On our outing we went into a few different stores selling groceries, clothing, and sweets. I was amazed by how authentic everything seemed in these shops. It was exciting to go into the grocery stores and be able to read a few of the labels on the food because I could recognize quite a few things (we had just covered food vocabulary in class).

We stopped at an Arabic restaurant for an early lunch because I forgot to eat breakfast! The waiters and waitresses at the restaurant were wearing traditional Arabic clothing. The waiters spoke Arabic to our professor and we even ordered our own food in Arabic. We ordered the famous Arabic salad Tabule. I didn’t think I would like the taste of it, but it had a heavy taste of parsley and I loved it. The restaurant was very beautiful because it had Arabic accents throughout it. The paintings were especially beautiful. My favorite painting was of an Arab girl sitting outside her home in the outskirts making pita bread and she is wearing a beautiful dress with orange designs embroidered on the cuffs.

We stopped at various bakeries which smelled amazing inside. I had a sweet tooth and we tried Turkish desserts that were very colorful, surprisingly chewy, and filling! The stores were organized so well, everything was decorated and arranged so precisely. Something I learned is that in the Middle Eastern cities, similar stores are all housed very close to each other and this just goes on for streets and streets. This reminds me when I see a Starbucks and a Metropolis built right next to each other. Another interesting fact I learned about the bakeries is that in the Middle East, the owners are very precise about the presentation of their products. They see it as a competition against other bakeries and as a way to distinguish their store from others.

My favorite part of the trip was to go to Arabic clothing shops and look around. I loved looking at the different styles of dress from different countries in the Middle East. I found it fascinating that you could tell which country someone was from by his/her clothing. Each country has specific differences between others in their style of dress. It was interesting seeing the traditional and the modern styles that were available. Some of them were very eccentric and glamorous while others were more relaxed and subtle in their beauty.

I consider myself so lucky to have been able to go on this mini-immersion. I learned so much about community, culture, and even picked up more Arabic vocabulary. The diversity of Chicago still amazes me and I can’t wait to go back and explore more! Also, the highlight of my day definitely came when my professor’s youngest daughter shared her cookies with me after I let her wear my sunglasses for awhile.

A short while ago I was given the opportunity to explore one of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods, with a specific emphasis on Arabic culture. It was a truly amazing experience to be able to travel to a place which highlighted the Arabic language and culture I am experiencing in class and immerse me in it for a while as well.  I’ve always loved foreign language and culture, so this experience was particularly enjoyable for me. I went along with my professor and her two young children around to grocery stores, bakeries, a restaurant, a mosque, and clothing stores.

While in the grocery store, we viewed different labels in the Arabic language as well as saw some food items that don’t exist in the traditional American culture. We were even challenged by our Arabic professor to remember what the words were in English (as we were just studying a lesson in different types of Arabic food). It was so rewarding for me to be able to recognize some of the words we had been studying as it proved my proficiency in Arabic was growing.

My favorite part of the trip was going to the bakery. We went to the first and viewed the different types of breads. Whereas most people think of pita as the sole type of bread in the Middle East, there are actually many different types of breads that exist in the Middle East. We were able to sample some delicious desserts, some with chocolate and others with syrup.

The clothing stores were an impressive experience. I had never seen Oriental clothing in real life before going to these stores. We saw traditional clothing for very formal events as well as everyday clothing they wear in different parts of the Middle East. Another time where we saw authentic clothing was at the restaurant we went to. The waiters were all dressed in authentic dress and spoke fluent Arabic. I was able to order part of my order in Arabic, and felt reasonably impressed with myself, using the colloquial dialect to order. The entire restaurant was very authentic-feeling with a desert area theme to it.

Another place we went to was a mosque. It was very interesting to me to see how much religion influences them in their everyday lives. While we didn’t get to see the prayer, we did get to see the areas. Instead of pews or even chairs in the rooms as I was more accustomed to, there was a simple rug instead.

I am so grateful to have been able to go on this trip. It was a truly enlightening experience I might never have been able to have without my Arabic professor. It can be intimidating, sometimes, to travel to areas where you aren’t a member of the major ethnic group. Sometimes we need to learn to break the barrier between ethnicities and not be afraid to intermingle among those of other cultures for a truly great cultural experience.

