Tala Al-Mangour, Class of 2012

Citizenship: Saudi Arabia
Hometown: Saar, Bahrain
High School: Ibn Khuldoon National School
Major: Psychology

My name is Tala Al-Mangour and I’m a junior at Lewis & Clark . I come from a tiny island in the Middle East called Bahrain.  It’s the dot on the map right next to Saudi Arabia and it’s my home. Bahrain is unique in that it is so small a country that it feels like a town. This means you can’t leave the house without seeing three of your relatives and at least ten other people you know from high school. It also means it takes only 45 minutes to get to the other side of the island.

As a senior in high school, the idea of leaving home was daunting, and the thought of studying in Portland, Oregon, which was a whopping 12,101 kilometers away, was even more terrifying. But once I got to Lewis & Clark, I realized I couldn’t have picked a more suitable place for me to study and live! Yes, it was freezing compared to Bahrain, but it was indisputably the most beautiful campus I’d ever seen, (of course there were no palm trees which I love) and everyone made me feel so welcome.

Everyone I’ve met has been so warm and friendly and genuinely interested about my background.  I’ve made great friends that I hope to keep forever. People aside, I’ve really enjoyed other things that L&C has to offer like extracurricular clubs and activities.

I’m involved in CEESA or the Coalition for English Education and Social Advocacy. Essentially, we tutor the housekeeping staff at L&C in English. It’s a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend to anyone with at least a beginner’s level of Spanish. SALAM is also another great club that I am involved in.  “Salam” in Arabic means peace. During club meeting we discuss Middle Eastern culture, language, and pressing issues. L&C also offers amazing study abroad programs. I’ll be going to Sevilla, Spain through LC’s cultural intensive overseas program.

It’s also great because downtown Portland is only a short bus ride away where I usually just roam aimlessly with friends, shopping, eating, or going to concerts. At the end of the day, even though Oregon is so far from home, if I’m ever homesick and in desperate need of shawarma, Habibi’s Middle East Cuisine is only half an hour away!