TTMIK Book Review

Basically, the title says it all. If you don't believe me, check out the video. I'm sure I covered everything in the video. If you have any specific questions, leave them below and I will find the answer.

Teaching in Korea

Visit bribri3.blogspot.com to read all about Bri's adventures in Korea.

Today, I had the honor of meeting one of my good friends in person! for the first time. ^^ We talked about everything and it felt like we had known each other for years. She's extremely sweet and really cool. Below is the video of the interview we did together.

Lang-8

Anyone else use lang-8.com?
I just joined today and it seems pretty cool. :3
I will correct English, and I'm studying Korean and French.
I already have some Korean friends that help me with the language but I hope to write in French there.

Add me if you want: bushy

Cool beans. I think that's all. See you there, maybe?

Salah (prayer) is beatiful. That is all.

Update~

Sup my peeps? How you doin?

My awesome friend sent me a package from Korea. Here is me. And the package. Watching it over definitely makes me jealous of myself.

Eid Recap

All right! It's another day, sun shining and birds chirping. Today is actually the last official day of Eid al-Adha which started on Tuesday.

Language is SO CONFUSING

Subhanallah. I love languages because it increases my ability to speak to millions of people who also speak the same language. Unfortunately, there are some words that can't be properly translated.

There was a flood in my house!

I'm not sure, but it seems to me that I exaggerate a LOT. I feel like I have to warn my readers hi mom to believe only 70% of what I say and write because it's part of my culture to exaggerate stories. I know it's people's natural tendency to exaggerate but I do it in almost everything I story I have ever told.And when you're done, let me know in the comment section if it's just me who exaggerates, if it's cultural or if it's a universal thing.

Thoughts on Syria from a Syrian-American (that's me!)

This is me; I am Syrian-American. This is what I think about Syria. The video says it all.
Questions? Comments? Anything? Hellos? Leave them in the comment section below.
Shukran.

Hearteu

What an amazing journey. The only proof I have from the trip are the pictures I took and the fading henna on my hand....

Is it really over?

If anything, I can now tell you that eight weeks is a very short amount of time. It feels like yesterday was the first day of class. Below is my 'thank you' speech.

Enjoy the cheesy string of words that may feel too sappy to read. This is a warning. :p

Learning a new language

We made a video talking about five language tips we've accumulated over the years. We filmed this while fasting so bear with us if we seem tired, sleepy and if our sentences make no sense whatsoever--this is normal. :D

It's a hijabee thing

Headscarf, hijab, same thing. Most hijabees (myself included) end up having one too many scarves at home and no where to store them. Well, in my house, we have several drawers for scarves/hijabs in different rooms. Thus I ended up wearing the same five scarves all the time: white, off-white, cream, beige, creamy beige. This summer I've been experimenting a lot with different hijabs styles and colors so I'm not limited. The first and most important step: organize my hijabs.

626 Night Market

Check out our short vlog below!

Ramadan Kareem

Did you know Ramadan starts tomorrow? Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims must fast from sunrise to sunset (we eat all night though). Satan is locked up and the month is filled with blessings and happiness. I can't describe the wonderful feeling everyone feels in Ramadan--words fail me.

TEFL Update

Hey y'all. Sorry I've been super MIA these past few weeks but let me tell you, it's been super busy around here.

Weddings, graduations, driving exams, shopping, cleaning the house, getting sick, Mohammad Assaf winning Arab Idol, learning Arabic AND Tefl training.....I just can't seem to find the pause button for life.

TEFL Week 1

.... Click here to read about my other TEFL post. 

First day of class is the usual: ice breakers and get to know you games. I don't know how effective it was for me because I was dead tired (still am). 

The games were great. We listed pros and cons for each activity. They included ball toss to learn names and a teacher quiz. I would definitely use both in my classroom. We received a complementary lunch for the first day.

Graduation update

Time for an update. So a while ago I posted about my nervous and scared feelings about graduation. Let me just put those feelings to rest.

