Hellllooooooooo after a really long and fun break at home!

I hope everyone got to enjoy themselves this break, whether that meant traveling, going home, spending time with friends and/or family and/or people you love!

affection

I am really happy to say that I got to go home to Kuwait, which was fun and much-needed. I also did not get to do as much work as I expected I would get done, which was also fun and much-needed.

sorry for not reading you, thesis books

I had a wonderful time, camping in the desert with my family…

which I’ve just gotten word is snowing now (!)

and where I got to make new friends…

and also met an especially young one, too!

the ocean was as beautiful as ever…

and home was magnificently fun <3

I feel ready and prepared for my final semester here, and I hope you all are too, whether its your final semester or your first second semester in college!

Best of luck!

NOTE: I am going to working in Goodhart during Lovertits, held from Thursday (tonight!) until Sunday at 8pm (doors open at 7!). It should be interesting and I hope you can attend!

During this year’s Thanksgiving break, I got to do something that I had not done before: go home.

Kuwait <3

I took a few days off before the break, got excuses from my professors and headed home to attend a family wedding.

It was lots of fun, I had a ball and was so glad that I got to visit everyone a few weeks early! Which is not to say that it wasn’t stressful! I was working on school work almost round the clock, literally had my laptop with me while I was doing my hair at the saloon and until we pulled up into the ballroom! I told all my friends not to really think of me being back yet and that I couldn’t visit them until I was back during winter break.

And yet –

worth it. So worth it. Seeing my family, seeing my cousin get married, not missing a family event, being with my parents again, it was all so wonderful!

I also got to do one of the greatest things: listen to Arabic music at a wedding.

I am very, very fond of Kuwaiti music. It’s different than other Arabic music from Al Shaam countries, it’s more dancey, the vernacular is Kuwaiti slang, the drumming stronger and louder, the songs moving and communal.

And the here is one of my favorite songs شويخ من ارض مكناس.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCye2iuXSvw&feature=youtu.be&t=8s

As well as another oldie that is now on constant repeat مفتون قلبي في هوى الغزلان (seen under this post).

That’s why it was a very pleasant surprise to me that the first weekend I was back, the first Arts event back, was an Arabic music event!

AlBustan’s logo

Hosted by Al Bustan Seeds of Culture presented a famed Palestinian singer, Dalal Abu Amneh, backed by a chorus, and Arabic musical instruments, I felt the same draw to home.

The mere sight of al Oud was enough to make me hold back tears. The drum solo at the end, where all of us were clapping along with the drummer, was pure echiliratation to me. If you’ve watched the music videos I attached above, Kuwaiti music has a lot of rhythmic clapping and contrasted arrhythmic clapping which makes up a large part of the music. To participate in it in Bryn Mawr was a great feeling.

Al Bustan aims to “plant the seeds of cross cultural understanding” and having Arabic music brought to Bryn Mawr rooted me Kuwait and Bryn Mawr, my two homes.

I hope to see more Arabic performances here again. This performance alone almost stretched Goodhart to its full capacity, so there is a definite enjoyment from not only me but other community members for Arabic music!

me and my girls back in the day ✌️

Saturday morning. November 14. Approximately 9:30 AM. 93 students are boarding a bus to travel to New York to watch Fun Home.

Fun Home is originally published as a graphic novel written by Alison Bechdel. I first read Fun Home my freshman year in Bryn Mawr as it was the book assigned to our ESEM class. That same year in Goodhart Theatre, Alison Bechdel spoke to us about her life, her writing process, her experiences in college, took photos with us and held a Q&A. It was a great experience, and one of the first times that I myself had with an author in front of me talking about a book they’d written. It was also a first glimpse into some of the great experiences that Bryn Mawr had to offer.

fresh man year farah with alison bechdel – sept 2012

It is really amazing to me that 3 years later, I got to see her show on Broadway, which was so amazing and so wonderful. I also wish that I still had my copy of Fun Home in the States, except that I am pretty sure it is back home. I would have liked to look through it today, see that notes I took in class and every single asterisk I must have placed at places of the novel that I identified with.

The day, as stated, started with a trip to New York on two buses. We had some members of the English department faculty with us (for their photos and comments on the show follow brynmawrenglishhouse on instagram) and some members of Student Activities and a lot of really excited Mawrtyrs.

Tickets were passed out on the bus, and after some trading and switching, my friends and I secured 4 seats next to each other in the theatre.

We arrived in New York around 2 hours before the show, and spent the first half hour looking for a restaurant and standing in line for brunch. Welcome to New York on a Saturday. Finally, my friends and I got into a restaurant and had what was, for most of us, the first meal of the day.

take me back, dining hall food just won’t cut it anymore

After a great lunch and after feeling very spoiled, we walked back to the Gershwin Theatre and met up with the rest of the Bryn Mawr students and everyone else who was there.

Funny story, someone saw MN’17 sweatshirt which read “Mawrtyr” and came up to tell us that they were Bryn Mawr alums from the class of ’89, if my memory serves me well, and one of the alums was the red class as well. Bryn Mawr is everywhere, especially when Alison Bechdel is involved, I guess!

the famed red sweater

The women spoke to us as we were in line for the bathroom which was an experience in and of itself.

