Yousef

Yousef grew up in Dubai with an Emirati father and an American mother (his parents met while his dad was studying at UNC.) I met Yousef in 2004 during his freshman year at Coe when he pledged Sigma Nu. Just before I met him Ann had told me that the revered leader and founder of the country had just died. When I passed along condolences he gave me a look of, "How in the hell would you know about that?"

Yousef transferred to Houston after one year. Part of it was the weather, part of it was missing the big city. Houston is the American city that is probably closest to Dubai in terms of climate and ridiculous traffic. He finished his undergraduate and is beginning work on his Master's. The Emirates pays for his education and provides a generous living expense check. It would be easy to say he's spoiled, but he's not. He's very well grounded with a healthy perspective of the pluses and minuses of the Emirates and the US.

I had hoped to gain some insight into Emirati thinking but found that we pretty much saw things the same way. Trying to have him explain my students would be like asking me what it is like to grow up in the Bronx. I have as much in common with a kid in the Bronx as Yousef does with my students. He went to an all English speaking school, spoke English in the home and his classmates all prepared for college overseas. None considered universities in this country.

He told me many great stories. My favorite (that I'm able to repeat on the blog) was that as a child he didn't like visiting his uncle's house because they didn't have any toilet paper. At an early age if the family would go there he'd insist on bringing his own.

Although I didn't walk away with any flash of insight I left with something far more valuable: Talking to someone who grew up here who sees the oddities the way I do. That did wonders for my mental health.