Message from the Dean of Effat College of Humanities Let me first wish you all the best of luck as we
move steadily towards the final exams and the
graduation of senior students. The fall term has
been teaming with various kinds of undertakings designed to take our institution several steps
towards further prosperity. Among these, worth
noting is that a number of Effat University departments have engaged in national and international accreditation activities, which we hope to be rewarding in many ways. And in promoting these events and others,
Effat University students have generously given out of their time and energy. In addition, this year’s Student Shura has
already started organizing important events, such as having students meet with the President, the Provost, and the
Deans to make Effat University the place of choice for both students and faculty.
It has always been a pleasure to have a new issue of EThos ,
the Effat Magazine coming out to express the varied
opinions and creative efforts of Effat students. I would like in this regards to thank the new and hard-working crew of
EThos : the Editor-in-Chief and all other editors and
contributors. Without them the Magazine would not have
been possible. Thanks also to our PR and IT team for their highly appreciated help and support. Once again I wish everyone continuous progress and successful achievements. Sincerely,
Sanna Dhahir
Rumaisa Khusru English And Translation, Freshman Dear reader, I would like to begin by thanking the many contributors of this magazine, without whom, there would not have been so much creativity, talent and imagination that has saturated the following pages. To my mentor and editorial team, thank you
for being the backbone of Ethos and making every moment so special and an experience that will be impossible to forget. Finally, an infinite amount of thanks to my parents, family and friends, who have been my solace and strength during these past few months. I cannot wait to see what the next issue of this
magazine will have in store for us. Thank you,
MENTOR Dr. Sanna Dhahir
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rumaisa Khusru
VICE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Nagham Talrfadi
EDITORS
Aya Alzuabi & Madeha Islam
CONTENTS POETRY PROSE PAINTINGS INTERVIEWS BOOK/MOVIE REVIEWS
P
O
E T R Y
PROSE
Evil Hearts
I saw a quote a couple of months ago and I think about it a lot. It said, “Trust the vibes you get, energy doesn’t lie.” It made me think about all of the many situations and circumstances I’ve been through where I’ve felt uncomfortable. But rather than coping with my emotions, I used to believe that it was just my insecurities and anxieties getting the best of me. That thought-provoking quote made me realize that all this time I had blamed and pretty much hated myself for feeling self-conscious and awkward, while the real people to blame were the ones around me. A lot of evil hearts are disguised with pretty faces, and I’m disappointed for only realizing this now. I walked into a room and felt multiple stares piercing into my soul. My knees grew weak and so did my stance. The high levels of judgment and fake supremacy in the air suffocated me as I attempted to breathe. Taken aback, I looked at the angelic and innocent faces that met mine every way I turned. I tried to find a reason for all the pretentious cynicism coming forth from each person. Scanning the room with my eyes, I searched for a clue, but little did I know about the dark souls each of those people possessed. For the first time I listened to myself, and that’s when I remembered the quote, “Trust the vibes you get, energy doesn’t lie.” My instinct told me to abandon the place so I left.
-Manal M. Jan
Passion to Pressure
You cannot force inspiration to appear at anytime you desire. It is a powerful sudden force that awakens the artistic spirit from a rested slumber. Our world tends to cease from the lack of it because we get frustrated and disappointed too easily. Inspiration is what drives us to create, and creativity is what adds value to our lives. It is unrealistic to set ourselves large goals of completing tasks that require inspiration. How can you commit to your goal of reading one book per week? How do you plan to write in your journal every morning? What about your goal of drawing every Saturday? I learned this lesson the hard way. I set myself reminders on my phone to write one poem every single day. Of course, I wasn’t able to stick to my desire. I had no ideas, no motivation, and absolutely no inspiration to write. I soon realized that by forcing myself to write, I turned my hobby into a task I was required to do, which took the fun out of doing it anymore. I felt extremely disappointed in myself for not completing the strict goals I set, but I understood that creativity was never meant to be forced in the first place. If you’re stuck in a writing block, a reading slump, or even a phase that lacks the inspiration you need to proceed, take all the time you need to recover. Understand that you cannot always practice the hobbies you love; no matter how much you love them. Keep your mind positive and your soul hopeful, because who knows? The lack of inspiration might be able to inspire you. -Manal M. Jan -
