I don't like teenagers. I cannot stand the utterly foolish and simple-minded way in which they think. I especially dislike their group think disguised as revelation of their generation. That said, I love my students. I have loved "all" of my students. That is to say, I like talking and laughing with them. There is still a tenderness and openness to their hearts that can make them (some of them) endearing.
As I am from the U.S., and Chicago in particular, my UAE students like to ask me about my home. Actually, they tell me about it. They tell me Chicago is dangerous, and all the Black people have guns and curse. They tell me Eminem is the best rapper (group think), and that Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber are the best singers. There is a theme here.
A very common perception among my students is that Arabic people are not welcome in the U.S. The students have a natural curiosity about one of the wealthiest and most influential countries in the world. Many of them want to visit America. One student said that he would visit me in Chicago. I said I would love to have him come. He described how I would drive him around the city and show him the sites. I said that to do so would be fun and my great pleasure.
Several students were gathered around us witnessing our exchange. One student said something in Arabic to my perspective "guest". Naturally, I could sense that it was something sensitive and related to our discussion. I encouraged the student to tell me what he said, and assured him that I would not be upset. Another student interpreted what had been said, "Miss Karla, he said they don't like us in Chicago".
This is a very common sentiment. My UAE students are aware of the world perspective of Arab peoples. They know that caution is required when they travel westward. I thought that my students' parents probably teach their children these ideas for their own protection. This reminded me of how fathers and mothers of Black children (Black boys especially) have to school their children about the reality of being race/self-aware in this world.
I can't quite find the words to express the sorrow of this reality for my students. There was this weird sense that the normal idea of showing a visiting friend from a foreign country around my hometown was somehow a fantasy. The student and I just sort of escaped to this fantasy world for a few sentences in our discussion of his visit. As a few other students stood around "watching the show", I said to my potential guest that it wasn't true that Arab people are unwelcome in Chicago. After all, I said, I am from Chicago and I want you to come visit me there.
My sincere invitation was a sort of transition from the fantasy world to reality. In the fantasy world, my student had an open invitation to Chicago. In reality, he had a teacher/friend who wished that he could come.
