Michaela Yule

Dartmouth College

For my one-on-one tutorial, I studied Modern Arabic Fiction. Specifically, my professor and I spent the term working through Naguib Mahfouz’s novel, Miramar, in Arabic. The novel is set in 1960’s Alexandria, so it was a privilege to walk the streets and explore the very places Mahfouz brought to life in his story. It gave the city a whole new dimension and nostalgic beauty.

Class time with my professor was fast-paced and challenging, but always supportive. We read through difficult passages and discussed important themes or questions that I had. I appreciated the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with an Egyptian professor who had never heard me speak a word of English, and vice versa. Also, it was an exciting accomplishment for me to know that I have completed one of the most fundamental yet challenging Arabic novels, in its native language.