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Dear depression, You knocked on my door on those lonely July nights and creeped in through my windows while I had doubts about my own heartbeats. I warmly welcomed you with all the potency I had in me and you managed to convince me that all my wrong thoughts were right. I was a captive in my own room with no ability, energy or strength to move. I believed this was just a phase in my life like any other and soon it would go away. I really thought it would pass soon just how everything else ends up being fine when given time, but no, I was mistaken. You became brutal, violent and venomous as each day went by. You were a parasite wedged in my body that was feeding on my happiness, a virus that I was unable to identify. My pillows were first drenched with tears and I drowned in them from every dusk till dawn, but very soon the tears dried and what left was weird emptiness and void within me when I would just be lying down staring at the ceiling for hours. I had lost courage to walk out of my room, I felt caged in an iron bar prison. Every song I would listen to, would be like ballads played on funerals. In order to get rid of you I whirled you into hundreds of poems, made you into midnight paintings and trust me I spew you into every possible form of art that I could. In return, what did you do? You just got worse. All you did was turn my rhymes into awful limericks and fill the blood flowing in my veins with guilt and self-hate. I started wishing that why wasn’t something more useful in existence in place of me? Maybe a tree or a craft machine or maybe just nothing, but not me. I hated existence. But today, I am writing this one to you. It’s been enough of our togetherness and now I am stronger than I was. It is finally time to bid you farewell. I hope you find this epistle during your last breath and have some guiltiness for the mess you made out of me. I hope no one ever checks up on you again and this time you are gone forever. May you burn until the end of time in a fire that never cools down. Yours (?) Perhaps I never -Ayesha Tatli
Strength After Sorrow
Sitting here, I bite my lip hesitantly. My leg bounces up and down because I’m too nervous to remain still. Anxious energy surges through my body like an overly charged circuit. I feel a flutter in my chest. “Am I really about to put this out on paper?” a voice nags at me in the back of my mind. “Pull yourself together, Bella, it’s just a story,” my logical side argues. “No, it’s not just a story. It’s a story that’ll tell what most people don’t know about you!” my emotional side whines back. “Yes, but that’s the point! Just write it already!” So here I am, quite begrudgingly, opening a door into a part of my life that has remained shut to everyone but my mother and two siblings. To be fair, that’s an understatement. Not only has this door been shut, but it’s been sealed off with wooden logs nailed to it, and a big bright neon sign that reads KEEP OUT in unavoidable block letters. Nonetheless, I need to start believing in what I preach: that one shouldn’t shy away from his or her dark past, and instead find pride in his or her ability to push through it. I’m nothing if not a survivor, and I have the scars to prove it. I’ve pushed my way through battlefield after battlefield and will continue to do so until my lungs give out. Not to overly dramatize the situation, I haven’t actually been through war, but sometimes the carnages that take place in one’s mind are enough to wear him or her down, worse than any physical fight would. Since I was in elementary school, I never really felt like I fit in. Kindergarten through second grade was fine, but when I entered the third grade, the girls in my class began to point out that I was different, something I haven’t paid much mind to before then. “We Saudis won’t hang out with a Syrian girl like you!” the popular girl in my class would often remind me. I didn’t mind really, I had a Filipino friend and her and I got along just fine for the most part. I’ve been through my fair share of bullying, but none of that really played a part in the deterioration of my mental health - not to my knowledge at least. I switched schools a lot because we moved from one home to another constantly. I’ve never lived in the same house for more than three years, ever since we moved to Jeddah when I was five. Things were constantly changing around me, but that never really bothered me either - at least, I didn’t know they did. My transition from fifth to sixth grade is when things first began going down hill. I couldn’t have been older than 11(I remember because I was halfway through the first semester of 6th grade) when I first began to notice I had a lot of pent up anger raging inside me that I didn’t know how to let out healthily. I was confused and struggling to fit in with the girls around me; I was different and I could tell. While my closest friend easily embraced her girliness, I disliked makeup and didn’t care for fashion. In seventh grade, all my classmates had ipads or smartphone, went out regularly, and wore revealing clothing when I wasn’t allowed to or wasn’t comfortable enough doing so.
