Personality attributes and cross-cultural adaptability in personal development

¶ … personality that I am most proud of, it is excruciatingly hard to single out one characteristic. However, given that I am Palestinian with mixed ethnic roots (Palestinian-Muslim father and Polish-Christian mother) living in a country that is torn by ethnic and religious divisiveness, I would posit that the character trait that I am most proud of is my ability to transcend all differences and see humans as humans regardless of their origin or personal makeup.

It may be that it was the Lycee Francais de Jerusalem that helped me develop this valuable attribute. The Lycee Francais de Jerusalem exposed me to a variety of different ways of thinking and backgrounds: there were Israelis and Europeans as well as of course, Palestinians, and it was one of those rare environments where contradictory and hugely different backgrounds met and amiably converged. Despite political differences and surrounding oppositional forces, I was able to strike up some genuine and enduring friendships with Israeli students that enabled me to understand and appreciate their experiences. In fact, I spent my Christmas holiday tutoring two Israeli students with their math examinations.

I reinforced my educational experience with voluntary involvement in a variety of peace programs such as the Peres Center for Peace, Peace Players Middle East, and Seeds of Peace.

It may be also be that other conditions in my life developed this ability too, particularly the fortunate situation of having cultured parents who gave me the opportunity (at least my mother) to pursue culture, specifically music, which broadens the mind. Music is a universalizing tool, and by engaging in it, I am transcending political categorizations by using a transcendental tool to appreciate and interact with our commonality.

It may be music and my background that has enabled me to look past externals and see the core of the individual as is.

As illustration of what I mean, I can do no better than relate an incident that happened to me in France one summer. I was walking towards the laundromat and noticed a group of people shouting at a girl. She had a repulsive odor and was wearing dirty clothes. One lady reprimanded her saying: "You can't be here. Go away." The poor girl stood up and, noticing that I was observing the commotion, asked me whether I could help her wash her clothes. I helped her wash and dry them and then noticed that she had numerous school books with her but was shocked when I noticed that she was having difficulties lifting her ill-fitting pants and that one side of her body was paralyzed. She could barely carry her load so when she asked me for help I eagerly accompanied her to her accommodations.

This incident taught me that humans are more complex than appear on the outside, that we cannot categorize them according to externals, namely according to race or disability and that only by looking past that can we bring out the potential of ourselves and others and make the world something more of a better place.