Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

A team of 14 teachers, specialists in various fields,worked together, along with several young counselors, to make Al-Bustan Camp 2003 a fun and enriching experience for the campers. Let us introduce ourselves. . . .

Fadwa Kashkash: Arabic

Fadwa has a degree in literature and education, with diplomas in Arabic language instruction, art, interior design and calligraphy. She is currently tutoring children and adults in Arabic. She has over twenty five years experience teaching kindergarten and elementary school students in Kuwait. She is also an artist and has exhibited her paintings in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. This is her second year volunteering at Al-Bustan Camp.

Hasan Ahmed Ansari: Arabic

Hasan has just completed his undergraduate degree with dual majors in Economics and Asian and Middle East studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Having lived in the United Arab Emirates and in Pakistan for a number of years, he is fluent in Arabic, Hindi and Urdu. He has worked as a teaching assistant for first year Arabic language classes at the University of Pennsylvania. His extracurricular interests have including debating, acting, music, philately, cricket and soccer.

Fatima Chebchoub: Storytelling/Drama

atima (stage name, Chebchouba,), a Moroccan, is currently a doctoral candidate in the Asian and Middle East Department at the University of Pennsylvania. With degrees in comparative literature and theatre, her professional experience has included teaching, acting, screenplay writing and film directing for TV and cinema. She is writing and directing a TV documentary in Morocco, has written and directed two short films about women in Morocco and has recently directed a documentary on Arab-Americans in Philadelphia. She has presented numerous dramatic performances of the Moroccan Halqa (a traditional dramatic form similar to European street theatre) in the Middle East, Africa, United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Hamdi Attia: Art

Hamdi, an Egyptian, is an artist who received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Since completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a focus on sculpture, in Cairo, he has exhibited his work in a number of cities, including Cairo, Rome, Venice, Paris, Vienna, New York City and Philadelphia. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the 1995 grand prize for best pavilion at the International Venice Biennial and the Maurice Lowe Award for outstanding performance at the University of Pennsylvania. While in Cairo and Rome he lead several art workshops for adults and children. This is his second year at Al-Bustan Camp.

Daniel Dalseth: Art

Daniel is an artist who received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He has exhibited his work at the Reading Terminal Head House and Fox Gallery in Philadelphia, as well as the Korean National University of the Arts in Seoul, and the Techno-Art Center and Museum of Non-Conformist Art in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has been a teaching assistant in sculpture and printmaking at the University of Pennsylvania and an artist in residence in St. Petersburg. Fluent in Russian and Spanish, he has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and spent time in Katmandu, Nepal as a volunteer primary school teacher.

Joseph Tayoun: Music

Joseph, a Lebanese-American, is a music teacher, an accomplished Middle Eastern percussionist, and a certified elementary education teacher in New Jersey. He taught music for several years to Pre-k through 8th grade students at the University City New School in Philadelphia. He has participated in several residencies with Zakir Hussain and with Simon Shaheen at Swarthmore University and The Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia. He has been playing over the past ten years at ‘Concerts for Peace’ with the Arabic/Jewish ensemble Atzilut which has performed all over the U.S. including at the United Nations. This is his second year at Al-Bustan Camp.

Adeeb Samaan Refela: Music

Adeeb, an Egyptian, is an accomplished musician, a self-taught player of the oud, guitar and violin. During the past ten years, he was a full-time performer playing the oud with the National Arabic Music Orchestra at the Cairo Opera House. He has also traveled in Europe and within the US playing the oud with various musical groups. For many years he has been tutoring adults and children in the oud and guitar. Recently, he has been performing with a musical group in Philadelphia and working with the non-profit organization, Strings for Schools, presenting workshops on Middle Eastern music to various Philadelphia schools.

Michele Tayoun: Dance

Michelle, a Lebanese-American, is experienced in the traditional, folklore dances of the Arab region and has conducted numerous dance workshops with children and adults. She also sings in Arabic and has had vocal instruction with Simon Shaheen. This is her second year at Al-Bustan Camp.

Linda Hanna: Nature

Linda, a Syrian-American, is an experienced environmental health scientist with her own consulting firm, focused on integrated risk management in the areas of ecology and human health She has traveled in the Middle East region where she has observed the local cultural and political realities as related to environmental issues, and upon her return has documented her visits in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. As an avid gardener, she has been a long time member of the Morris Arboretum and is familiar with its varied landscape.

Julia Judson-Rea: Nature

Julia is an environmental studies major, with a focus on international politics and policy, at Bates College in Maine. Having grown up on a farm in New Jersey, nature and the outdoors have always been of great interest to her. Her college concentration in international policy has led her to spend time studying in Tasmania, while the early childhood years she spent in Ramallah with her family, have drawn her to visit the Middle East several times since. She has worked as a councilor at an environmentally focused summer camp in Maine and is an avid water polo and soccer player.

Gordon Witty: Nature

Gordon has lived in Egypt for two years. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He hosted the television program “Marhaba: Welcome to the World of Arabic” on the Philadelphia School District cable TV channel. He loves the outdoors and is an avid bug collector. This is his second year at Al-Bustan Camp.

Thea Abu El-Haj: Education Research & Evaluation

Thea Abu El-Haj, a Palestinian-American, is an educational researcher and teacher educator. She grew up in Iran and Lebanon, lived in Egypt and has spent extensive time with her family in Palestine. She began her career in the field of education developing cross-cultural curriculum and then working as an elementary school teacher for many years. Since receiving her doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in the anthropology of education, she has been researching, writing and teaching about socio-cultural processes and education. She has a particular interest in conducting collaborative research with educators to document and evaluate programs.

Ahlam Yassin: Teaching/Research Assistant

Ahlam, a Palestinian-American, is a senior-year student majoring in political science at La Salle University. Having grown up in Philadelphia, she completed her high school education at Ramallah Friends School. She is currently participating in the Arab-American Resource Corps, an Americorp program, and is responsible for cultural outreach. During the camp she will be assisting in the development of cross-cultural activities and the documentation and evaluation of the camp participants. This is her second year at Al-Bustan Camp.

Hazami Sayed: Director/Architecture

Hazami, an Arab-American, is an architect and has worked in the fields of architecture and urban development in Philadelphia and New York City. She is also a photographer and has recently exhibited black and white photographs of her visits to the Arab region. Over the past two years she has been involved with school children in a number of educational initiatives related to understanding the cultural, religious and socio-political realities of the Arab/Muslim world. She is the founder and president of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture.