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When I got a toy car as a little boy
I would take out the engine
turn the car upside down and stick the engine to the bottom,
add a little fan below
fill a bucket of water
and play with it in the water.
After I finished playing
I would take it to my mother
and say: look mom I made a boat
of what had been a car.
The boats turned to cars,The cars to boats and the airplanes turned into space ships!
You can imagine what my family went through with me and my toys.
My love to explore
and ask questions
seek information made me realize that there is another face to everything
That we must discover what this other reality is
without pre-expectations or assumptions.
In 2005, I completed my high school in my little hometown,Al-Hawta of Lahj
Then I was got a scholarship through an international organization to study English in the city of Aden for one year.
The applicants for this scholarship were 1200
and the available seats were only 200
From Lahj itself there were tens of candidates.
This was the first time in my life, as a small town boy, to face "the other".
You may ask, what is this "other"?
The other" for me at that time was Aden
a city that I did not visit except on special occasions and holidays
"The other" was also "the girl" whom for the first time I studied with one next to each other in a classroom.
The third "other" for me at that time was the English language
This language that as a young man I would try to explore its many faces and features and try to learn its secrets.
During that one year
I discovered hidden values that I had and activated dormant energies.
I started to develop a conscious that our educational system failed
or let's say was not successful in instilling in us throughout 12 years of education.
Here it dawned on me that maybe "this other" was a positive other without us knowing
This year, which I think of as the key year
opened many doors for me.
I was admitted to study at the College of Education in KhourMaksar
I was also accepted as an intern in the same organization which I studied English in.
The most important thing
was that I was chosen among four Yemeni youth to be part of a cultural global exchange program
for six months half in Egypt and half in the United Kingdom
Here my awareness and conscious of the other grew more and more.
The other this time was the human
beings with their traditions
cultures, values and that cultural and ethnic diversity.
During this program I learned new concepts
such as globalization, human rights,
freedoms, education, health and volunteerism.
Yet there is an aspect
of this program and any other program which we always ignore.
This concerns the daily incidents that we face.
Such incidents affect us subconsciously
One of those incidents which I will never forget
was one which I faced when I was just about to leave from Egypt to the United Kingdom.
My roommate Tom, who was from the UK, and I were packing our stuff in preparation to leave
Suddenly he came to me
and said: "Nasr, you forgot the most important thing"
and he had a book in his hand
What do you expect this book was?
The Quran
That your non Muslim friend who was not from your country reminds you that you have forgotten the Quran and terms it as the most important thing to me
was a moment to reflect on
all the prejudice and preconceived notions that we had on the other.
That moment I decided to adopt a principle that stayed with me for life
That difference does not necessarily mean enmity
it might in fact be
a source of strength and inspiration
only if we know how to use it.
After six months
I returned home with many ideas for change and ambitions to create a better reality
But that's when the sad stories began…
"You were in London yet you decided to return to Lahj?!"
"Why on earth did you return?
You will never be able to accomplish anything! Nothing will change, this is a lost cause!"
However, despite all these expectations or rather disappointments
my return to my small home town had a positive side to it
I got a job as a programs assistant
and was responsible for the volunteer activities
of more than 500 students in three governorates.
I found myself doing the very job that I was dreaming of
and not alone but with a small army of the best students of our schools.
We carried out more than a 100 volunteer activity
We visited
the orphanages, senior citizens home and disability centers,
cleaning activities of the streets, the beaches and squares.
We carried out awareness campaigns on the environment and historical sites.
The best thing of all this
that we were planting the principle of volunteer work
and increasing the awareness of the young boys and girls
who are the future of this country.
Even in the most difficult times
when there was a popular uprising
demanding regime change
we were on the other side
cleaning and beautifying the city
That time I remember telling my students
that what we were doing
was no less important
that the protests demanding regime change
because we have the same goal
which is a better future for our cities and our country as a whole.
Two years later
I was facing another yet more difficult .
"other"
All we knew about this other was hatred, violence and pure evil
the United States of America
Like my father says: "the mother of all catastrophes!"
In 2012 I was chosen among 6 youth
to represent Yemen in the Fulbright program,
to study and teach in one of the American universities for one year
We joined more than 500 teachers from all around the world
who all went for the same purpose.
