Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / Dec. 9, 1988, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Friday, December 9,1988 Front THE COMPASS PKoJ^ylK^ajoyner ECSU Junior Basem Calis finds life in the United States much more free than his native Kuwait, where unmarried couples can be jailed for holding hands in public. o o o 'American women love making love, says ECSU junior from Middle East : Brockway compares ; U.S.A. to Philippines Ity Karen Blanchard Not many freshmen are eligible to take upper level courses like calculus and physics their first semester in college. But then, not many freshmen know the exact distance from Pluto to the Sun, either. - ECSU has such a freshmen: Nelson Brockway, 16. "Although he was bom in Elizabeth City, Brockway has spent most of his life in the Philippines. His father is American, and his mother is Filipino. His parents met when his father did a tour of the Philippines with the United States Coast Guard. Following his assignment in the Philippines, Nelson’s father was assigned to the USCG base in Elizabeth City where Nelson was bom. Later Nelson’s family was transferred back to the Philippines where they spent the next ten years. “Life in the United States is much different from the kind of life I lived abroad,” said Nelson. “I had to make many adjustments in terms of school, work and family life when I came here.” Brockway said the transition was easier, however, because “I was raised by an American father.” In the Philippines, the outlook toward God, money, other people and govemment, is far different.” Filipino social customs are much more conservative than in the U.S., and Filipinos have a much more restricted flow of information. “There is one television station which is government conU'olled and censorcd,” said Nelson. “The radio stations are also censored, and they won’t permit heavy metal music to be played, and especially singers like George Michacl. “The Philippines are highly influenced by ihe Catholic Church. They believe the music would pollute the young people’s minds.” The church also wields great political power in the Philippines, according to Nelson. “There seems to be a unity of church and state in the political, social and economic affairs of the Philippines. Some legislators introduced a bill to legalize at)oriion, but the Catholic Church condemned abortion, and the church had so much influence that the bill did not pass.” The Philippines have a much lower standard of living than the U.S., said Brockway. “In the Philippines, they have to be conservative just to have food, shelter, clothing and water. An amount of only 25 cents would be very valuable. “The econom ic system is so unfair in the sense that only the rich profit. They exploit the poor people through unfair wages, unfair lalwr practices and hours.” ■ Brockway said that although the U .S. enjoy s a higher standard of living than ' the Philippines, Americans tend to be “more self-centered” than Filippinos. • “.One thing I don’t like about American society is most people tend to think only about tliemselves, and they want to improve their own standard of Uving. , In iJie Philippines, the less fortunate would even be willing to give to help people worse off than them.” , Americans are also less family-oriented, Brockway t>elieves. “As I have ; observed Americans have a different way of life. Most of the people are on ' the move, and they are raised up to go on their own by the time they reach ■ ,;Qllege. But in the places I grew up in, the family would usually stick together ,,g,ntil there would be a marriage in the family.” Brockway said he chose Elizabeth City State University because his parents wanted him to go to a nearby college, and “College of the Alt»emarle is quite limited.” He believes in putting “100% effort in everything I do, whether it’s job, school or home. I knew it would never be easy to attain the college degree that I want except through hard work and persistence. I believe I can make it.” Brockway said he would accept whatever comes in life “provided that I know that is the best effort 1 could give. The kind of life I’m living now is far ^jiitferent from what I expected it to be. But I hope that someday 1 can succeed in this ever improving world.” CSU junior Basem Calis finds life in the United States much freer than life in Kuwait, where he grew “The basic difference between the two countries is the freedom you have here,” said Calis. “In Kuwait if you criticized the govemment, you would be dead. You would go to jail, and there is a big chance you would be hanged.” Calis first came to theUnited States in 1986, and he enrolled in Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. He had been studying English and ac counting at Scheller Intemational University in England. “I attended Chowan for one half a semester,” said Calis. “And then I met an ECSU student, Monique Thomas, who invited me to see the campus here. I came to ECSU and liked the campus, so I enrolled here.” Although Calis grew up in Ku wait, he is a Palestinian who holds a Jordanian passport. “I have only been in Jordan one day,” said Calis. “I got the passport because my parents lived in Jordan. After the war for Palestine in 1947 my father had to move out and he went to Jordan. He met my mom in Palestine, though, and after they got married they moved to Kuwait.” "And there is no sex outside of marriage . . . there could even be a penalty of death. — Basem Calis Calis said that in Kuwait social customs are heavily influenced by the Islamic religion . “There is no dating in Kuwait. Kuwait women must cover all of their bodies except their hands and feet when they go out in public. “ Foreign women, including Cliris- tians, can date men “only as long as the govemment doesn’t know about it.,” Calis said. “And there is no sex outside of marriage. Two people holding hands who are not married can go to jail for a period of time. For people who are caught having sex outside of marriage, they could go to jail for a long time. And there could even be a penalty of death. “ Cal is said people in Kuwait do not marry for love, but for “position, power and money. Marriages are arranged to consolidate the power of families.” According to the Islamic religious customs, a woman can refuse to many a man if she does not like him, how ever. Although Kuwait law allows men to have four wives, many members of the royal family break this mle, said Calis. “They can get divorced and married again. In Kuwait, a man can be married to as many as 20 or 25 women.” In Kuwait “women have no influ ence, and no political power at all,” Calis said. American women, on the other hand, are a different story. “American women can love mak ing love,” he said. “And in America, many women are willing to have sex relationships so easy—in just one date.” The major disadvantage to the freer lifestyle in the U.S. is the risk of catching a venereal disease, in Calis’ view. “You don’t hear about AIDS and herpes in Kuwait,” he said. “But in the U.S. you hear about it every day.” In Kuwait, said Calis, “you cannot marry the woman you love, but you can ’ t catch a disease that easily. Over here people will always get married* to the one they love.’ ’ Calis sees one big thing in cor Americans have with Kuwait peopi “In both countries every person lov money. If you love money in Kuw you marry a woman who has mone And you will be a happy man the f( of your life.” Calis said the Kuwait high schd( are more difficult than the U, schools. “In high school, I finished phj ics, calculus and chemistry in n first and second year. But here, th don’t really have to study. Thai why you see so many people in ( streets with no jobs, because i school system doesn’t make pedp think. Back home school is hard.'' Calis, who plans to transfer ECU or UNC-Chapel Hill for i engineering degree, said he lik Elizabeth City State University, “I love the way faculty membe care about the students here,” he sai “and pay attention to them. And thf are willing to help the students i long as the students are willing help themselves. They are alwa] there for you.” Calis likes to listen to Ameria music in his spare time, and he als likes watching American films, esp cially “funny movies and actio movies. I liked Sylvester Stalonei Rambo, and I really loved Backt School." .’I, '' “Lifeinthe United States is muchdifferentfromthe life I lived abroad,"says ECSU freshman Mpi who grew up in the Philippines, says the two countries are different economically and politically'^ Brockway, 16. Brockway,
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 9, 1988, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75