Julia’s Introduction

• 9 years ago
• Posted in:Introductions
• 6
• Author: jkdaina
• Tags: Introductions

Hi everyone,

My name is Julia. I’m finally up and running in this, my second, MET course. I’m amazed and inspired by the content and this robust, diverse class. After reading the introductions, I tip my hat to all of you!

The image I am posting is of an abaya decorated with Arabic calligraphy. I live in Oman in the Arabian Gulf where women wear the abaya. There are plenty of decorative versions, but this is the only one I have seen decorated in this way. The beauty of Arabic calligraphy is it can serve as text, design or logo. It is also considered the highest form of art in Islam. It is uncommon to see it in this fashion context. The forms of the letters (typography, if you will) have all been deconstructed and there is no explicit meaning or message.

Arabic text is wonderful because its letters change depending on initial, medial or final forms, there are no capitals or vowels and ligatures are common. Translate this cursive text to a smart phone keyboard and discover that typing means holding down letters to decide which contextual form to choose!

I have been in the Gulf for three years. I was born in Toronto and raised in a multilingual environment. Though I’ve never had trouble mediating new spaces, the longer I live in the Gulf and immerse myself in local culture, the more shocked I become. Oman is a conservative absolute monarchy where I have learned to read between the lines, in digital and real spaces. Everything is a text here, particularly codes of dress and other social signals. I am increasingly aware of the messages I send. Oral traditions run deep; this is a place that has leapt from illiteracy into digital spaces, which permeate everything.

Currently I teach English in the military. I have a background in art, film and communications, but I couldn’t resist playing the ESL card to travel here (via Saudi Arabia). At the moment, I am teaching IELTS test preparation. I thought I would hate it, but it is methodical and less stressful than I had imagined. It has ups and downs. I’m sorry, for instance, that I am not teaching reading per se, but strategies to locate information (albeit a useful skill).

In my own journey, I left an English degree for art school – lost for words – but after six years in two visual design programs, circled back to words because visuals weren’t enough. Since the 90s, I have scanned most all of my paper artifacts into PDF format. I love Instagram (a new obsession at the prodding of my students) and ruminate over whether or not to hashtag. I adore Twitter, though I’ve been inactive due to censorship concerns. My closest relationship relies on Google Translate. I lament the discontinuation of the Oxford Canadian Dictionary!

It is for all these reasons and more that I’ve been keen to take this course. It is a pleasure to meet you all.
Julia