Blog 1

 I took this class because the Arab American culture is one that I don't know much about and I wanted to expand my worldview. I love learning about different cultures and I think it's an important part of building empathy in a person. I'm particularly excited about the poetry we will be reading in this class. I am an avid poetry reader and have been since my youth. I think it is one of the best tools us humans have for expressing emotion. I especially love reading poetry about the human experience. I recently read the book Mixed Feelings that was compiled by Avan Jogia. It is a collection of poems that covers the feelings of mixed race people in America. It is a very thoughtful and compelling read that I highly recommend. I hope to better understand the lives of Arab American people because of this class. I'm excited to have engaging discussions about the books we read. I am also looking forward to getting the chance to hear from some of the authors themselves. That is such a rare chance we are being given that I think will highly impact my reading of these stories. I must be honest and say that the topic of Arab American people is one I currently know very little about. I know more about the culture surrounding the Muslim religion, which is often tied with the Arab culture, from friends of mine. Off the top of my head I don't believe I have read any books written by Arab or Muslim Americans. That is why I am so excited for the reading in this class. I really enjoy getting to understand the experiences and issues of the people I share this planet with. I look forward to the rest of this class that is yet to come.

(word count 305)