ETHOS Issue #11
MAGAZINE Effat Magazine
INSPIRING POETRY, IMPRESSIVE ART, CAPTIVATING SHORT STORIES AND INTRIGUING REPORTS
Spring of 2018 A magazine made by you, for you
Discover more expressive art by Pacita Abad, a successful Filipino artist who made this background art piece.
Dr. Sanna Abdulaziz Dhahir, Dean. College of Science and Humanities
A new term has dawned, bringing new and exciting prospects for learning and success! Congratulations to all our students for work well done in Fall 2017, and best of luck for Spring 2018. Ethos is doing very well. I would like to thank Raneem Modaress, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief in Fall 2017-18 for the superior work she did while putting together issue 10. Grateful thanks are also due to all the editors and contributors who made the issue possible. Girls, your achievements are way beyond all expectations. A very warm welcome to the magazine’s new Editor-inChief, Doaa Alghamdi! I am confident in her abilities to produce, together with her team, further issues that equally bear the Ethos stamp of excellence. Take care everyone, and enjoy reading No. 11. Please don’t forget to voice your suggestions about how Ethos can cater better to your needs.
CONTRIBUTORS Alyah Alfageh Danah Alghamdi Dua Alghamdi Ghadeer Alharbi Layal Zaki
EDITORIAL Mentor Dr. Sanna Dhahir Editor-in-Chief Dua Alghamdi
Muzaina Zuberi Nejoud Salem Nora Alfraikh Rawan Alshamrani Rawia Alshahrani Renad Akkad
Vice Editor-in-Chief Malak Saadi Design Dua Alghamdi Interviewers Dua Alghamdi Muzaina Zuberi
Rola Alghamdi
Editorial Team Danah Alghamdi
Ruhayd Altowairqi
Dua Alghamdi
Tala Faqiha
Joanna Alfattani Malak Saadi Muzaina Zuberi
Desclaimer: The EThos editorial team would like to sincerely apologize to the students who have submitted their pieces, but were not published on this issue; there has been some malfunction, and we are still working on it.
Ruhayd Altowairqi Sama Kinsara Sumaiya Syed Zain Rajab
Our most sincere apologies go to you.
If you wish to contribute to the upcoming issue, please contact ethos@effat.edu.sa, @effatethos on Instagram or @ethosmagazine on Twitter. Photographers/artists are requested to send HQ images of their work if they wish for it to be featured.
Thank You, Raneem Modaress This page has been dedicated by the editorial team of EThos magazine to our former leader, and Editor-in-Chief, Raneem Modaress. We would like to have this opportunity to thank you for your hard work, your team spirit and your great efforts as a leader of EThos magazine. You have our deepest and most sincere gratitude.
We would like to share some words from the editorial team to express our gratitude: Dua’ Alghamdi: “It was an honor working beside you; you’ve pulled through as we worked together. Your efforts are truly inspiring.” Malak Saadi: "Dearest Raneem, thank you so much for your efforts as the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine. We've managed to bond during the club meetings, and I'm very honored to have gotten to know you more. I hope everything works out for you later on and you'll always have a place among our team, and I'm sure you can agree to that. Take care." Ruhayd Altowairqi: "Raneem was a great leader! she loved her job and she was always devoted to it. She helped us figure out our voices and was always supportive of new ideas. What I loved about her is that she never gave up or hesitated; she kept going and made it work." Zain Rajab: "I loved working with Raneem on the magazine. She has such an amazing and loving personality, and her passion for the magazine was something you could notice from a mile away." Sumaiya Syed: "Dearest Raneem, I had such a great time with you; you were a great leader and the guiding hand of this magazine. You will be missed." Danah Alghamdi: "A hard-working, dedicated person with a lot of passion and patience. Because Raneem is very considerate and thoughtful, working with her was very easy and smooth. Her creativity and hard work made the previous issue of Ethos very successful and the magazine will greatly miss her touch." Joanna Alfattani: "Raneem has always been so helpful, kind, and generous with her time and energy. Words can neither qualify nor quantify how helpful her guidance and advice has been. I am forever grateful for her support!" Sama Kinsara: "From the moment I joined Ethos club, one member stood out to me for her relentless hard work and kind behavior. That member was Raneem. Even after she had to leave, her hard work's impact still lingers and I know for a fact that past and future members will always be grateful for her dedication." Muzaina Zuberi: "I love how positive and supportive person she is. Raneem and I were a part of a play and it was a memorable experience with her. I love her."
