Hi! My name is Salma and I LOVE to travel. I’m a second-year master’s student at USC Annenberg’s School for Communication and Journalism, pursuing a degree in public relations and advertising. I am also currently working as a full-time associate at a strategic communications firm in Century City.
Me in Cannes, France – finally taking my first PTO since joining the real-world workforce!
Welcome to my WordPress travel blog, where we examine how language reflects cultural practices by exploring expressions from different languages that reveal deeper insights into the societies that use them. Each language has phrases and sayings that offer more than just meaning—they provide a view into cultural norms, priorities, and humor. For example, an expression in French may initially seem blunt or rude, but it highlights the cultural emphasis on honesty, even when perceived as harsh by some non-native speakers.
By delving into these linguistic nuances, I hope to demonstrate how language mirrors cultural identity and what can be learned from everyday phrases in the places I have traveled.
Why am I writing this blog, you ask?
I feel qualified to write this blog not just because I have traveled extensively but because multiculturalism is a deeply ingrained value in my life. As the daughter of immigrants from Palestine and Lebanon, I grew up in the U.S. in a Middle Eastern home where various cultures were blended. Starting at age three, I attended an international school where I learned both French and Spanish, in addition to the Arabic and English I already spoke. This experience exposed me to people from all over the world. Throughout my life, I sought out international internships, working with global nonprofits in places like Belgium and Jordan. During university, I majored in international relations with a concentration on Russia and Europe and spent six months in London studying the effects of multiculturalism on British society, with a focus on Brexit. Needless to say, I am a global citizen, well-equipped and passionate about global affairs, and I have the tools necessary to write this blog.
Yes, I am constantly looking for flights to “anywhere.”