Primary Artifact 2 9/18/15

I am using pictures of the new mosque and the people within it to talk about the community. The mosque itself is one of the nicer mosques in the Lexington area, and so it draws a lot of attention to itself. It's location, along with its funding, are topics of hot debate which I will dive into within my paper. Inside the mosque, there is always food after a Friday prayer(equivalent to Sunday mass). There are lots of non Arabs at the mosque, which doesn't reflect to actual Muslim demographic accurately. Perhaps there is something to be said there. I plan on integrating these photos into my major points on the involvement of the older Muslim generation(for better or worse). The location is somewhere that is far froma overwhelming majority of the muslim community, and yet it is the nices mosque in LExington up to date. This leads people to believe theree were ulterior motives at play. Regardless, the intention would seem to be good. I will go into what that intention may be in the actual essay. Also, the point that there aren't as many Arabs in this mosque further drives the point I will make related to the mosques location.

*(The Friday Prayer occurs on Friday, so I will be putting the pictures up after I post the blog.)

Primary Artifact 1 9/15/15

In my photograph essay, I am digging into the culture of the Muslim community in the Lexington area. And what better way to do this than to interview some directly. I conducted an informal interview (due to the answers being more genuine) on my uncle, which was in general on the topic of his immigration and the Muslim community at large.
His arrival in the US was to him a new beginning, a new chapter in his life. His integration into our society came slowly, as he had a basic grasp of the English language. Eventually, he gained his bearings, got a job, went back to college, and got his life on track here. He's doing well, but he hopes to become better and attain more in the future.
He is intrigued by the Muslim community over here, Having become accustomed to the community in his home con try Sudan, he does not approve of all the factors of the community. He says that the community is mostly Palestinians and those with a weak connection to God. But there is still a significant minority that is "truly Muslim" and actively seeks to better the community, whether it be in the form of donation or volunteer work.
I will use the information I get to look into as many aspects of the community as possible. Obviously this is supposed to be a mostly positive essay, so I will most likely focus on his positive points.

Local Community Topic Proposal 9/14/15

I have chosen to do the photo essay on the local Muslim community. It is a community of mostly older foreign immigrants who bond over their religion. This is a community that I have been actively a part of for the last 15 years or so. It is one that I consider a positive influence in my life. I would like to learn more about the ways this community benefits people. This not only relates to the people in the community, but the public. I would hope that it does something to make our city a brighter place, and in my essay, I hope to discover what good it does.

Community Narrative Proposal Part 1 9/3/15

1. As of now, the community that has influenced me the most is the community I am a part of in Sudan. It has helped me in more ways that I can think of. It offers a very warm sense of identity along with overwhelming support for your life goals. I identify with it simply because my father a part of it. Through him I am a part of the community. Or at least that was the case up until this past summer, where I actually ingrained myself within the community and became a better person. Through this community I have strengthen my American values and my Muslim beliefs. I was surrounded by those who cared and those who didn't. And through watching them, I chose the better lifestyle. Through seeing their views towards certain aspects of life, I began to feel more strongly about the American values instilled in me as a child. So not only did I feel closer to the community in Sudan, but I also felt closer to the U.S. way of thinking as a whole. I hope to expand on this in my speech.

2.My visit to the country. I stayed in Sudan for more than 2 months, and I intend to use my various experiences to communicate my connection to the community. I will use the entire month of Ramadan and the long nights and hot days I spent fasting or awaiting a fast. We, the males my age, would become nocturnal and enjoy Ramadan not only as a spiritual holiday but as a way to see the city during the cool, dry nights. I will talk about traveling to the village and seeing how peaceful and calm it was.  And I will use the week of Eid, which was incredibly eventful and helped me to see the usefulness of such a community. Eid, and the week following it, seemed to be almost intentionally planned out, so that we could experience every major type of event that occurs in a given year in a Sudanese community. Obviously this is not true, as you will come to find out, but it did help me see what the Sudanese people saw within each other.

Blog Post: Podcast Analysis 9/1/15

I am responding to the two Podcasts. "Sefa Mawuli: Greetings" from the "This I Believe " Podcast, and the "The Pulse of a Brain Surgeon's Patient" from the NPR Audio Segment. I chose these two clips because are the ones I relate to the most.

The one titled "Greetings" addresses something that most Americans don't care much about; small talk and friendly greetings with neighbors. The speaker, Mawuli, brings her belief from her home country of Ghana. It is there that she was exposed to the curious small talk that folks make with each other. Her grandmother, along with the village community, would greet everyone. To Mawuli, this seemed to give everyone a sense of belonging. To me, this story is interesting in every aspect. Her grandmother, the village people, her farm, the "poetic" greetings, and so on. It is something that I can relate to, having been to a country with very similar aspects. The speakers story transitions quite smoothly into her sort of insight, as the title of the Podcast makes it easy. She simply says "I believe" and then goes into a deep statement. The speaker based her insight on observations and therefor evidence that she gained from her vacation visits. Her purpose seems to be to share the idea of Greetings with the rest of the world. And in her goal, I support her.

Description Blog Post 8/31/15

I am using my quote that I came up with. The quote is as follows. "Do whatever benefits you." I'm not positive on when I came up with quote, but I began to use it during the summer. It is something I used to defend my life decisions when on my trip to the Sudan this summer. For three months I had to deal with relatives trying to advise me on how to succeed in life, and in response I would always use the phrase. So I guess it isn't a quote so much as a motto.

This motto wasn't my go to without reason. I stand behind it fully, as to me, it is reasonable. One of the main discussions I would have with my relatives would be medical school. They would tell me to drop everything in the US and come study in the Sudan, because the Sudan is better.(Their words, not mine.) And while this seems like something crazy that a normal human would never consider, I would instead tell them that I will do whatever benefits me. Meaning that if med school in Sudan is a legitimate option, then I would likely consider going there. But otherwise, I would stay in the States and continue on my painful journey to med school.

Introduction 8/26/15

I am a freshman attending the University of Kentucky with the hopes of attaining a BS degree and then going on to med school. I was born in Saudi Arabia and lived there until I was four years old. I then moved to the great state of Kentucky, where I have lived for the past 14 years. I expect this class to be an appropriate mix of challenging and engaging. I expect to obtain an A grade, regardless of how difficult that may be. I am a part of the Arts and Sciences community here at UK, and I am a part of the Muslim community.