An Interview With Raneem Muzaina Zuberi There are very few people who pave their way directly in the hearts of people because of their continuous hard work and sheer dedication. Such is our Ethos magazine previous Editor-in-Chief Raneem Modaress, who successfully brought the magazine back and with it the contributors and readers. A delightful meet-up with Raneem, where she shares a little about herself and her experience as the editor of Ethos. What are your thoughts on the rapid changes happening in Saudi Arabia? I think it will benefit us as women mostly. It really gives us this push to achieve whatever we want without any limitations from men. Yes, there will be problems but in two years, our society will be much more developed. While being an editor is not as easy as ABC; Raneem had a great experience where she got to know a lot of people, learned from the members, and was supported by them. “Time management is the key & I gave up on social media & focused on my studies and magazine and bit of sleep.” Understanding team members is always quite difficult, how did you managed to deal with them? I like to understand people and motivate them as much as I can. I, myself, derive motivation from my members. It’s important to respect everyone regardless of their background. One should be really friendly with the members. As for the budding writers, I advise that the grammar needs to be perfect and should be simple. Why do you think literature is important? I believe that literature is very important and those who don’t read, analyze, and criticize it will not effectively be able to comprehend the world and its people. “Language is very vital for us as intellectuals because without language we cannot do anything.” Rapid Fire! Favourite section in Ethos? Literature and Poetry. E-books or Printed ones? I love printed ones, the last book I read was “Selected poetry by John Keats”, and it’s very interesting. Love or Trust? Trust, because if you trust someone, you can love them. But if you love someone, you can’t trust them sometimes. She smiles. Do you want more theatre plays to happen in university? Yeah, definitely. A film you recommend to all of your colleagues? The Pianist. We ended our conversation on a very optimistic note. That is what Raneem has learned from her experience, and she conveys it to all around her. “Be patient, be friendly and love everyone!”
CONTENTS Coffee Break Arabian Renaissance A Harvard Experience Reflection on The Way to Effat Report: An Art Book Gallery Confusion Literature 4, To Carry Canvas of Lies Delusion The Rain What is Peace? Interviews An Interview With a Salesperson Art and Doodles
COFFEE BREAK
ARABIAN RENAISSANCE
R u h a y d A l t o w a i rq i
Throughout the past three years, Saudi Arabia has been going through a noticeable awakening; but it has been lately seen and accepted. Art and culture in Saudi Arabia are flourishing like never before. Films, music and paintings are created everyday by new and aspiring Saudi artists with the main purpose of self-expression through art, and with that, they can represent the true Saudi culture and identity.
In my opinion, it all started with the kids of the nineties, who are now adults, yearning for the past with all its glory. They started capturing the past and viewed it as part of our culture. New artists take pictures that show who we were, and what we loved; such as vintage toys, old neighborhoods filled with children playing football bare-footed with a girl as the goal keeper, or kids in their grandmother ’s house, gathered around the smallest TV screen praying for the Sony game to work. The nineties kids are, also, throwing events and campaigns to bring back the beauty of the past, and for the new generation to embrace it as their own.
Saudi women are playing the biggest part in the Arabian renaissance; women are creating art and exhibiting their work without pressure nor restrictions; this time the government, and families, are all supportive and aiming for change. Saudi women are embracing their femininity and proudly exhibiting their artistic pieces. Some of these pieces can also be seen near the new Corniche, which resembles an open art gallery.
A Harvard Experience Ta l a F a q i h a February 6, 2017 I got accepted into the Study Abroad Program at Effat University. Excitement, worry, happiness, and pride filled my body. What university should I choose? Which semester should I pick? What classes should I take? So many questions hovering through my mind. I chose to go to Harvard University in the summer semester, and I decided to take “The Psychology of Eating” and “Self and Society.” June 20, 2017 The first day of classes. This is a huge campus, so many different buildings with different purposes. Which one is mine? “The Science Center,” this is one of the newer buildings with a yard in front of it that always has food trucks, farmer's market, and ping pong tables. I can get used to this. It's 10 am, should I head to my 12 o’clock class that's about 30 minutes away from me, I wouldn't want to be late on the first day? It’s 11 am, my anxiety J o h n H a r v a rd i s t h e f o u n d e r, i t s b e l i e v e d is taking over. 12 o’clock, there t h a t r u b b i n g h i s f o o t i s g o o d luck. are only 10 students in the class. I’m going to have to participate; the students are gonna laugh at my questions and the teacher isn't going to understand me. It's 3 o’clock, my first class just ended and I feel amazing. I made 10 friends, that supported the questions I asked and helped me explain myself if I couldn't do it alone. 3:15, my second class is approaching and my anxiety is taking over once again. I entered the classroom. This classroom is huge, it can fit more than 200 students. How many students are enrolled? My friend from the first class is here! Life is good. It's 4 o’clock, I love this professor. He’s funny, straight to the point, clarifies the topic, and understands that not everyone enrolled is a native English speaker. Three hours passed by so quick in that class. I loved it.