I was in a new class in the seventh grade, and I didn’t make any friends. My old friends were beginning to move on, and so I spent most my time alone, reading a book, or writing. Craving for some attention, I found myself constantly trying to please my friends, whether by making up stories, being rude to teachers, or making inappropriate jokes. As one can imagine, that didn’t go well. I spent most my time feeling like a fraud. I woke up every morning and painted a mask over my true self before leaving to school. This added to my anger. Feeling fake, unloved, and unwanted, I decided to stop trying and simply find solace in my books, which only added to my seclusion. Fast forward to the eighth grade, we’ve moved again. This time, we’ve moved roughly 6,800 miles away: Toledo, Ohio. At first it was a dream come true, living away from my explosive father, and being around people who didn’t make me feel as though I don’t belong. I got by the first year fairly fine. Ninth grade, however was a nightmare. I isolated myself completely, told myself my friends were faking how they felt about me, and that no one really truly liked me. I tried doing everything in my power to keep going. In need of an exciting change, I chopped off my upperthigh-length hair to a short bob. However, my thoughts were still plagued with selfloathing violence. My logical side tried to keep up, but my demons were swift, cunning, and ruthless. I made my way through ponderously for around five months before getting the help I so desperately needed, but not before I fell into a hole so deep, that only a near-death experience would jolt me out of it. Three years, and two misdiagnoses later, we’re back in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and though I have my good days and bad days, I firmly believe that if I hadn’t trudded through the murky paths of my darker past, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the life I have today. The past six years have helped me grow so much and have taught me never to misjudge a person. I now understand the saying “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet,” for truly, if not for the internal combats I’ve been fighting so fervently, I wouldn’t know the triumph of the victory found after overcoming a long battle of perseverance. I’ve become more kind, more understanding, and much more resilient. I now know when things are beginning to get tough, and have the courage to ask for help when I need it. As a character from one of my favorite movies once said, “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” (Mulan, 1998), and I believe that I, though scarred, bruised, and limping my way through life, am unique and beautiful, inside and out. I let out a sigh of relief, and set my pen down, fingers pulsing. I take a long sip of my now-cold cup of coffee. Still unsure of whether or not I’m ready to let people walk around the secret passages of my mind, I pick the paper up and turn it in to the judge of the spoken-word ceremony. She gives me a nod of reassurance. I message my brother: “The deed is done,” I write “I’m proud of you,” he replies. Me too.
GUIDE to MEDITATION: Incorporate meditation into your daily routine
What is meditation? As simple as it may seem, meditation can be summed into one word: MINDFULNESS! It is the practice of being aware of your mental state, tuning into your calm emotions, and focusing on the now. What we try to achieve through meditation is overall a better and healthier version of ourselves. Just by meditating you are reducing stress and anxiety, being conscious of your mental health, and enhancing your memory! When you’re on the go, stressing before an interview, or even wanting to clear your mind before bed, meditating is only one step away. Before you start meditating, agree on a set time that you would like to practice for. Most meditators prefer going for a solid 20 minutes however, as a beginner, you can even go as quickly as 3 minutes. Once you’ve decided on a timing, settle in a perfectly quiet area which can be by your porch where you can tune into the sounds of nature or by the window in a room where natural light hits. Sit up straight or lie down comfortably, close your eyes, and simply: breathe. Try as much as you can to effortlessly breathe and let your body do the magic, controlled breathing is what defeats the purpose of meditation practice. While you’re naturally breathing, shift your attention to how relaxed your body is and scan over your shoulders, ribs, and legs. Unclench your muscles and jaw. As humans, we tend to hold onto stress and just by removing your tongue from the roof of your mouth, you feel more at ease. As simple as this activity is, the impact of meditation is powerful and you feel a lot clearer. As busy individuals, we don’t prioritize the clearness of the mind as we are taught to hustle and work about. However, you can incorporate meditation into your routine whether it is for 3 or 20 minutes... or maybe even when you’re doing the thing you love the most! 1. Hobbies such as cooking, hiking, or painting will still reduce stress and slip all your problems away. This is called power-of-the-present-moment meditation. You’re focusing your mind on the thing you love the most and nothing else will matter at that present moment!
