of teen girls, ages 15 to 19, that got impregnated dropped 4 percentage points, from 11 to 7 percent.  Abortions amongst teen girls decreased from 4 percent in 1988, to 1.8 percent in 2008.  Even though the rate of teen pregnancy has dropped there is still a space dividing white, Hispanic and African American teens. African American and Hispanic teen pregnancy and abortion rates are four times higher then white teens. In 2008, about 750,000 women in the U.S. under the age of 20 became pregnant. It  which went to a pregnancy rate of 67.8 pregnancies per 1,000 women. The women were from 15 to 19 years old.  In 1972 the Supreme Court established a women’s right to an abortion in Roe V. Wade.  Researches say that teen pregnancy has declined mainly due to the acknowledgment of increased contraceptive use. Studies confirm that an increase of 9 percent of males, which is 8 out of 10, had used condoms the first time they had sex. Studies show that teenagers are becoming more understanding about sex due to the increase of condom use. Also the rate of teens admitting to having sex at least once has dropped since 1998. 42 percent of female teens, and 42 percent of male teens have admitted to having sex at least once.

In 2009, MTV released a show called "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant." Which are shows about what teen moms and families go through. Many people love the show and think it is amazing, but others are not so thrilled about it. The MTV show distresses Dr. Jennider Landa, M.D, Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD. Dr.Landa stated, " For most people, teen pregnancy is seen as a difficult event that causes a lot of upheaval in the child's life that is having the child."  She isn't thrilled about MTV's television show that became the networks top new series. Maci Bookout, a star on "Teen Mom" makes appearances at colleges all over the U.S. Her lectures are about the struggles of being a teen mom and so much more. Bookout explains everything and what she went through, to before she became pregnant and what is was like after the pregnancy and her struggles.

The Landon School Lacrosse Incidents

In March 2006, five of the Duke Lacrosse players were charged with rape and were from The Landon School in Bethesda. Three of the players from Landon were suspended over false accusations that a stripper was raped at an off-campus party. All chargers were dropped against the players.  The DNA testing that was ordered by the prosecution failed to connect to any of the players. George Huguely and Conor Cassidy, Landon Bears Lacrosse captains said that it was rough for both of them to deal with, and not possible to ignore. Huguely said "I sympathize for the team. They've been scrutinized so hard and no one knows what has happened yet."

George Huguely 2006

Yeardley Reynolds Love was born July 17, 1987. She attended the University of Virginia and was on the Womens lacrosse team. She was a lacrosse star. Love was found dead by her roommate the morning of May 3, 2010 in her off-campus apartment. Charlottesville Police say that her injuries were obvious and very severe. Love’s roommate thought that she had suffered from alcohol poisoning.  Early reports from an autopsy say she suffered physical trauma.  Love was set to graduate in May 2010. Love lived with her mother, Sharon and her sister, Lexie.  Love’s father had deceased.

Yeardley Love

 George Huguely, UVA men’s lacrosse player and Love's ex boyfriend, had been charged with Love’s murder and is awaiting trial. Huguely is from the wealthy, Chevy Chase, MD and was an honor student at The Landon School in Behtesda, MD.  Charlottesville Police say that Huguely was corporative in working with them. Huguely was involved in a pervious run in with the police. Huguely was stumbling into traffic in Lexington, VA where he was visiting friends.  The arresting officer said he threatened to kill her, and started fighting with her. She then had to tase him and put him into handcuffs. He pleaded guilty to the public intoxication charges. Four years earlier, Huguely was interviewed by the Washington Post about former teammates, and now he is stuck in a similar position.  The Landon School received bad press for this incident in particular.  My brother Michael, who is a Senior at Landon, received a lot of bad mouthing from students from other schools at sports events.  Michael said that other schools would yell at Landon "rapists and women killers." People would also say that Landon is an elite school where athletes are not held accountable for their actions, which is false.  It just so happens that these two incidents were by men who had attended Landon. It is sad that the school and the students have to hear such negativity for something that they did not do and that is out of their hands and for something that is not true.