رحلاتي حول العالم

Now I’m back at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where I’ll be spending the rest of my holiday. It’s too hot here. But never mind as long as I can go sight-seeing and shopping. They are having good sales these days. I’m having trouble fitting everything in my suitcases. I was in Idaho in the last few days of my tour. The weather was very cool. 65 degrees F. I went hiking in Sun Valley, Idaho. It is an area that looks like Austria. Green mountains all around and fresh refreshing

المزيد

I managed to rent a one-bedroom apartment for 2 students at the Mayflower Residence Hall. This was the third year I was in the States. The first semester I had the place all for my self, but the second semester, the housing office assigned an Egyptian student, Yumna, to share the room with me. Yumna came from a wealthy family and was not used to doing anything. Although I was a Ph.D. student and she was only an M.A. student, she looked down upon me because I was from Saudi Arabia and I was wearing a scarf. Everyday I’d wash my dishes, make my bed, arrange my desk and do my share of the house chores. On the contrary, Yumna was not willing to do anything and she expected me to wait on her. She would take her clothes off and throw them on my bed. She never flushed the toilet. She would use my hot pot, dishes, pans and cups and never wash them. She’d spread her books on the dinning table and in the evening I would be holding my plate and looking for a spot on the dining table to place my plate. Once she filled up the whole fridge with food and so space was left for my groceries. She invited all her Egyptian friends over the weekend. I could not stay at home and was out the whole day. I stayed at the dormitory lounge and studied until they

المزيد

I could not continue to live in the quad for the summer and had to move out as the dormitory was closed. I was studying for my comprehensive exams which were due during the summer. My friend Sameera, a blind student from Jordan invited me to stay with her. So I moved in and my friend Vera helped me pack and move. I used to go to the library in the morning to study and spend the whole day there. As it was Ramadan, I would go home 8:30 p.m. (half

المزيد

After the Spring semester final exams I applied for a room at the women’s dormitory where I spent the summer months during which I was taking a summer class. Although the dormitory was a perfect place and I was happy and comfortable living there,  I had to leave it by the end of the summer, as it was fully booked for the fall semester. However, I was able to find a space at a Quad at the Mayflower Residence Hall, where I shared a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 American and a Greek student. I was sharing the room with Vera who is s

المزيد

When I first went to Iowa, USA to study, I lived with some relatives. Soon I was uncomfortable living there and was unable to study. At first it was difficult for me to leave my relative’s  house as my family allowed me to go the States provided that I live with my relatives. Another reason was that I was not used to looking for an apartment, I was not used to living on my own and was not used to sharing an apartment with another student. I could not overcome my feelings of fear and hesitation. Thinking about living outside my relative’s home meant that that was the end of my stay in the States. But as the situation worsened and could not cope for 8 months, I sent a detailed letter t

المزيد

Soon I managed to find a furnished efficiency and my friend Joyce and her husband helped me sign the lease and move in to my new place. It was small but clean, quiet, comfortable and within a walking distance from the university and was not bothered