2. Look around! Whenever you’re on the way to class or work, appeal to nature’s rhythms and gaze at the skies. Naturally, we have the tendency to be at ease around nature as it reminds us that we are still here, alive, and breathing. Listening to music on the way also has a similar effect of calming the nerves before engaging in the activity ahead. 3. Before getting out of bed, leave your phone aside and meditate for 5 minutes. We all have a hard time getting up for a long day. Instead of forcing yourself out of bed, linger a little and take 5 minutes to meditate without accidentally falling asleep. Remember, you need to focus on the present and not let your mind wander to sleep. Those 5 minutes will make a difference and you’ll finally feel easy breezy enough to get up and start your day. What do you say? Will you try incorporating more meditation into your day-to-day life? Think about it or while you’re at it, start meditating at this moment! While meditating is a piece of cake when done solo, meditation with friends is also an option. Hopefully, you can manage the busy life with a little bit of meditation, anytime, and in anywhere you go. By Manal Abufayyah Sources: “7 Ways to Easily Incorporate Meditation Into Your Life.” Wanderlust, 11 July 2016, wanderlust.com/journal/7-ways-to-easily-incorporate-meditation-into-your-life/. Harris, Shelby Freedman, et al. “How to Meditate.” Mindful, 9 Oct. 2019, www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/. Gaiam. “Meditation 101: Techniques, Benefits, and a Beginner's How-To.” Gaiam, www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/meditation-101-techniques-benefits-and-abeginner-s-how-to.
PAINTINGS
Numerah Bazme
Rumaisa Khusru
Madeha Islam
INTERVIEWS WITH PROFESSORS FROM THE ENGLISH AND TRANSLATION DEPARTMENT
Dr. Hafedh Gharbi is an Assistant Professor in the English and Translation department. Before joining Effat in 2015, Dr. Hafedh had a career at the University of Sousse in Tunisia where he taught American culture studies, American foreign policy and translation for 13 to 14 years. Till today, he writes many research articles on topics such as- conservatives, neoconservatives, foreign-policy schools and current administration. Dr. Hafedh‘s reading interests lie mainly in political novels and he tends to read in French more than in English. When asked about his favorite literary pieces, Dr. Hafedh named- “Les Misérables”(The Wretched) written by Victor Hugo, “Attaliani” (The Italian) by Chokri Mabkhout and “La Possibilité d’une île” (The possibility of an island) by Michel Houellebecq. The first of the listed books draws attention to the concepts of class conflict, suffering of the poor, injustice acted by the state and how to resist it. The second book discusses political and social developments in Tunisia during the 1980s and 1990s, the social turmoil and transformation that were experienced during these years. The final book by Houellebecq revolves around the fate of a modern man who is stuck in between his desires, limitations and contradictions in a French society, which is globalizing and thus imposing a certain change in the man.
Dr. Obaida Almommani is an assistant professor of translation and linguistics at Effat University. He started working at Effat University in 2014 after moving to the Kingdome. He received his PhD in Linguistics/Translation in 2012 from Macquarie University/ Australia. His dissertation titled “Manipulation: an evasive and indeterminate phenomenon in translation” empirically explored the manipulative aspects of translations of non-literary texts. This was attainable through an extensive study of a large body of real-life texts and their Arabic/English translations. Dr. Almommani tutored translation courses at the University of Western Sydney/Australia. He is a professional translator and interpreter who was accredited by the Australian National Accreditation Authority for Translator and Interpreters in 2004. He worked extensively as an interpreter and translator. He interpreted, translated and sight-translated in various fields and locations such as courts, police stations, hospitals, medical centers, detention centers and many others. Dr. Almommani is a member of many professional associations such as the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) and the World Arab Translators’ Association (WATA). As a reader Dr. Obaida finds himself reading in politics mostly. A book titled The dangerous Liaison by Pierre Choderlos is one of his favorites a long with a book titled A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes.
Dr. Linda Maloul is the English and Translation department chair. She joined Effat first in 2007 then left to get her Ph.D in 2009. She then returned in 2014 and has been here ever since. Before she was a professor at Effat, Dr. Linda taught in the University of Jordan. Dr. Linda loves to read and loves research. So, after completing her BA in English Literature, she decided to pursue her higher education and started her MA. During her MA, Dr. Linda did her project on postcolonial theory in comparative literature and went on to get her Ph.D. She is very passionate about literature and analyzing and interpreting it, and so, she went on to start teaching it. Dr. Linda’s love for reading revolves mostly around contemporary novels; usually sociopolitical fiction. Her favorite books include Love in the Time of Cholera by Garcia Márquez. She especially enjoyed the author’s amazing use of language, even though she read the translated version. The story talks about human struggle in all its forms, especially when someone is in love. It talks about loyalty, patience, society and how social factors affect what you do, who you get married to, who you can fall in love with, who you can be with, and so on. Another book she enjoyed reading very much is Secret Son by Laila Lalami. It follows the story of an illegitimate son who does not know that his father is a very powerful man. The book deals with socio-political issues and how some children fall victim to their parents’ choices or are treated as puppets in political games. All in all, the novel has a very touching story. Her third favorite book is Once in A Promised Land by Laila Halabi. It’s about the experience of an Arab-American immigrant family who was trying their best to be useful and give back to their community. Then 9/11 takes place and everything in their life changes.
