I hope you are all doing well as you embark on this quarter. My name is …………… from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I graduated from King Abdul-Aziz University in 2012 with a degree in Public Administration. The knowledge gained while at the University has proved to be very helpful. It has been the stepping stone towards the acquisition of the experience that I have gathered so far pertaining to public administration.  This is because pursuing the degree gave me the opportunity to attain employment at King Abdulaziz Hospital, where I worked for two years. During this period, I had to make the hardest decision in my life. I made up my mind to pursue my master’s degree here in the United States of America. I thought of all the challenges that I would encounter in the process. It was pretty clear that the culture here was quite different from what I had experienced in my home country. I was worried about how I would get along, and make my stay comfortable. I am proud of myself that I made the decision to move here. I do not have any shred of regret since I have gained a lot of exposure.

I joined this fascinating graduate program here at CSUB in order to pave the way for an outstanding career in public administration in my home country. There is high demand for native-born public administrators over there. The aspect has been necessitated by the need to enhance improvements in government policies and agencies. The skills, knowledge, and experiences gained from this masters program will provide me with an added advantage during my job hunt. I am looking forward to working with my classmates and learn from each other as we sojourn through this quarter.

Among the national events that have had an impact in my life is the mass shooting in San Bernardino that occurred in 2015. Fourteen people were killed, and twenty-two were injured. This occurrence instilled a lot of fear in me. One of the individuals involved with the shooting was born and raised in the United States. It is quite difficult to understand why someone who ought to be patriotic to his country would carry out such an action. The action was also targeted towards co-workers. This brought the feeling that mass shooting can occur anywhere. Fear engulfed me during this period since it seemed like it was not outright to say that being in a specific place makes you safe. The San Bernardino shooting got me into thinking about gun violence, and policies that might be enacted to help reduce the vice. This was after checking past scenarios that involved gun violence. There has been extensive debate regarding the issue but little has been done.

A global event that had an impact on me was the Xenophobia attacks that took place in South Africa. I was just going through the CNN website, and I came across this article. Mobs attacked immigrants in the country, and this had resulted in unrest in the affected cities. The locals were accusing immigrants of taking their jobs. There was a situation where even a 14 year- old boy was killed. Whose job had the boy taken? This was the question running through mind while reading the article. Interest in the story made me search for past experiences regarding Xenophobia in the country, and it seemed like something quite common. I was perplexed by the situation since it seemed inhuman. Killing people for reasons that are just made up is very traumatizing. I could imagine the misery that the immigrants in that country were experiencing at that time given that they were foreigners, and did not have a lot of options at their disposal. I like traveling, and this generated some fear in me, since it can happen when you are out there visiting a foreign country.

Reference

Karimi, F. & Kinkade, L. (2016). Mobs in Durban, South Africa, attack immigrants. CNN. Retrieved 26 September 2016, from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/16/africa/south-africa-anti-foreigner-attacks/

Response to Mohammed Almheiri

Hi Mohammed,

While reading through your post, I couldn’t help but notice we have some aspects in common. I also came to the United States with the objective of attaining a master degree in Public Administration. In my mind, I knew that this would speed track my career. After graduation, I am also going back to my home country to seek employment opportunities over there. However, I have noticed that it was not a difficult decision for you to leave your home country and come to study in the USA. For me, I classify it among the most difficult decisions that I have had to make. I am really proud of myself for making the decision since I have learned a lot along the way.

The San Bernardino shooting also had a great impact on me too. I was engulfed with fear since it seemed like it could happen again. Moving around became problematic for me, and this made me very inactive. I can remember my parents used to call on a daily basis. They seemed more scared since they did not know what exactly was going on. I was being advised to go back home too, but I assured them everything had normalized. I am happy that now my heart feels at ease compared to that period.

Response to Oliver Camacho

Hi Oliver,

You seem to be quite focused on your life. Following your dream of being in the law enforcement; a dream that you carried from high school is an indication of this aspect. Many people have dreams as they grow up, but they lose their sight with time. Changes in circumstances always result to people thinking of alternative career paths.

Regarding mass shootings, I have also assessed the issue to a great depth. I gained interest in the issue after the San Bernardino shooting. The issue on gun violence seems to be extensive, and a lot has been said by people in different capacities.  There is need for policies that will ensure guns do not land in the hands of people that are likely to use them for the wrong reasons. The major problem is that regulations of gun ownership are not similar in all the states. This makes it difficult to curb the loopholes that enable people to acquire guns illegally.

The issue on ISIS is something I have never come to understand. What are its intentions, and where did it come from? People seem to have different answers to these questions. This makes it even more difficult to come up with holistic solutions to help eradicate this terrorist group.

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