"Ahlan Wa Sahlan" by Rebecca Shackelford
احلاً و سهلاً
Hello all!
My name is Rebekah Shackelford and I am a rising junior at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). I am a transfer student at UMKC; I transferred from The Kansas City Art Institute after completing my freshman year. I am majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I have had an interest in the Middle East and Arabic since my childhood, and while UMKC does not offer a degree in Middle Eastern Studies, I have been taking Modern Standard Arabic for a year as an elective. I still have loads to learn, but I look forward to being able to learn and use the language firsthand!
My cat, Sage, watching traffic from our apartment window. Photo credit: Shakelford, 2019
Apart from my Arabic and Media Studies at UMKC, I live a busy, fun-loving life that is generally occupied by extracurriculars, work, and a social life. Oh, and my cat, Sage, who probably consumes at least half of my time. I live in a small studio apartment in the bustling Midtown area of Kansas City. There are five kids in my family, so the studio apartment was my first chance of having my own bedroom (if you don’t count the cat that acts like he’s the one paying rent and shares the apartment with me).
I am independent and am paying my way through school and life, so as you can imagine I have to work some pretty long hours. For the two years I have spent in Kansas City, I have worked at TikiCat, a Polynesian-themed tiki bar. TikiCat was rated the #1 tiki bar in the world, so we have a plethora of travelers and tourists fly into Kansas City just for TikiCat, and also occasionally have famous musicians stop in. I work lots of very late nights, but have had tons of fun experiences and I really enjoy working in the bar scene of Kansas City and spending time with my coworkers and our regulars.
Me at TikiCat, the “tropical paradise” where I work. Photo credit: Shakelford, 2019
Long before working in a bar that looks like a jungle, or living in the hustle and bustle of Kansas City and being self-sufficient, or attending UMKC, I was a shy, isolated homeschool kid. Yup, you heard that right. I grew up in a very controlled, sheltered environment where I often stared into the vast farmland and woods surrounding our secluded home and dreamt of traveling far and wide. My father was one of the major factors in our isolation ꟷ he was prejudiced and strictly religious ꟷ and wanted to keep my mother, my four siblings, and I within his reach at all times. The idea of travel felt just as far away as the places I so desperately wanted to visit. However, after a rather freeing divorce initiated by my strong mother, we all got some space to breathe and I started public high school.
My family and I in rural Missouri, where my mother is from. Photo credit: Shakelford, 2019
When I take a look back into my past it makes it even harder to believe that in a little over seven short days, I will find myself in Amman, Jordan. From daydreaming of world-wide travel as an awkward home-schooled kid to preparing to step on my first ever international flight as a slightly less awkward adult, I have come such a long way. My wide-eyed wanderlust has yet to fade however, and I am so excited for the opportunity to grow and learn with AMIDEAST in Jordan! I look forward to documenting my experiences to share with you (you are stuck with me for the semester).
Goodbye for now!