Dr. Ahmad Khuddro is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator for the Foreign Language Center. Before joining Effat University over 8 years ago, in February 2011, Dr. Ahmad had a career at the University of Bologna, Italy, where he remained a visiting professor for 3 years. Till today, he remains an admirable figure who previously interpreted for international platforms such as Al Jazeera, Walt Disney, MBC, translating modern entertainment shows like Greys Anatomy, etc. Dr. Ahmad claims to have an overfilled schedule due to which, he remains unable to name his current reading interests but expresses his thorough engrossment towards a relaxing time in front of the television on a daily basis. However, the one book he would like to recommend is Pesioptimist by Ameil Habibi, a book translated from Arabic, which involves a fresh graduate and his struggles to sell vegetables with his certificate in a jobless situation.
BOOK/MOVIE REVIEWS
Book Reviews Noura Al-Zubaidi
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson “Ink and parchment flowed through her veins. The magic of the Great Libraries lived in her very bones. They were a part of her, and she a part of them.” Sorcery of Thorns is a tale about magical libraries. It follows one girl and her efforts in saving her kingdom from a powerful evil. Sorcery of Thorns is very well written. The first chapter had me hooked and looking forward to the story in so many ways. The world that was built and the way the characters were written were perfect. Everything was described amazingly. The story was also told beautifully and although it seemed to be a bit slow at first, the story ended up being described in detail that had me wanting to know even more. It was magical from start to finish. I would definitely recommend it to those who love mystical tales.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor “It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.” This was the strangest yet most beautiful book I’ve ever read. The protagonist of the book, Lazlo Strange, reminded me of why I love to read. I found myself agreeing to every word he said. I saved so many quotes, all of which about reading. I could relate to him immensely. It’s a truly amazing feeling to be able to relate to character a character to the point of seeing yourself in him/her. The world of Strange the Dreamer is incredibly unique. Laini Taylor’s writing was so lyrical, so lush and beautifully written. I couldn’t help falling in love with the book more and more. Everything was so detailed, vivid, rich, and had exactly what everyone’s imagination needs. The author constructed such a complex and breathtaking world. It was beautiful and frightening all at once.
Movie Review: The Blackcoat’s Daughter -Raghad AlHibishi The Black coat’s Daughter is a Canadian American 2015 horror movie. It stars actresses Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton. Oz Perkins, the son of famous director Anthony Perkins, directs the movie. It is a debut film that has surprised many critics and viewers. The film starts out with students and teachers from Bramford Catholic boarding school preparing to leave for winter break. Two students, Kat (Kiernan Shipka) and Rose (Lucy Boynton), are left behind when neither of their parents arrive. They have to stay the night with their teachers and wait for their parents to come pick them up the next day. Kat and Rose begin to notice supernatural, mysterious, evil forces and must battle them. The following morning, Kat is extremely sick and starts acting strange. She is soon possessed by the evil force and begins murdering the teachers left in the school. A while later, the headmaster comes back to the school, finds the bodies, and immediately calls the police. When the police arrive and start to investigate, they find Kat still in school and arrest her. The headmaster offers to exorcise her and the police agree. After he exorcises her, the evil force is seen leaving in the shadows and Kat begs for it to stay. It turns out that she has been seeking a demon to befriend, as she was tired of being alone. The movie received generally positive reviews. One of which said, “The Blackcoat's Daughter is a self-contained tale of evil that knows exactly what it's doing.”1 Overall, the events of the film were extremely unpredictable and suspenseful. If the viewer is interested in watching a great psychological-horror film that would keep them on the edge of their seat, this is the movie for them. References: - 1 The Blackcoat's Daughter (February) (2017). (N.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_blackcoats_daughter.
Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.
~Fernando Pessoa The crown of Literature is poetry. ~W Somerset Maugham
Literature is the comprehensive essence of the intellectual life of a nation. ~William Shakespeare Literature is humanity talking to itself. ~Norman Rush
Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.
~Boris Pasternak
A book is your best companion