121: Hebah Nigm on Speaking 6 Languages Fluently by Age 23, Grounding Her Identity in Islam and Traveling the World as a Hijabi

<p>Hebah Nigm takes us on her journey growing up in an Egyptian immigrant family in Vienna,<br /> Austria, and learning to speak 6 languages fluently by age 23. She explains how her passion for<br /> language learning developed through her interest in other cultures and world travel. She<br /> reflects on her own identity, being torn between cultures, and not being fully accepted in either<br /> Austria or Egypt. By contrast, she reflects on the stability and consistency of her Muslim<br /> identity, and her ability to connect with people across cultures, borders and languages through<br /> Islam. She then reflects on her international travels to Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ceuta in<br /> North Africa, Finland, Switzerland, Canada and the U.S. She shares on her safety precautions,<br /> the importance of travel planning, and provides tips for other Muslim women travelers. Hebah<br /> then talks about foreign language learning and why it’s important to begin with a self-<br /> assessment to understand what type of language learner you are. She explains the importance<br /> of exposing yourself to the language as much as possible and gives tips on how to refine your<br /> accent by carefully listening to the sounds, intonation and melody of the language. And, finally,<br /> she talks about her YouTube channel, “Hebah’s Rollercoaster”, where she shares language-<br /> learning tips, insights from her world travels, and reflections on race, gender and her<br /> Muslim identity. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com</p>