My experience in Harvard was incomparable. I t h i n g s t h i s s u m m e r, b u t t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g carry with me is that you can't learn without lecture that the professors give is not enough, we
learned many I will always reading. The must read.
Tala Faqiha is a 20 year old Junior Psychology student at Effat University. She is a very determined, and passion-filled, individual. During the summer of 2017, she was awarded with a full scholarship to study abroad for a semester by Effat University. Of course she took advantage of this amazing opportunity!
A Reflection on The Way to Effat Alyah Alfageh During the ludicrous traffic contingency and long communes, I contemplate my surroundings meticulously. There is this tree that is always standing distinguishably with a river of lights passing through it. It has decayed but remained ever so proud. I hope when I am old, grey and full of wrinkles, I would be as august. Two silhouettes are puffing at their cigarettes. One has this eccentric hairstyle. I overhear synopsis of their conversation. They are arguing about some football match. The other is mocking him for cheering for the losing team. My car passes before I could witness what happens later. Some deserted, shabby cars are scattered here and there. One car, a small maroon, stands out for me. She tells me her story. She belongs to a family, which consists of a father and his daughter. This severely mangled car tells me that its family has passed away and she misses them. She misses the girl in particular. She was radiant and resilient. It happened when a youngster crashed through their car while talking on his cellphone. She was on her way to school. She died wearing her school uniform, a proper albeit premature end, I assume.
I see an old couple sitting at the balcony; I wonder how time has changed them. Were they in love once? They seem distant now, each paying attention to the newspaper more than to their significant other, as they call it. She looks beautiful regardless of the wrinkles painted on her face. I reckon love was shared, momentarily, at least.
The road has merged bridges looking like hair locks. In their cars people merge momentarily and then part, like hair and hair pins. I used to wonder as an adolescent peeping through the car window if I would ever meet these random strangers again, if our paths will cross again. I had the thought that my one would be passing by in the second vehicle and one day, we would glimpse each other and instantaneously have this vehement love. I would not have settled for another scenario because it would be fate.
Dua Alghamdi & Nora Alfraikh
Report: an Art Book Gallery Confusion (Disclaimer: I, very much, dislike post-modern art.)
On the 8 th of February, Thursday night, Athr Gallery (an art gallery established in 2009 and located near Serafi Mega Mall, Al Faisaliyah) held a long-awaited event for post-modern art lovers and creators. The doors have been kept open for four days, 7:30 to 11:00, to all people free of charge. The streets outside of the building were packed with enthusiastic art lovers yearning for the doors of the gallery. The building had five floors; and with the last two ascending floors you would find art pieces all around, keeping you company. The top floor, “the rooftop,” was an open, dimly-lit, spacious area for various kinds of food, and for artists selling their posters, books and uniquely made stickers. The rooftop also had an area for music and for relaxing on the ground. There has been a lot of attraction by TV groups that were interviewing artists and people attending the Art Book Jeddah. I, a post-modern art criticizer (a critic is too-big-of-a-word for me), had gone there with the best of intentions: to report, and enjoy the pieces I had been impatiently waiting to look at and experience. The fifth floor ’s art works consisted of a long rod hanging by threads from both sides and had its shadow cast behind it. The opposite side of the fifth room, however, had multiple pieces of a very expressive art piece that seemed to tell a tale in sequence. The fourth floor had an intriguing, yet somewhat irritating, row of small screens that had one-second, black and white, apocalyptic, images with Arabic subtitles that I tried to read off the images.
Row of screens, Nora AlFraikh.