Graduating was exciting and liberating!

Final's Week

Here's my typical final's week. Does yours look the same?

Here we GOOOO

All right everyone, this is my last week of school and yes, it is finals week. I have two finals tomorrow (my worst ones), one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. Then, all I have to do is fight with the school bookstore about why my gown hasn't arrived yet and get ready for graduation. I can't believe it. It's been four years: two spent in community college and two at a university. I am so grateful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge and for the new experiences. I'll be posting a "through my finals week" post by the end of the week and you'll be seeing more of me here since I'm on a tumblr hiatus. 

In any case, thanks to those who stood by me through these crazy four years. Alf alf alhamdulilah. :)

B.A.P Pacific Tour Concert

Subhanallah things work in strange ways.

About a month ago I asked my parents if I could go to the B.A.P pacific tour concert. The venue wasn't too far from where I live and the ticket prices were reasonable. Unfortunately--after a bunch of heartbreak and tears--I wasn't allowed to go.

Step one? TEFL

Bismillah..... I registered for TEFL! It's kind of an expensive program but it's near my house and it's face-to-face instruction. Plus I get 160 glorious hours of training. Woot WOOT. Yeah yeah, shijakhae bolkka? (<--- did you get the reference?)

How to treat a girl right

Being a girl, I can only comment on this side of the conversation but I've been thinking lately about this topic: Do's and Do Not's of how to be the perfect Prince Charming. Many of these apply to both genders. Also keep in mind that these are just guidelines created for laughs. Do not take it too seriously. I am not responsible for any fights or failed relationships. ;) enjoy!

I can hear the seasons changing

As soon as the crickets start chirping and the birds sing through the night, you know summer is on its way.

Snail Mail

For the longest time this phrase confused me: what the heck is "snail mail"?! If you are like I was, let me enlighten you. Snail mail is the fancy word for normal mail that is sent through a post office and takes a long time to get to the other person....as opposed to email. Yes, snail mail just means old fashioned sending and receiving letters.

Five times a day

Islam is based on 5 simple pillars:

Belief that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.
(Allah is the Arabic name/word for God)

Prayer: Muslims pray five times a day. Once before dawn, once at noon, once in the afternoon, once at sunset, and lastly at night.

Fasting. Muslims fast from all food and drink during the month of Ramadan for 30ish days (depending on the lunar calendar) from sunrise to sunset.

Charity. It is required from every Muslim that makes more than $10,000 to pay 2.5% charity per year.

Hajj. As long as they are able (financially and health-wise) to take the trip, Muslims must perform pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudia Arabia. At least once in a lifetime.

If you ever have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below!! I would love to answer them. :)

Spring Break

With spring break almost over I feel the need to provide you with the highlights of my week~

I spent the beginning of my break convincing my parents to let me enroll in an insanely expensive TEFL program (more on that later when and if I actually enroll). Then some shocking and scary news spread through the community but alhamdulilah that has boiled down. Today was family day at the beach, consisting mostly of B.A.P songs during the car ride, windy weather, a barbecue and two cups of hot tea. :) 

I just wanted to update this blog and give it some of my scattered attention.
Also, a shout out to everyone who reads my posts. If you're ever curious about something, please leave a comment and I might answer via blog post! :D 

I hope you had a wonderful week. It's now kind of late but seeing as I couldn't sleep last night   I feel extremely tired. Good night everyone~! 

I love airplane rides.

Aigoo... Blogging is much more difficult than I thought. XD

I was thinking the other day... Why do I like to travel? I like change, everyone does. But more than that, there's a beauty in the anticipation of something that's almost more wonderful than the thing itself. I usually have more fun planning a trip than during the trip. It's exhilarating to think you'll be in a different place someday soon doing new and adventurous things.

KCON 2012

Okay so I never wrote my fan account of KCON 2012 but I guess I might as well write it now even though it has been 8 months while the memory is still semi-fresh in my mind--not that I'll ever forget my first concert.

