On May 5, Mr. Amr Arqoub ’14 returned to share his experiences at the school and beyond as an Arab person in America. He highlighted the importance of understanding Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) identity in a multifaceted manner and looking beyond what is presented in the news.
When providing an example of a Middle Eastern cultural practice, Mr. Arqoub described a time he invited a classmate to Palestine during his Senior year and surprised him with Arabic hospitality. He said, “If you find yourself a guest at an Arab home, you should consider yourself very lucky.”
Speaking specifically about his adjustment to the school, he talked about the difficulty of adapting to the English curriculum. Mr. Arquob said, “I basically didn’t sleep for a whole semester because of The Scarlet Letter. The fire alarm went off one point in Coy, and I slept through it. I woke up from Mr. Kneeland saying, ‘Dude, are you okay?’ But I don’t think my English would have been at this level if I didn’t spend those nights trying to understand what was going on.”
He thanked the Humphrey family, who include John Humphrey ’67, for being his host family. He said, “They were my safe harbor while I figured out how to navigate this completely new world.”
He also mentioned the importance of food to him, recalling memories of crying while eating the spicy food Mr. Abdoulaye Fall, instructor in French, served at his house and times when Mr. Tom Drake, instructor in history, took him to eat KFC when he missed Palestinian fried chicken.
Despite the challenges of coming to America, Mr. Arqoub said, “I left this campus with an expanded worldview and a profound sense of belonging.”
His talk was part of a larger celebration of Arab American Heritage Month, which included Middle Eastern food in the Dining Hall and an open MENA dinner.