Moving further, I entered a white room sectioned off by a wall right in the middle. The room contained various kinds of expressive, and slightly repetitive, art. On my right, I could see the section of the walls covered in small, cloth-like papers with a single nutcracker on each and every piece. I couldn’t wait to look at the other, seemingly exciting, art pieces around. As I finished the long, arduous process of trying to figure out what the nutcracker pieces meant, I looked around the other part of the room, which contained a simple rug on the floor of the gallery, multiple medieval-looking shoes with sown up pictures depicting the struggles of what it seemed to be Bedouin women, the same women who “wore those shoes.” Last, a Bedouin attire and underwear made out of jasmine. After passing by the seizure-inducing screens, I entered a dark room with a couple of spotlights directed at a couple of art pieces that I truly fell in-love with. On my left I could see a giant humanoid black plushy with one index finger on its left hand; on my right there were two scrolls: one contained what seemed to be humanoid figures praying and worshipping, a sort of small statue they’re carrying, and the other scroll contained figures standing at attention. It created fear mixed with fascination, which I had always yearned for in a piece of art. My experience in the Art Book Gallery was this: It wasn’t “lifechanging,” nor was it completely lacking. It may have disappointed me, but then again, I don’t think I enjoyed pieces of post-modern art as much as I did at the Art Book Gallery.
The Screening room, Nora AlFraikh.
I would like to thank Nora AlFraikh, a VDP student, who allowed me to include her captivating pictures alongside my personal experience at Athr. You truly added color to my bland narration.
Literature
4 D u a
A l g h a m d i
A dream carries you
To Carry
To far-away lands.
And the artificial joke
Hear the sorrow, Hereafter unattained, Until there is nothing left to borrow. Do not leer at what may come. Be ever so thorough; A prayer may guide you through
You’ve been placed in
The night
To wondrous scenery; However, what you’d find sincere, And true, Is the unavailability
That dream, that has showered you with intrigue, Has drowned you in sorrow And has suffocated you with insincerity.
May not be guided by A prayer. A thorough Is a thorough Is the thorough. Leer at the howling beasts As they shy away From you. The world has yet to end. And, As you wait, For an ending;
Canvas of Lies
Nejoud Salem
My soul, A blank canvas My lies, the paint My tongue, the brush As my tongue lies, the brush paints Endless lies rolling out of my tongue lie after lie, the canvas is done I stare at what's looking back at me The old me that I used to be With a look in her eyes that says I can no longer be that's what my lies had done and made me become the soul of a liar that can't be undone
D e l u s i o n Danah Alghamdi I t ’s w h e n d a r k n e s s e n g u l f s m e i s e e l i g h t I w o n d e r, i s t h i s t h e f i r s t d a y o f s p r i n g ? My life is looking like the sun in bright. O h m y, I m u s t b e a n a l m i g h t y k i n g .
High amid tufts of bulky clouds, I fly P l e a s a n t l y, t h e w i n d d e l i g h t s m y s k i n Far beyond I am, there so high I r e a l i z e , t h i s i s w h a t i t ’s l i k e t o w i n .
Shall I land, this isn’t my reality I t ’s a d r e a m f i l l e d w i t h b e a u t i f u l l i e s This fantasy drives me to insanity S a y, h o w e l s e m i g h t t h i s e n d i f n o t i n c r i e s ?
Wi t h f o r c e s a s s t r o n g a s t h o s e t h a t b i n d l o v e r s I hold this dream, blinded by its colors.
T h"eR . AR. "a i n
I held your hand and led the way We r a n a c r o s s w i t h s u c h a w e i g h Yo u t o l d m e t o p a u s e B u t w e c o u l d n ’t s t o p We n e e d e d t o r e a c h t h a t m o u n t a i n t o p Click Clock Panic rose in my brain I d i d n ’t k n o w w h o t o b l a m e Black blood spread on your lies Goosebumps across my thighs I knew I would lose you but I stopped to think That for once I might not sink The pain might stop The heart might heal Only if I dropped that car wheel But it was out of my control It came too fast and took it all The love, the pain, the hurt and the gain All rushed down the mountain while I watched the rain.
