Eternity

           Since I love reading very much, I bought a book the last week. It is like a gift for the real writer of the book, Mahmud Darwish. The name of the book is Mural which is an English translated of Arabic poem. This poem is one of famous poems in the Arabic literature, specially the modernist literature. I read this book for many times before in Arabic language, and every time I found new points to stop in and think how wonderful style of writing he wrote ! I like this person, and I like every thing in his writing including his way to write, his feeling, his sound when he  gave the pomes, his unbelievable ability in describe everything, his thoughts, and his personality.

 

           Mahmud Darwish is one of the famous philistines poets who are associated with revolution and the nation poem. Also, he is one of those poets who subscribed the development of modern Arabic poetry and symbolism. In Darwish's poetry blends love of the homeland and the female lover. He spent his life moving from place to place for many reasons. One of them was the politics. He used to live in Paris before he returned back to his country Palestine. He worked as an editor in many magazines such as Al-Jadid, Al-Fajr, Shu'un Filistiniyya and Al-Karmel. Also, he publish almost thirty books of poetry and eight of prose. In addition, his books were won the people tastes, and they have been published in 20 language. Mural was one of the poetry books which I bought and read it in both languages English and Arabic. This poetry was written in 1999, and from that time until now many of studies stand up the Mural. The people who study it want to know the deep meaning which is hidden behind the words

 

Part of his Mural poem :

 

( 1 ) :

 

Here is your name
Said the woman
and vanished in the corridor

 

A hand’s reach away I see heaven
a dove’s white wing transporting me to another childhood
and I don’t dream that I’m dreaming
everything is real
I meet myself at my side
and fly.

 

( 2 ) :

 

What breeze brought you here ?
Tell me the name of your wound and I’ll tell you the road
 where we’ll lose ourselves twice !
Your heartbeats hurt me for they lead to the time of legends
My blood hurts me
Salt  hurts me …..
and my jugular vein.

 

( 3 ) :

 

And history makes fun of its victims
And its heroes
Takes a look at them and passes by
This sea is mine
This moist air is mine
And my name-
Even if I spell it wrong on the coffin -
Is mine
As for me,
Now that I am filled with all the possible
Reasons for departure -
I am not mine.
I am not mine
I am not mine…

 

 

 

 

 

                Significant events occur in everyone’s life. When a person looks back on their life, they may wonder how it would have turned out if they had made different decisions or been in different circumstances. I too have often thought about what my life would have been like as a result of different decision or circumstances. The three most significant events that I consider when I look back on my life are receiving honors in my the high school , moving to Riyadh and beginning my studies in the U.S.

 

                The first significant event in my life was receiving honors in my high school program. In my country, high school education is three years long. In the second year, the student has to choose one of two streams to ‘complete their education. The first stream is the literature and historical section that includes specific subjects such as studying of Arabic language. The other stream is the scientific section which includes mathematics, physics and chemistry. I chose the scientific section because it is the only way to study any medical major in the future. If I had not chosen the science section, I might be a painter right now. Also, there was an event that happened after my second year in the science section. The Ministry of Education decided to honor the excellent students who got a score of 99% and above in our region. My score was 99.98 and I was the second girl out of 20,000 girls. I know that if I had not studied carefully that year, I would not have gotten that honor degree.

 

                The second significant event in my life was deciding what major I would pursue. In the middle of 2006, I finished my high school, and I was scared about what the major I chose. My mother told me that I should study medicine because she thought it is the only major that could help me in the future. I did not want to study medicine, but my mother was determined that I to study in this major. However, to study medicine I had to move to Riyadh from my city, Abha, because Abha did not have a medicine college at that time. My brother told me about the opportunity to study in the United States, but I completely disagreed with him at that time. I started my two years program. Had I known how hard the medicine was, I would not have chosen it as a major.

 

                The third significant event in my life was beginning my studies in the U.S. Since I did not do well in the medical program, my JPA was going down. I hated medicine, and I do not know why I listened to my mother when she told me to study it. I withdrew from my studies, and applied for get an acceptance from any university in the United States which has my desired major, Genetics. I started to blame myself a lot. If I had agreed to go with my brother the U.S, I would have started my master’s by now. If my mother had not pushed me to study medicine, I would have withdrawn in 2008. If I had rejected my mother’s opinion three years ago, I might be graduating this year. Moreover, I came here finally at the beginning of 2009. It was hard to forget two and a half years of studying, and start another. If I had not cut short my studies in Riyadh, I might be in the fourth year of medicine now. Currently, every thing is going well. I am taking English classes, and I am really comfortable with living here. Also, if VCU registers me next semester, I will start studying my major.

 

                In conclusion, each one of us has special events in our lives. We choose some of those decisions, and sometime we are encouraged by other life conditions to do them. Eventually, we will look back on our life and think about how it would have been if we had made other decisions. .

       Gender roles is huge term which comes from different basics. Each country has its culture, traditions and religion. Gender roles come from each one of those influences. In Saudi Arabia the religion is the main base that all of the roles come from it. Also, the tradition which people made before years ago becomes a strategy of making the gender roles. People are different in accepting this roles and work with because they have a different way of thinking and a different growth environment. I am in the middle about the traditions, but I am completely trust the religion roles. I believe that there are some roles made by tradition is influence our society, males and females, both negatively, and positively.

