My academic web page is up.
You can link to it here
I hope to update it regularly with projects, publications (isA), interesting things in academia, interesting links, teaching stuff ... etc.
Stay tuned :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
One small planet!
We are affected by culture, society, beliefs, religion, environment and many other external cues that shape us.
What is a person's nationality? Where they grew up at various stages in their life? Where they went to college? Where most of their friends come from? What languages they speaks? What religion they follow? There are many questions linked to identifying the national identity of a person. Today in this world rigged by globalization and an ever-increasing inter-connectivity between peoples it can be hard to pin down one's national identity.
I noticed that the majority of people come from a single country and this is their home and nationality. I am a member of the minority who are a mixture of more than one. I lived in many places, the longest of which was in a place I don't call home at all. I grew up in a British school in the Middle East for most of my life. After that I spent the next longest stage of my life in Egypt which has been the most shaping time as I went to college there. Through this time I was unfortunately detached from my mother-tongue home, Britain. A few years ago I was reunited again with this place which I look more home in than the rest of my list of homes.
I've been lost in thought about this lately as I have been inducted into a new environment and have had to introduce myself many times. I always say I'm half/half (a hybrid of the new world - :D ) but sometimes I feel lazy and just settle with one nationality. The truth is, I don't know which I am more of :D. Does it really matter? I don't think so. I am half-half. I have the best of both worlds :D.
Being part of a culture and environment for a period in your life influences most of your thinking process and background inner beliefs. Like you understand the little adages, sayings of wisdom, beliefs, morals...etc that shape a community in that particular region and this becomes your foundation for further learning in life. This foundation of course changes constantly with every strong external cue we encounter. It's complicated of course because no two people are alike and we all react to our environment to different degrees.
I call myself and others like me - the hybrids of the new world :D. We are the products of globalization and modernization which has brought about increased inter-racial connectivity. These people are caught between cultures, societies and in essence - identities. It doesn't make them bad people. I'm not! :D. It gives them room to maneuver and pick out the best. So beware all you pure breeds!!! - LOL :D.
What I'm trying to formulate into writing is that some people in this world that is increasingly breaking all boundaries between national identity are caught in the middle. It's up to them to maneuver through it and benefit from the HUGE advantage of being part of two cultures, societies and in general nationalities and to benefit from the heritage each bequeaths to them. In order to understand a people as deeply as you can, you must rub shoulders with them and this is the two-fold gift one gets when they taste two nationalities.
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but I just wanted to describe it in writing. It's been on my mind for a while.
What is a person's nationality? Where they grew up at various stages in their life? Where they went to college? Where most of their friends come from? What languages they speaks? What religion they follow? There are many questions linked to identifying the national identity of a person. Today in this world rigged by globalization and an ever-increasing inter-connectivity between peoples it can be hard to pin down one's national identity.
I noticed that the majority of people come from a single country and this is their home and nationality. I am a member of the minority who are a mixture of more than one. I lived in many places, the longest of which was in a place I don't call home at all. I grew up in a British school in the Middle East for most of my life. After that I spent the next longest stage of my life in Egypt which has been the most shaping time as I went to college there. Through this time I was unfortunately detached from my mother-tongue home, Britain. A few years ago I was reunited again with this place which I look more home in than the rest of my list of homes.
I've been lost in thought about this lately as I have been inducted into a new environment and have had to introduce myself many times. I always say I'm half/half (a hybrid of the new world - :D ) but sometimes I feel lazy and just settle with one nationality. The truth is, I don't know which I am more of :D. Does it really matter? I don't think so. I am half-half. I have the best of both worlds :D.
Being part of a culture and environment for a period in your life influences most of your thinking process and background inner beliefs. Like you understand the little adages, sayings of wisdom, beliefs, morals...etc that shape a community in that particular region and this becomes your foundation for further learning in life. This foundation of course changes constantly with every strong external cue we encounter. It's complicated of course because no two people are alike and we all react to our environment to different degrees.
I call myself and others like me - the hybrids of the new world :D. We are the products of globalization and modernization which has brought about increased inter-racial connectivity. These people are caught between cultures, societies and in essence - identities. It doesn't make them bad people. I'm not! :D. It gives them room to maneuver and pick out the best. So beware all you pure breeds!!! - LOL :D.
What I'm trying to formulate into writing is that some people in this world that is increasingly breaking all boundaries between national identity are caught in the middle. It's up to them to maneuver through it and benefit from the HUGE advantage of being part of two cultures, societies and in general nationalities and to benefit from the heritage each bequeaths to them. In order to understand a people as deeply as you can, you must rub shoulders with them and this is the two-fold gift one gets when they taste two nationalities.
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but I just wanted to describe it in writing. It's been on my mind for a while.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A whole new experience!
Recently, I bought a Mac and so far it's a totally new experience. It's exciting and fun to use so far and I'm looking forward to learning more about this UNIX based operating system. I'm beginning to love UNIX again and the little powerful terminal I knew all too well a few years back.
It's all coming back to me now. My undergrad thesis project and the terminal that would sit there on the screen. No lovely user-interface - just the simple terminal with its plethora of commands and capabilities - :D. The good old days!
It's all coming back to me now. My undergrad thesis project and the terminal that would sit there on the screen. No lovely user-interface - just the simple terminal with its plethora of commands and capabilities - :D. The good old days!
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