Do what you like. Love what you do.

As many of you readers may or may not know I want to teach English abroad.

Is that a challenge?

People who challenge themselves are beautiful. They strive to reach their full potential. I was always taught to give 110% in everything I do.

I love proving people wrong. By challenging myself, I learn something new and I expand my horizons.

So today, prove someone wrong and challenge yourself to do something amazing and wonderful. Plan your dreams by mapping out exactly how to get there. Tell others your plans because then you can't go back on your word. Go that extra mile and then celebrate your achievements.

I hope this will be a reminder for myself and for you every time we need a little motivation.
Inshallah. <3

Where am I?

Bismillah....
Getting lost is a specialty of mine.

Today I saw a car sticker saying "All who wander are not lost". Do you wander often? Here's a list of my 'lost' moments and I hope you can contribute your stories in the comment section below!

난 너한테 할 말이 없어*

It's sad to think people don't speak to each other anymore. As I grew up I noticed how much I like those inevitable awkward silences when talking to someone on the phone. But this is not a phone post. I don't know why this example was necessary.

Bismillah....

How to be friends with an Arab

Here is the fool-proof guide to being friends with an Arab:

don't be friends with an Arab. You will be forever confused. 

We're pretty complicated.  XD

No seriously though? Do you know any Arabs? Yes? Then you know exactly how we are. Disclaimer: this is based on my observations only. Please do not confuse culture and religion. This post will address the CULTURE of Arab-Americans through an Arab-American's eyes. It is purely written for enjoyment purposes only so... Enjoy!

Comment below if you agree or disagree with my observations. What else have you noticed? :)

Thoughts on graduating

Graduation is scary. Have you seen that movie (the name escapes me now) about a wrongly convicted murder who is accused of murdering his wife and goes to prison for life even though he's innocent? Well, one of his friends in prison works in the library. He's a really old man who spent ~60 years in prison. Eventually the prison committee decided he had done his time and released him. The poor man was terrified: the whole world had changed. He tried to commit another crime just so that they could send him back to prison. The outside world now had cars and people and technology that he wasn't used to. It's tough.

What's the point of the story? I'm graduating soon inshallah and I am scared of what's to come. I've been in school for 16 years and now I have to do something else with my life. I guess this is why people take forever to graduate: they feel safer in a school environment. And this is why students become teachers: they only know how to survive in a school environment.

Don't get me wrong I'm so excited to graduate. Alf alhamdulilah the time has finally come when I continue to learn what I choose to learn and I don't have to be tested on any nonsense information. I get a party celebrating my survival through college and university and as you all know, party = gifts+money. ^-^ chyeeeaahhh.

Change is scary and new and I really like it but there are moments when I just worry too much. It's time for me to trust Allah swt and accept that He knows what's best for me even if I don't see it.

The worst thing is paying for grad stuff (cap and gown, cords, school memorabilia, alumni packages). As if I wasn't already poor from tuition fees.

It's not easy being me

Let me tell you, it's not easy being me. And I highly doubt it's easy being you. All I know is that everyone has their own problems to deal with.

It is easy, however, to think the grass is greener on the other side. Maybe it is.  The trick is to try and be grateful for what you have before inspecting other people's grass--although I don't think it's ever right to inspect other people's lawns, that's just weird. This 'being grateful' business is something I struggle with every day. I try to remind myself to say Alhamdulilah before I complain (which apparently I do a lot of). Life is so short and I hope that I can value my semi-green grass before looking at others.

I don't remember the point of this post anymore. XD

Uhhh.... maybe say Alhamdulilah more often? Yeah, that's it. ^_^

First post~ nothing exciting

Bismillah...

So I'm starting to like this posting thing. I once started a blog but I wasn't good at social media so it failed. now that I check social media every day I think I can handle a written blog. and I have tumblr for shorter updates. (don't think I will get an official twitter but people can find me there) YouTube for videos if I'm lazy and public written posts here too. yayayayyay.