I am moving to Cairo, Egypt to attend the Arabic Language Institute (ALI) to study modern standard Arabic. I want to learn Arabic because ultimately I want to work for a non-profit such as Human Rights Watch doing research on the Middle East to help inform the world about the often-misunderstood Arab culture. In Egypt I will explore the oasis in the west and the Sinai Peninsula while discovering the culture of Cairo. During my school breaks I plan to travel to Turkey, Greece, and Ethiopia.

Currently I am a graduate student at the University of Colorado in Boulder. My focus is post-colonial studies with the Department of History. I am interested in previously colonized nations especially North African and how they are currently functioning. Unfortunately many post-colonial histories have been written from the standpoint of Western nations who did the colonizing in the 19th and 20th centuries. Offering a clear picture of both the Western and Arab perception will be paramount in furthering the discipline of post-colonial studies and I want to play a role in this development. Once this history is better understood we can begin to resolve current issues between the West and the Arab world.

There has been steadily increasing contact with the Arab world by ordinary Americans who are trying to understand America's situation in the world context. I am most excited to be an intermediary between these ordinary Americans and the Arab world. I hope to ease confusion among my peers and others over what is presumed about Arab/Muslim culture and what is factual.