I was
so happy because it was my chance to discover this country from the inside
yet in the same time
I was concerned and scared of what might happen
This country had many faces
and not just one
You can say it is like a cube
which we can only see one side
whereas there are five other sides in the back which we don't know.
During this year in the States I tried to learn about these other faces
to look for answers to my questions
through everyday life and my daily interaction with the students
I remember once asking one of the American students:
"why do you join the army?"
he answered
"education in the US is expensive
and when you join the army you get a scholarship to study university."
This was a totally unexpected answer.
Another time I remember being asked by one of my professors:
"since you are from Yemen, what do you think of drones?"
I replied aggressively
"what would you say if foreign planes
flew over the skies of Washington and New York?"
I can't deny that there were some negative aspects in the US
starting with the anti-Islam advertisements in the metro in New York
and ending with Fox News
which continuously instigates hate against us.
I understood that the government and the people are two different things.
And I found out that there are groups, not just in the US
but all over the world whose
only purpose is to implant hate and resentment of the other
using millions of dollars.
The situation in the US is not an exception
therefore I tried to change the stereotype about Arabs and Muslims
from my position
and through personal initiatives and presentations.
One of these was for basic education students
That day after
I gave my presentation
I saw passion and desire in the kids' faces to learn and understand the other.
Which was us [Yemenis].
That's when I saw there is hope.
Another presentation was to the music students at the university
where I was studying.
After I completed the presentation I heard one of the most beautiful comments I ever heard in my life.
It was the music teacher Cristina Jonson
who said: "Naser,
all our lives we hear about war, destructions and conflicts
in this part of the world.."
"Today
you showed us civilization,
culture and arts..
you showed us another side we did not know about."
Because of that experience I realized that the other can be changed.
That mutual respect
leads to understanding
no matter how big the difference between us is.
One year later I successfully completed the program.
Proudly representing my country
carrying the traditions and culture of my region to the world.
In my graduation ceremony I was the only Arab teacher.
That day I felt the weight of responsibility I was carrying.
It is not easy to represent an entire nation in a certain geographic area.
But what's more difficult is
having to represent who you are and what you stand for.
Of course the journey from Lahj to New York
was not easy at all
I remember college time
when I used to go from my home in Al-Hawta of Lahj
at 7:00 AM to return at 8:00 or 9:00 PM
Even the weekend on Thursday was extracurricular activities day.
I remember the negative people
who tried to put me down at every stage of my life.
I remember when I started learning English,
they went to my father
and said that I would be brainwashed by this "English" and stray from the righteous path.
When I joined the College of Education,
they exclaimed: Education?
You are your parents only son
and instead of becoming a doctor or an engineer you go and study to education?
What kind of future will you have?
Prejudice and prejudgment.
When I traveled for the first time
outside Yemen.
They said, I will return
either a Christian…
or in the best scenarios….
I will be tricked and return with ***/AIDs
When I got the job of my dreams…
Nothing will help you other than getting a job in the public sector…
Prejudgment..
The catastrophe was when I travelled to the USA…
their response was ready:
"This is all intelligence work!"
I wish I understood where do they get those ideas from,
I will get in trouble with all this talk, I don't need this.
Throughout this time I wondered…
did I make the right decisions?
Or should I have listened to the downers?
I got my answer
from my late grandmother more than ten years ago.
She used to tell me:
"My son, be like a Sultan!"
I would answer, oh grama, the times of sultans were over long ago..
She would scold me: "Just listen to what I am saying and be like a sultan,
and do exactly as he used to do..
" I asked her, what did the sultan used to do?
She said: "he used to gather all the people,
hear everything they said..
" I said ,, yes, and then?
She said: "After they left,
what he heard would enter one ear and leave from the other,
and then he would do what he wants because he is the sultan,
and you do exactly like him!"
To decide our own fate and work to achieve our goals…
to respect the other, try to understand them without prejudice
was the secret
to achieve those goals..
is our partner in this world..ose goals..
Many highly educated people tried to hinder my journey from Lahj to New York…
but on the other side,
I found support from my illiterate grandmother…
may her soul rest in peace… thank you