Students Learn About Arabic Language, Culture
On June 22, two students from La Quinta High School stepped onto the campus of California State University, San Bernardino to begin a six-week program focusing on all things Arabic.
Sophomore Kimberly Lopez and junior Claudia Leon decided to apply for the 2009 Summer Intensive Arabic Language Program after being encouraged by their foreign language teachers last school year. Both girls already knew four languages but were interested in learning Arabic for its usefulness in business careers: Lopez and Leon plan to pursue business degrees with a focus on international business. Leon had such a tremendous experience on the university campus that she is now considering attending Cal State San Bernardino.
“We got to see the dorms, and we had access to all of the things that full-time students do on campus,” said Lopez.
Both seemed impressed with the facilities and grateful to have had the chance to experience them as college students do.
Of course, the campus was not the focus of the program: the Arabic language and culture were.
All students in the program had the opportunity to take various classes pertaining to Arabic. Aside from their language courses, Lopez and Leon studied calligraphy, embroidery, dance, drumming and cooking. They also received college credit for the classes.
In addition to the classes, the students went off-campus for field trips that dealt with Arabian themes. During “Culture Day” each Saturday, students visited Arabian bookstores, mosques and homes in the Southern Californian area.
The girls also noted the impact of learning from teachers and fellow students. Though many were from California and other U.S. states, some participants were Arabs, coming from Syria, Algeria, Egypt and Palestine.
For Leon, one of the most powerful moments of the program came when the girls were camping in Big Bear.
“We were in a bathroom with girls from India and Syria and a teacher from Palestine, doing each other’s hair, when the discussion turned to cultural habits. I learned so much in that one night from the other girls sharing their culture. Our teacher started crying as she spoke about how she had suffered due to the media’s portrayal of the Arabian culture,” said Leon, alluding to media reports in recent years about everything from what Arabian women wear to the relationships between Arabian men and women: “So much of it is untrue,” she confided.
This, the girls agreed, is probably the most important reason for the program, which is now in its third year.
The goal is to show the truth behind how the Arabian culture is portrayed and to move students past the stereotypes by promoting interaction with the people themselves. This should teach them an understanding of the culture, as different as it may be from what students may be used to in their communities.
Despite the differences, these students have come away from the experience with what was intended: an appreciation for Arabic and a strong will to further their understanding of a unique and increasingly relevant culture.
Demi Anter
The La Quinta Sun