ﻣﺎ ھﻮ اﻟﺴﻼم؟ Ghadeer Alharbi
ﺳﺎﻗﮫ اﻟﯿﻤﻨﻰ ﻗُﻄﻌﺖ. وھﻨﺎﻟﻚ أم اﻧﺘﻈﺮت ﻛﺜﯿﺮا ﻟﻜﻲ ﺗﺮى اﺑﻨﮭﺎ ..ﻟﻜﻨﮭﺎ رأت ﺟﺜﺘﮫ. أﺻﺒﺤﺖ اﺑﻨﺘﮫ ﻋﺮوس ﻟﻜﻨﮫُ ﻟﻢ ﯾﺮاھﺎ ﺑﻔﺴﺘﺎﻧﮭﺎ اﻷﺑﯿﺾ. ﺻﺎﺣﺐ اﻟﺪﺑﻞ ﻟﺪﯾﮫ اﻟﻜﺜﯿﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺨﻮاﺗﻢ اﻟﻤﺤﺠﻮزة اﻟﺘﻲ ﻟﻢ ﯾﺄﺗﻲ أﺻﺤﺎﺑﮭﺎ ﺑﻌﺪ. اﻷطﻔﺎل ﻗُﺘﻠﻮا ﺟﻤﯿﻌﺎ ً .ﻧﻌﻢ ﺟﻤﯿﻌﺎ ً ﻷن اﻷﺣﯿﺎء ﻣﻨﮭﻢ ﻟﻢ ﯾﻌﻮدا اطﻔﺎﻻً. ﻛﯿﻒ ﯾُﻤﻜﻦ ان ﯾﻜﻮن ھﻨﺎﻟﻚ أطﻔﺎل ﺑﯿﻦ اﻟﻘﺘﻠﻰ واﻟﺠﺮﺣﻰ؟ ﻣﺎذا ﯾُﻤﻜﻦ ان ﯾﻌﺮﻓﻮا ﻋﻦ اﻟﻄﻔﻮﻟﺔ؟ ﻣﺎھﻲ اﻟﻄﻔﻮﻟﺔ؟ ﻣﺎھﻲ اﻟﺤﺮب؟ ﻣﺎ ھﻮ اﻟﻔﻘﺪ؟
INTERVIEWS
A n I n t e r v i e w Wi t h a Salesperson D u a
A l g h a m d i
Ever since the decree that allowed women to drive in Saudi Arabia had been declared, ever since September, people have haphazardly started planning on saving up for their daughters, wives, sisters and mothers to purchase the best of cars. But what are the best of cars? How would we know? Is it the price, the way it looks, the gadgets or the inside of the car itself? An acquaintance of mine, Rawia Alshahrani, had given me the privilege to get in contact with a friend of hers, Raghad Alotaibi, who is currently working at a car dealership called Saleh for Cars. I had a phone interview with the previously named worker, Raghad, and we had a very interesting interview. She had first introduced herself, where she was currently working, and allowed me in for a special treat: what makes cars where she works different and better! She explained to me that when women start driving, Saleh for Cars will have a special deal regarding warranty and something called the Roadside Assistance, which will expand the latter to align with the warranty of your choice. Roadside Assistance will help you with many things, ranging from flat tires all the way to being stuck with a broken car and would like to have it moved. She, then, started to explain to me the importance of starting with a small car, even in Jeddah, to practice on, and then move on to the car of your choice.
Afterwards, I began asking her to recommend the best cars to start with and wanted her advice. Raghad added that one could consider four cars that are best to start with and keep. She named one from each of the four different brands: Nissan, Chevrolet, Ford and Hyundai.
Nissan: Sunny. PRICE: 36,500 Riyals. (without VAT.)
Chevrolet: Spark. PRICE: estimated 34,700 Riyals. (without VAT.)
Manufacturing year: 2018. Gearbox type: Automatic
Manufacturing year: 2018. Gearbox Type: Automatic.
It is readily available with Rear sensors, CD player, AUX input, with an engine type of V4 with the engine size of 1500.
The Chevrolet contains an AUX input, CD player, has an engine size of 1400 with the engine type V4.
TYPES OF CARS ADVISED TO START WITH
Ford: Figo. PRICE: 32,900 Riyals. (without VAT.) Manufacturing year: 2018. Gearbox Type: Automatic. This brand new car contains space for Bluetooth, AUX input, CD player, with an engine size of 1500 and the engine type V4.
Hyundai: Accent. PRICE: 34,500 Riyals. (without VAT.) Manufacturing year: 2017 Gearbox Type: Automatic This type of car includes AUX input, CD player, followed with an engine size of 1400 with the engine type V4.
ART
Rola Alghamdi, a CS student.
Layal Zaki, a CS student.
Numb the butterflies, numb them all. Soon enough, they will wake up to whom deserves them all. 19/01/2018
LIM - ER - ENCE /"limərəns/ noun (PSYCHOLOGY) the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship. 31/5/2016
The Artistry of Students Around You Every piece of art; every doodle, sketch, painting is accepted and will be published.
Rawan Alshamrani, an ARCH student.
“The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.” -Jerzy Kosinski
E T h o s M a g a z i n e : E n g l i s h a n d Tr a n s l a t i o n D e p t . M a g a z i n e .
Issue #11