NP ’18, yours truly, AA’16, MN’17

And finally, we were there, being handed our programs…

lead to our seats…

and looking at the 360-view stage.

The stage was my favorite part of the whole show, and part of the reason that I want to come back to see Fun Home again. I want to be on the other side of the audience and see what my experience of the show is. The other technical aspects of the show, like the lights the example, which blew my mind, the music, the clothing, everything was done so well.

Fun Home is amazing and was, for me, an extremely emotional experience. I feel like watching it came as a good time. As a show about identity and finding yourself, and revealing your family history – I don’t know. All I know is that I was watching this show as a Kuwaiti Muslim girl and I just felt so connected to the story and I saw myself and my family in it. It was a nostalgic experience, and it made me want to call home, just to be around family. It made me realize that my relationship with my parents as adult is very different than my relationship with them as a child, but that both mean that I am still their daughter.

After the show, we got to be a part of a short Q&A the actors and stage manager held for us. It was really cool being able to speak to the actors and to hear their own experiences performing the show, and the parts that they think are funny.

I asked them a question about what I had throughout the show, and if, while performing they realize some things about their own family and home life. Emily Skeggs, the actress who plays Medium Allison, answered my question by saying that, having a father who is a graphic designer, she wonders when she’s drawing how her father would react to her art and how Alison’s father reacted to her art.

Overall, it was a great show and I am so happy I got to see it, especially with a group of Bryn Mawr students who were with me that day. And I especially loved the Anass and the very confused looks all the actors had 😀 There is video on the English House instagram page.

Anassa Kata, Fun Home!

A week ago, the Interfaith Council at Bryn Mawr had a stand at the Campus Center about tradition.

A lot of people were pinning their thoughts on a big board, and it got me thinking about what traditions mean to me. And it also got me thinking about some of the traditions that were happening at the time too.

For example, Halloween, a major tradition a couple of weeks ago, where candy plays a big role. Because of my major, almost to a degree where this is a problem, love for candy, Halloween makes me extremely happy.

picking up the candy bags for each dorm from TGH!

I, and some other students who live in Radnor, got to pass out candy to the visiting children from the Bryn Mawr community, and to the children of staff and professors, which was lots of fun! Following that, there was a party at TGH with more food and dancing.

sign outside of the Great Hall

Pumpkins, as featured on the sign above, are a major tradition in the United States (and maybe other countries?) during these Fall months.

pumpkins outside of Guild

Which to me seems strange, since I don’t think of pumpkins when I think of fall, at least not before I came to the States, but they do seem to be taking over!

pumpkin spice pedicure? O_o seen on the Main Line at Zazen if you’re interested!

Another tradition, for me personally, is Monday dinners at Erdman Dining Hall! There is a Pho station, which makes me so happy, ever since my friend MT ’17 taught me her recipe (which is seven different types of delicious).

this is still like step three of a multi-step cooking process

It has come to point where Mondays, to me, have just been permanently associated with going to Erdman for me weekly dose of good cookin’.

it is actually delicious, I promise!

Finally, there is a tradition on my hall where, every Tuesday is my candy day. And so, again, to me, Tuesday means waking up early (*ahem* waking up at 10) to get the candy bowl/basket out for the hall

this was last week’s haul, leftovers from Radnor Halloween. this week’s is M&Ms and reese’s. life is grand.

It has gotten to the point where some of the residents on the hall, from the first years to the customs people know to give me candy earlier, if they’d like it to be “featured” during this week’s candy day.

Due to ALL of these reasons, I don’t think it’s much of a surprise that my answer to the question: “What does tradition mean to you?” is:

as the leaves change color

and the day grows shorter

the students of Bryn Mawr

celebrate the second quarter

the geese wake us up

with their honks and their noises

this is the time of year

where we gather in the cloisters

the great hall is shaking

with anassing hollers

the light of knowledge is bright

in this batch of scholars

the wind is blowing

and the students all unite

(to warm themselves up)

and to celebrate a special night

the first years will have

their lantern of knowledge

don’t look at it when you pick it up

and you’ll do great at college

and if you do look at it

pay a visit to our goddess

athena is forgiving

tell her what happened and be honest

so let’s celebrate here

let’s celebrate all around

for the lantern swinging and singing

that will happen all year long

you have your own lantern

of that we’re so proud

because now you’re a part of

the greatest lantern-owning crowd

happy lantern night to everyone and especially to the green class!

click on the photo to be taken to the Arts at Bryn Mawr schedule!

This weekend I was working for the Arts department at the Trisha Brown Dance Company, the first performance of the season!

