{"id":646,"date":"2017-10-30T14:16:34","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T14:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/student-voices\/?p=4"},"modified":"2017-10-30T14:16:34","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T14:16:34","slug":"4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/?p=646","title":{"rendered":"Fatena Alghorra – Made in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Arabic program has been delighted to welcome Palestinian poet and journalist, Fatena Alghorra to an informal conversation with our Arabic students at Loyola University Chicago on September 20, 2017. Fatena has four books of poetry; one received a prize for best Arabic translation into Italian. A fifth book is forthcoming in Arabic and Dutch. In 2012, Fatena won the El Hizjra prize for Dutch language writers of diverse background. She works as a freelance journalist for Al Jazeera, a lecturer and an organizer of poetry events in Belgium and the Netherlands. Please enjoy excerpts of our Arabic students\u2019 reflections on her lecture as part of their Culture Portfolio assignments.<\/p>\n

Our Arabic students\u2019 voices:<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pleasantly surprised [the lecture] was extremely personable, interactive, funny, and informal\u2026listening to a very informal discussion of her life and experiences, I could learn about so many little, yet important, aspects of Arabic culture\u2026I learned of the necessity of a refugee to create a home within themselves, find a passion, and to carry their culture within them\u2026 I loved how the speaker reinvigorated a love of poetry inside me.\u201d (Sydney, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

“This was my first interaction with a refugee\u2026the talk really inspired me, because of her calmness and being at peace with herself\u2026I didn\u2019t think there was as moment when she wasn\u2019t smiling\u201d (Zaira, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201c It is an inspiration to see such a strong passionate woman succeed in doing what she loves and I\u2019m so thankful for the opportunity to listen to her life story\u2026I want to buy a book of her poems and read through it, and eventually be able to read them as they were originally written, in Arabic.\u201d (Clair, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cFatena ended the lecture with a beautiful poem-none of which I understood, but the variations of tones and moods and feelings the poem left me with, I knew I had to emerge and delve into the Arabic culture more.\u201d (Komal, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201c My perceptions of refugees was changed after this event\u2026Fatena Alghorra, is doubtedly a great model for refugees to become passionate in chasing after their dreams no matter what it is\u201d (Lisa, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cFatena is an amazing woman who has broken through many obstacles to achieve so much\u2026I\u2018ve learned so many things about Arabic culture from her.\u201d Grace, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough Fatena, the richness of the Arabic culture could be seen by the intricate red embroidery on her dress\u2026II often can see myself falling victim to a narrow-minded way of life\u2026Fatena has kindled an interest in me to learn more about this beautiful culture, which is often so looked down on, and I hope that maybe one day I can do the same for others.\u201d (Alyssa, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most touching and interesting moment of the lecture f or me was when another student, who had lost his home to a hurricane at a young age, asked Fatena how she finds a place to call \u201chome.\u201d Her answer was simply that poetry is her only true home.\u201d (Carter, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part of the discussion was at the very beginning when Alghorra said she was \u201cMade in Gaza\u201d\u2026it made me think about myself and what defining moments have made me who I am today\u201d (Julia, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cFatena began her lecture with a theatrical introduction. Dressed in a traditional Palestinian dress and scarf which I had recognized from my mother\u2019s closet at home, her outfit told a story on its own\u2026Because of this event, I now have a greater appreciation of the Arabic language and how it related to my own culture\u201d ( Dana, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was surprising to hear that Fatena focused her poetry and journalism on humanities-steering away from political issues\u2026.For Ms. Alghorra, poetry was a way to discover and understand herself as a human being. Writing about her fears\u2026Poetry is \u201cnot about finding answers, but asking questions.\u201d\u201d ( Ninos, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cI discovered how beautiful poetry can be even in another language. Although I did not know what Fatena was saying, I could hear the passion in her voice and see it with her body movements. It was truly mesmerizing and beautiful and I am very glad I came out to see her.\u201d ( Ilse, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience was one I truly enjoyed and learned a lot from. In learning a language, we are also exposing ourselves to a vast array of countries and cultures. It is important to keep these things in mind, as language is not just words spoken, it holds traditions, cultures, emotions, and history within its words. \u201c(Lynn, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201c[Fatena] arrived wearing Palestinian clothing, a Palestinian Keffiyah as a headscarf, and a necklace with the Palestinian flag. Her warming smile and heart immediately invited me to Palestine itself\u2026I was glad to be touched by her words and experiences\u2026As the political\/religious conflicts took a toll on her homeland, she didn\u2019t let that take a toll on her life and her Palestinian roots, instead choosing to chase her dreams and change the world. \u201c (Veronica, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201c I was unaware of the concept of being a refugee of \u201cyour own country\u201d\u2026This was definitely an eye opener\u2026Being able to take part and attend such a lecture is definitely humbling experience\u201d (Alyssar, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cFatena was a breath of fresh air\u2026Her display of confidence\u2026was amazing. I did ask if her books would be translated into English anytime soon and she said she hopes so\u2026which makes me want to learn to read Arabic even more because I would love to read her memoir.\u201d ( Kiara, Arabic 101)<\/p>\n

\u201cFatena said, \u201cThere are many reasons to cry, we must find reasons to laugh.\u201d Form the beginning her energy shifted the landscape of the room\u2026when I asked her how she finds home when you are homeless, she gave the most beautiful, inspiring answer. She said she found peace in her poetry, something I also connect with.\u201d Larenze, Arabic 103).<\/p>\n

“\u0627\u0646\u0627 \u0627\u062d\u0628 \u0634\u0650\u0639\u0631\u0647\u0627 \u0644\u0627\u0646 \u0627\u0639\u0631\u0641 \u0628\u0639\u0636 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0641\u0631\u062f\u0627\u062a. \u0627\u062d\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u0627\u0633\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639 \u0627\u0644\u0649 \u0641\u0627\u062a\u0646\u0629 \u062a\u062a\u062d\u062f\u062b \u0639\u0646 \u0637\u0641\u0648\u0644\u062a\u0647\u0627. \u0628\u0639\u062f \u062a\u062a\u062d\u062f\u062b, \u0627\u0646\u0627 \u0627\u0631\u064a\u062f \u0642\u0631\u0627\u0621\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0643\u062a\u0627\u0628\u0629 \u0643\u062b\u064a\u0631\u0627. \u0647\u0630\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u062d\u062f\u064a\u062b \u062c\u064a\u062f \u062c\u062f\u0627”<\/p>\n

\u201cI love her poetry because I know some vocabulary\u2026I loved listening to [Fatena] talking about her childhood\u2026after talking, I want to read the writing more\u2026.This a very good talk\u201d (Katie, Arabic 103)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Arabic program has been delighted to welcome Palestinian poet and journalist, Fatena Alghorra to an informal conversation with our Arabic students at Loyola University Chicago on September 20, 2017. Fatena has four books of poetry; one received a prize for best Arabic translation into Italian. A fifth book is forthcoming in Arabic and Dutch. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/studentvoices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}