Verified Document

Narrative From The Life Of An International Term Paper

Narrative From the Life of an International Student If my life were a fairy tale, it would not begin with the words "once upon a time, in a land far, far away." To many Americans, Lebanon seems like a land very far away from what they know. Most Americans have heard of Lebanon in terms of its existence as a war-torn nation. They read about it in the newspapers in phrases, along the lines of "because of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, the nation of Lebanon became drawn into the contentious issues at stake between these two warring peoples." Or, they hear about Lebanon in terms of phrases, such as "in the war-torn nation of Lebanon, the inhabitants were horrified by the destruction that the civil war caused, in political and societal terms."

To me, Lebanon is not a land far, far away, and the civil war is a part of my history, not the only aspect of my history. Lebanon to me is also the land of my family, my faith, and my parents. It is part of my cultural tradition. In my eyes, Lebanon is not a sky streaked with the fire of bombs. In my eyes, Lebanon is a land full of mountains. When I close my eyes and think of my land, I smell the familiar spices of my favorite foods, not the smoke from bombs. When I dream about my home country, I think of the laughter and familiar language of friends and family and popular local gathering places. I lived, not in a place that formed a black and white space on a newspaper headline, but in a land of human beings I loved.

The infamous name of Lebanon has made it difficult for me, at times, living in the United States. When people ask me, "where do you come from, your...

I often try to stop them from prejudging me, stating with a forced laugh "as if it were not shocking enough that I am not a natural-born American, I come from Lebanon as well."
Of course, growing up in a nation with such a difficult history was hard for me at times. I was not an integral part of the worst aspects of the civil conflict there. But growing up in such a nation that has had such an unstable history has often made me feel unstable in my sense of place and self. Rather than always feeling assured, as an American, that my country will always be there, be strong in its sense of government and structure, I always feel slightly in doubt. I am proud of my homeland, but I can never go to sleep knowing that it has stood sound and secure for three hundred years of recent history, and will do so in the foreseeable future.

However, despite Lebanon's political instability, I am proud of its rich cultural tradition. This is one similarity between Lebanon and the United States. Both nations are the site of many nations, national identities, and faiths. Lebanon contains Christians and Muslims within its national fabric. It boasts individuals of both European and Arabic ancestry, as well as from many other ethnic groups, as part of its community. So does the United States. Learning English was difficult in terms of picking up words of slang particular to America, but I was used to living amid the buzz of many languages, including French and Arabic.

The international nature of Lebanon meant that it was not as…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Narrative I Am Writing This Narrative From
Words: 1000 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Narrative I am writing this narrative from a home the size of the bathroom in some people's homes. In the space of twelve square meters, my family and I live. We used to have a farm, a larger house, and stable jobs in Vietnam but three years ago we sacrificed all of that to live in the United States. But I am happy. Many people might wonder why 30-year-old man would choose

International Ethics Critical Assessment of
Words: 2223 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Again this cannot be turned on or off in a founder, CEO or President of a company, it has to be engrained over years of commitment to the ideals. The biography of Marc Benioff for example and his messianic crusades in oracle under founder and CEO Larry Ellison to start Oracle Charitable Trust and other organization is a case in point. As Salesforce.com began an ascent in sales and

International Economics What Makes Religion
Words: 348 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

In fact, religious ideology suggests that the secular, market economy is evil, and worthless, and the real virtue comes from fierce loyalty to tradition, to a band of often persecuted brothers (as most religions have persecution narratives within their frameworks) and presents an easily comprehensible version of the world as 'us vs. them.' Many terrorists may have failed to gain a strong sense of family ties on a personal level,

Narrative Design
Words: 968 Length: 3 Document Type:

The narrative research study area aims at engaging with the system that helps people to make sense of experiences and meaning in the greater social context and the social patterns in it (Golsteijn & Wright, 2013). Collaborating with the research subject is one of the highlights of narrative research studies. The subject in research is viewed as a collaborator as opposed to being a provider of information, as led by

Narratives of the Life of
Words: 577 Length: 2 Document Type: Reaction Paper

(Gates) What was surprising or affected you in the book? The most surprising aspect of the book is that it highlights the challenges that are impacting everyone. This is accomplished through showing the brutality and the sense of unconcern about what is happening. For example, in one section Douglass illustrates how female slaves are often victimized by their slave masters or relatives. This is taking place through showing how many are

International Politics, What Do You
Words: 1968 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

A threat to security, that continues to grow ever since the beginning of the twentieth century, is that of drugs and national and international crime that is directly linked to it. The U.S. government is actively implementing policies of fighting illegal drug trafficking and use both nationally and internationally. The cooperation in this matter between Mexico, the main gate for illicit drugs from Latin America and the U.S. is vital.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now