 

       First, how the traditions can affects the society’s gender roles negatively. There is significant proportion of people who still believe the old ideas of living. In the past, people believe the right place for the woman is her house. Whatever the house is her family house, her husband any house. So, the woman not allowed to go out the house except going to here family house. She just has to be a perfect house keeper. She does not have to study or to know any thing about the out world. However, this situation is changed now a day, and I can say there is a percentage of 5 % of the population in Saudi Arabia still work with this wrong thoughts. If they still believe those ideas they will give their community negative effects. Other points, the preference for marriage more than education. Some of the people marry their sons or daughters at young ages such as 20, 21 and 22. That marriage can cause some problems for the both boy and girl. They still need to know more about the life to be ready for the big step of marriage. This also force the boy and girl to repress their objections because the people around them think badly of any objections. I did not say that the whole people in Saudi Arabia are like that, just a very small percentage.

 

       Second. How the tradition can influence the society’s gender roles positively. According to the religion, too, people are closing to each other even though they do not know each other perfectly. They traditionally have to be with each other on a lot of actions such as, respecting the guests, helping each other, and showing cooperation. There is no fear or trustless if you don not know the person or this is your first time to meet him or her. The elderly are responsible by their sons. Sons have to take care of their parents or grand parents instead of throw them in the hospice. Moreover,Whenever you need something you will find someone who will help you directly and without any paid. That comfort and safety make the relationships between both of males and females more safety, makes people balance between how to deal with both males and females.

 

       In conclusion, Saudi Arabia is country like any country. It has the side of good tradition roles which is serve the gender differences, and bad tradition roles which affect the differences between the boy and girl negatively.

                One day 12 years ago , my mother took me to another city to which I didn't want to go. When I was 8 years old,  I had to go with my mother because she could not leave me alone with my father.  I loved my father  very much, and  in my little head, it was unfair we would leave him alone.  However, we had to go there because my grandmother was really sick.  At that time, I could not understand how important it was for my mother to be beside her mother, and my father could not come with us because of his work.

                    At the airport, I was very upset, but I tried to endure, and I did not want to cry.  Also, my anger was high, so I kept myself away from my mother.  I could not talk with her at all.  On the airplane, I sat next to a big man who had a long beard and black glasses.  I felt afraid but when he realized that there is a little girl sitting next to him, I felt better.  He asked me  my name, and I told him my name in a scared voice.  He told me about himself and his family.  I sang some songs for him; I told him that my mother had taught me those songs.  After that, the flight attendant  started to give the passengers meals.  We were talking when the flight attendant came to us.  It was our turn.  I took my meal and his meal, too.  Before that, I was wondering why he never looked at me! When the meals came, I was surprised, he did not look at his food either.  He asked me what the food was and if I could open the spoon case for him.  I did everything he asked. Then,  I asked him why he asked me about the food instead of looking at it to know what was it.  He smiled at me and said," I am a blind man _ I can not see ."  I was shocked for two reasons.  The first reason was that it was my first time seeing a blind person.  The other reason is that it made me feel sorry for him, I liked him very much; I did not want him to be blind.  I tried to be strong, and I took his spoon and started to feed him.  Now, ¹I  know he had already known how to eat, but at that time I did not know.  After finishing our meals, the flight attendant came and took it away.  We continued talking, I told him the story about my mom and how angry I felt because of her.  I told him if anything happens to my father, I will never talk with her again.  He pretended that he agreed with me, and he did not do anything, but he wanted to know more.  After that, he held my hands and he started to talk.  He said, your mother is right. If she let you stay with your father and something happened to you while he is at work, she would never forgive herself.  He smiled again and continued to talk. He said, “your mother loves you very much.” I took a long breath. I said, " Yes, you are right, but how can I apologize to her, probably she is sad right now."  He told me I had to go to her and I did.  By then, my mom was not sad. She gave me a hug, and asked me you go back to my seat.   Before the airplane landed, he gave me some advice  that I'll never forget it. ²" He said ,“Look , that  is true that I am a blind man, and I can not see anything when other people see something through their eyes, but I can see what is inside a person.  I see their hearts and that is the most important feature to see; No matter whatever people have something in the heart, we will know the truth before we judge them". He kissed my head and left. Since then, I have never seen that man again, but I can not forget him, and I never will. His advice will be in my heart forever .   : )

 

          Intelligence is the ability of thinking and realizing the information directly . It is the skill of using the mind and the emotion in a smart way to live the life. People have a big argument when they discussed the reasons and the cause of intelligence initially . They takes two sides of  thoughts , Multiple Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence . In my opinion , both of sides are right without specification. Learning and feeling must effect the person thinking .

           First, Education is a section which play a major in building the student’s mind. It operates the student skills in good and bad impacts . All this depend on the learning environment that the student is taking a place on .We can not deny the schooling effort in improve the students skills. As we Know it has a normal levels for all the students, and this levels are studied carefully with what is set with the students ages. If some of the students have a perfect work in doing their homeworks easily and correctly , of course they are intelligent. I believe that the intelligence is innate quality and it is clear in some people than others , and I believe also that all of humans have this quality either but it needs working on it to be apparent . That exactly is the benefit which schools give their students .

           On the other hand , the student emotion is big door which hide many of secrets behind it. The student’s life also gives him / her subjects in many different situations. Moreover , the student attitude will reflect the life effects by plenty of things ; emotion is one of them . Some students are really Intelligent but for some reason they loss their confidence in be smarters. I know a girl who is asked me to teach her something in mathematics, she understand everything without my explanation . I told here that she is really smart , she just told me that her father called her “ stupid girl “ for a long time . That the result of emotional events. Also, when we have a test and we are so happy , we will do good and pass it even though we did not study enough for it .Thus, emotion is playing major too on improving of our Intelligence and capacity .

           Finally , we should balance between the two sides , and  focus in what is helping the students ability to be more exhaustive .Intelligence will be their when we care on them .

 

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