So lets kick this thing off.. I have yet really figured out what I will be sharing here at all. So I think this might end up being a car wreck of a blog.. but there is always a first time for everything. Lets all hope the learning curve is very very short- shall we?
So.. I guess I should give some background on me- right? I mean if anyone ever reads this thing.. it would definitely be helpful. – Its like the blurb on the back of the video rental box.. except about me. 🙂
Recent University graduate- BS in International Security and Conflict Resolution- May 2009- I tried to get a job in my field of study and was basically told come back when you have a PhD. So I joined Ameri Corps in an effort to remain solvent more than anything else and now spent my time not in a classroom teaching as my title- Community Educator- would suggest but doing campaign development- specifically with internet outlets like Twitter, Youtube, MySpace and Facebook.
So if you know me and you wonder.. has she become a Facebook addict.. the honest answer is yes.. but about half of the addiction is unwilling because its for work purposes.
I am a daughter of a single lesbian parent- who is now happily married to the love of her life. Since my mother came out when I was eleven- I have a faced a lot to sigma, bias and out right ignorance on the subject of homosexuality. What does my mother being gay mean to me? She loves someone of the same sex or gender if you prefer. Does it affect her ability to be a good parent.. Hell no. Does it affect my ability to be completely honest with every Muslim I meet or have met- yes.
You know in the Muslim community it isn’t that uncommon to have two or more mothers- because of the acceptance of Polygamy. How many Muslims do you know that what to admit they have 2 Mommas? Or for that matter FLDS kids?
Having a lesbian mom in the Muslim community- when you are looking to get married is like admitting your a leper or you have a physical disability – but I think perhaps its seen as worst than that- people see it like a stain you can’t remove- like your genetic code is screwed up beyond all repair. I can count so far on two hands the number of men who have said- Thank you but no thanks- sometimes after proposing to me- Once I bring up the topic of my mother.
So I have had to begin screening potential suitors.. with questions like.. What do you think about Prop 8? Saves me the time and emotional investment up front to just test the waters beforehand. You live and you learn.
Stay tuned.. I will probably blog more on the subject.
I grew up in Chicago, IL USA until I was 16- at which point I got kicked out of my high school after being accepted and enrolling in an alternative high school-Eagle Rock School. What a challenge and what a god send- helped me realize there is more to learning than memorization and tests. Focused on character formation not just academic. I have to admit- this was also one of the toughest times in my life.. when I get asked would I go back and do my high school years over again.. I say NO! because that time period was so difficult- emotionally, mentally and physically. I still haven’t gone to a reunion- it was that traumatic and trans formative.
I graduated at age 20 and immediately enrolled in community college. I highly recommend this 1. because its so much cheaper than university and 2. if you fail a class its cheaper and less expensive to retake in a community college and 3. Its a great proving ground- see if you can create and maintain skills that help you excel academically – finally 4. If its the first time your kid is going to college… its a way to make sure they don’t go crazy – they can go a bit crazier now in a smaller pond- safer- than at the big price stickered university.
By age 23, I applied and was accepted to SDSU in Fall 2006. During spring of 2006, I finally was professionally assessed and told that I have dyscalculia and that I am a person with NLD- Non-Verbal Learning Disorder- which is a part of the Asperger spectrum. Suddenly I didn’t need to beat myself up for something I had no control over…it wasn’t that I didn’t work hard enough or study hard enough that was the reason for me have a continual battle with numbers, math, memorization and learning foreign languages.
See Wikipedia for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_learning_disorder
However having been diagnosed- it hasn’t prevented me from taking on challenges- like learning Arabic.. I figure that if it was a struggle for me to learn how to read and then once it finally clicked- the skill stuck and I became really strong at reading to the point I have hyperlexia- maybe just maybe Arabic could be the same.
In Fall 2007, after many years of studying Islam- eight to be exact. I decided I was ready to be a Muslimah. So I took my Shahada right before Ramadan.. like two days.. What was I thinking? Maybe in hindsight.. I could have waited until after Ramadan.. but that would be pretty half assed in my humble opinion.
So in Spring 2008, I figured out how to get myself to Egypt for study abroad since my university has yet to offer any Arabic study abroad program- with a very very basic Modern Standard Arabic vocabulary. That in itself deserves its own blog.. my adventures in Egypt.
And now I am in the Bay Area working for the weekend, on the hunt for a husband, addicted to reading BBC’s newfeed and 1/3 through the Peace Corps post application process… whats next?
American Muslimahs Musings 