I am very glad I was able to go with a family, because I feel like it was a proper way to experience a neighborhood and a treasured family experience. Like I said, I have been on Devon before, but I had never seen as many signs, like in a grocery story, in Arabic before. It was fascinating! The grocery store items were very interesting to explore. Some were very similar to what I find in the grocery store I go to. Others were similar but a bit different – such as smaller vegetables than the size I normally find. It was also great to be taught what some items were because I realized they were ingredients in food I love and normally eat.

Even though I am a vegetarian I found many foods to enjoy while at the restaurant. The restaurant was almost my favorite part of the trip. The Bedouin setting of it was really cool – I do not know much about Bedouin culture but now I want to study it. The people were in traditional dress as they served our food and all of the decorations were part of Bedouin culture so I felt extremely immersed.

The mosque was my favorite part of the whole trip. I felt extremely honored to be allowed to watch a prayer, one of five daily ones, because I had never seen a Muslim pray before, especially not in a mosque. There were these adorable little girls who would not let me stop taking pictures of them while their mother joined the other women praying and I had a blast entertaining them while they posed for me! The bakeries we went to were really great as well because it was a much different dessert culture than the one I am used to. It was great to see a bakery where they make everything from scratch as well because you knew it was fresh.

I appreciate the opportunity I was given so much. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who is able to go. It influences you like you would never believe and you are urged to go study more Arabic when you get home so you can go back by yourself! I know I would never have gone to that neighborhood on my own – especially because I didn’t even know it was there! It was great to have my own personal tour guide who would point out many different things to me. The one thing I wish I did differently was my talking – I wish I attempted to speak in Arabic! Oh well, that will just have to happen next time!

We then went to a delicious Middle Eastern restaurant which was set up in a desert-like style; with simulated tents and trees spread around sporadically. We sat in a booth upholstered with a thick fabric that was colored to match either the Palestinian or Jordanian national colors. The food was not only tasty but also culturally accurate, complete with plenty of pita bread and almonds on rice. The waiters wore Bedouin attire in the colors of black and white, which only added to the feeling of eating out in the desert in a tent.

In addition to visiting many different groceries and bakeries we also got the opportunity to go to a mosque and observe some traditional prayers. It was really beautiful to see how different religious organizations observe prayers, and especially the specific details such as removing ones shoes before walking on the carpet. Spending time in the mosque really opened my eyes and made me interested in learning more about other culture’s traditions.

The time spent with my professor, her children, and another student in such a fascinating environment was such a fun and unique experience that will help me when I (hopefully) study abroad in the Middle East!

Throughout this trip we visited several Arab markets and bakeries, taking in the aromas as well as observing the kinds of foods that are typically cooked in the Arab world. It was fun to see familiar vocabulary as we walked up and down the aisles—I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written down “chicken” or “bread” in Arabic!

I was able to witness the beauty of older traditions and customs still so vibrant in a society filled with the constant drive of becoming more and more modernized. Where I vividly saw this was when we sat down for lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant. I can’t begin to explain how delicious the food was. The waiters, also addressing me as though they were my uncle was both fascinating but immensely welcoming. They were fully clothed in very traditional attire for Palestinians as well as Jordanians, men were wearing the keffiyeh in the colors of black and white.

As well as visiting various markets, bakeries, we also had the opportunity to visit a mosque together. I have always been so intrigued by the sanctuaries where people worship as well as the different ways in which people pray and find their sense of spirituality. It was really beautiful to experience this with my professor. We walked in, took off our shoes and spent a few minutes in quiet. One thing that I found particularly striking was the simplicity of a mosque; I am used to many furnishings (pews, chairs, altar, etc.) of the cathedral where I worship, so the fact that there was none was something new to me. I admired this simplicity because it puts the focus completely beyond the material world when worshipping and praying. It is reflective of a simple way of life that the Islamic religion advocates for its followers.

This trip was so incredibly dense with new fascinations as well as new words I can now add to the ever-expanding list of new vocabulary. With so much to take in, it was a little overwhelming at times, but in a very positive way. To be honest, I was a little shy to speak up when surrounded by such eloquent, naturally-spoken Arabic dialogue. I was humbled once again as I reminded myself how much I have yet to learn.  I hope to travel abroad by the time I am a Junior here at Loyola, and this trip was a chance for me to experience Arabic immersion. This trip was an extra motivation for me to continue pushing myself inside and outside of the classroom. As well as this being a chance to immerse myself, it was an immense learning experience and simply an enjoyable day filled with excursion!