It was a really wonderful show, and there were so many different elements to it.

including a dressing/undressing component called Floor of the Forest

My favorite part, though, might just be being back in the Arts office! I have been there since freshman year when my freshman year “roommate” Maya volunteered at the Arts office and told me to try to get one there too. Three years later, I am still there, working as House Manager, and Maya is now a Theatre major so……..

managing my little theatre house

For the Trisha Brown Dance Company, my friend Noor and I, because we are both the House Managers for this season, were working two different days. I was working on the Saturday, which included the Floor of the Forest segment (shown above, aforementioned dressing/undressing performance), a trip to the exhibit in Canaday library, as well as the performance at the McPherson Auditorium at Goodhart Hall, where we were expecting around 400 people.

I always forget to take photos so let’s pretend this is what Goodhart looked like on Saturday night – expect Goodhart totally has better seats.

I was there at 4:30, where my flats, which I would have only been wearing for the third time, felt tight, my socks had a run in them, and my shoes were falling apart. This day was already off to a great start!

yep, that’s scotch tape on my shoe.

But shows are usually always stressful, and there’s a lot that people don’t see, or don’t think takes time, which actually does.

Tickets, for example, which are a killer. Here is Angela Dowdy, the Arts Administrator, powering through the tickets while we were all on the verge of a breakdown.

But, I repeat, things like that work out. We, being me, the Arts department, the ushers, everyone, will be panicking until the last second, and then the box office opens, and lights are dimming and the doors are shut and all of a sudden you actually have a show that’s going off… maybe not completely without a hitch, but going on well enough that you can comfortably sit back and enjoy the show.

It also helps, of course, when you your boss orders pizza for you and the other ushers as more incentive to get through the 7 hour work shift and a way to keep warm after standing outside and guiding people to the exhibit at Canaday Library (which will still be there if you’d like to check it out!).

Thanks Zesto’s, thanks Angela, thanks Coke.

I was really lucky that a few of the ushers who were working during my shift had worked the night before, and new what the expect and what the show would be like. The House has been swept and the set was being broken (proper terminology? I think?) by 10 o’clock.

exclusive sneak pic

Following that, I got to help a little with a reception for the performers and special guests. In this context, help means eat dessert and occasionally help clean the tables, and finally kicking off my shoes.

Working at the Arts department is a lot of work, but it is always ridiculously fun, and you usually get to enjoy the show, unless you’re one of the few ushers who has to remain outside to help guide any stragglers! And even then, you’re still probably going to watch part of the show!

The show went well, the performers were great, the ushers did a fabulous job, and at the end of the day, while we were cleaning up the reception area, Lisa Kraus gave me one of the flower centerpieces to take home so I am really happy.

have a beautiful week everyone! <3

For a review of the show, please check Miranda Canilang’s blog HERE! She gives her thoughts on the show and is more diligent than I am about taking photos!

Last Friday, I was supposed to go on a Ropes Course sponsored by LILAC, the Leadership, Innovation and Liberal Arts Center, and, after that, was supposed to go to a Phillies Game, sponsored by Student Activities.

Neither of these things happened and so this is where this blog post ends, thanks for reading.

The Ropes Course developed into trust building and leadership exercises, and the Phillies game was to be postponed for Saturday which, unfortunately, I still could not attend. I am really disappointed  because I was looking forward to my first baseball game.

sorry baseball player I don’t know – I know you wanted me to be there.

We were meant to go to a Ropes Course at the Westtown School, a good 40 minutes away from Bryn Mawr. However, it had pretty much been raining nonstop on Friday, leaving us feeling a bit worried about whether we would still be able to participate in the Course.

there was a lot more rain than this picture would tell you!

However, we were informed that the trip would still be taking place, so we got on the bus, and readied ourselves for the long bus ride. I chose to take a healthy snack with me…

creds: NM’16

*ahem*, in the interest of health, I chose to take spinach from the dining hall and eat it with my fries. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t need the motivation of fries to get me through eating spinach. Popeye the Sailor Man, I am not.

I just don’t have that kind of motivation in my life.

Anyway, weird eating habits aside, we got to the Westtown School, and were quickly ushered inside. Already, a bad sign. We were then told that due to the rain and due to some tree branches falling (!) we wouldn’t be doing the Ropes Course. Rather than be worried for our own safety, we were upset with the friend who asked us to sign up for the Ropes Course in the first place.

These are photos of what COULD HAVE BEEN. Taken from the Westtown School website.

But we actually ended up having a really fun time. We showed up to the school, ready to pout, or at least I was, but the counselors there (Matthew and Ken, I won’t be forgetting their names 😉 ) were so much fun and were so engaging, and had a great Plan B for us, that it was difficult not to immediately get pulled into their new game ideas.

thanks for telling us to sign up NM’16

We played a lot of trust exercises throughout the day. We played knee tag, which I was able to last in longer than I thought, mostly by using the trusty strategy of just staying really, really, far away from everyone else.

We then did a lot of trust exercises, falling into one person’s arms, falling into two people’s arms, falling into the group, and then being flipped 360 degrees, no big deal.

this is an image portraying how we felt when the activities were accomplished as well as the trust exercises themselves.

That was a lot of fun, and I can definitely say that I trust the people I was with, and that I am also very surprised by our combined strengths. I know that I must still suck at arm-wrestling, but this experience has given me false feelings of grandeur and power.

the most trust worthy bunch of people you’ve ever seen.