After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, many American attitudes toward the Middle East and Islam were quite negative and, in some cases, openly hostile. I found my world turned upside down and felt as though my childhood was suddenly over. The time had come to make my own decisions about other countries and peoples, relying no more on the perspectives of family and friends. It was a defining turning point of my life, but once I became caught up in university applications and music school auditions, the events of that terrible day faded into the background. Never did I imagine that I, myself, would one day journey to those distant lands. Sometime over the Christmas holiday, I had a conversation with my Mom about her long-held desire to
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