I've been getting to know my new crop of students this week. They're a particularly diverse bunch this semester. I often have hordes of Emiratis and Saudis with a few other variations on the Arab theme mixed in there, but this time my classes are more diverse across the board. Off the top of my head (after only meeting with them twice, so it's possible I'm forgetting some), my students come from:
That's China, UAE, Jordan, Saudi, Syria, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, and Palestine.
Of course, saying my students are "from" a certain place can be misleading. In some cases, the student has never actually been to where s/he is "from." One of my female Palestinian students was born and raised in the UAE and has never ever traveled to her ancestral homeland (Gaza). But she is "from," and always will be "from," Palestine. Good for her - I mean it. I've written on this topic before, but I sometimes think that we Americans whitewash (for lack of a better word) our origins a little too much. Wouldn't it be lovely to meet someone in the US, ask them where they're from, and have them say, "Well, my mother's family came over from Poland in the late 19th-century and my father's family is primarily Italian"? Lovely, yes. Time-consuming, also yes. But it's a more complete answer than "LA" or whatever, that's for sure.
My students think it's strange that Americans can claim they're "from" a certain city or state only by virtue of having lived there for x amount of time. In this neighborhood, you'd better have several generations backing you up before you claim to be from a certain country.
Anyway, it's just interesting, that's all. This semester is the first time I'll be teaching someone from Libya and Sudan; the rest I've done before. I'm glad I have some diverse classes to keep things interesting.
Of course, saying my students are "from" a certain place can be misleading. In some cases, the student has never actually been to where s/he is "from." One of my female Palestinian students was born and raised in the UAE and has never ever traveled to her ancestral homeland (Gaza). But she is "from," and always will be "from," Palestine. Good for her - I mean it. I've written on this topic before, but I sometimes think that we Americans whitewash (for lack of a better word) our origins a little too much. Wouldn't it be lovely to meet someone in the US, ask them where they're from, and have them say, "Well, my mother's family came over from Poland in the late 19th-century and my father's family is primarily Italian"? Lovely, yes. Time-consuming, also yes. But it's a more complete answer than "LA" or whatever, that's for sure.
My students think it's strange that Americans can claim they're "from" a certain city or state only by virtue of having lived there for x amount of time. In this neighborhood, you'd better have several generations backing you up before you claim to be from a certain country.
Anyway, it's just interesting, that's all. This semester is the first time I'll be teaching someone from Libya and Sudan; the rest I've done before. I'm glad I have some diverse classes to keep things interesting.