America: As an Arab American Narrator Views it

Personal Reflection

From the inception of this project, through to completing the interview process with Jackie, I have continued to be both excited and challenged by the testimonial narrative. Before this project, I have had limited experiences with interviewing and had only directed a couple of focus groups, which is very different from maintaining an extended interview with a singular subject. Throughout the process I have been grateful for the help that Eric provided me, he was supportive within the interviews themselves, but also in the maintenance of the online portal, we worked with. 

The biggest takeaway from this project is my increased understanding of life as an Arab American and how important one’s heritage is to someone living in America. Of course, I learned of Jackie’s life experiences and how her cultural background has shaped her identity today. However, I have also seen my perception of life in America change through the project. I have become more observant of the different ways that people I interact with regularly look to their heritage. I realised how common it was for people to express themselves as Italian, Irish or German American in conversation and how many of them saw this as essential to their identities. Before speaking with Jackie, I was confused by much of this behaviour, yet through listening to her story and the pride which she has for her Syrian identity, I understand why so many Americans continue to look to their family histories today. 

This page has paths: